Filed under: *eep!, Dewicate feewings, family, God Stuff, Sometimes she thinks too much | Tags: Coping mechanisms, Oversharing, perspective, solving personal problems
One of the things I have trouble with is perspective. I get caught up in the problems and issues of family, and how THIS CRISIS seems overwhelming, and THAT SITUATION is intractable but the reality is…it’s all kind of small, isn’t it.
When I am feeling overwhelmed (like right now…things are a blooming roller coaster), if I can remember certain things…like how BIG the whole of everything really is, and how in the grand scheme of things I am just a tiny thread in the tapestry of God’s great plan…it’s easier. I don’t like being all-important. I want my situations and issues and problems to be a blip on the map of life.
One of the things I am doing, in order to (hopefully) get a better grip on things, and maybe put it all in proper perspective, is give up the alcohol. The truth is, I have been drinking. A lot. 2 or 3 very stiff ones nearly every evening, and I think of them as sandpaper smoothing the edges of a rough day, when the reality is it’s been more like a set of blinders helping me to ignore the real issues that need to be dealt with. That’s no way to handle things.
I am nervous about it, letting go of the security blanket that was keeping me comfortable. I can do it, though. The crutch is purely psychological and one of the things The Good Dr. H has said is that I am very determined and one of the most self controlled people he has ever met. I guess that’s what the drink does, allows me to let go of the self control for a little while.
So for today, I am going to try to remember that I am a blip. I want to be a blip, not a supernova. I want to be able to remember that in the grand scheme of this life on this planet, the issues I am dealing with are small. They are important, yes, to my life and the lives around me, but they are just that thread, not the entire tapestry.
I need a clear head and strong resolve. I need to be able to communicate coherently with the people around me, so they will know that even in the midst of STUFF, they are loved deeply. That will not change.
Palo Dura Canyon, Texas
This is where I am going in my head today. It makes me remember how vast God’s creation is, and just how small I am. I will feel the wind and sun on my face, and listen to the rattle of the cottonwood leaves. I will smell the cedar as the sun beats down on it, and I will probably cry, because it really overwhelms me. I will pray, constantly, for wisdom, strength, and courage. Those are things I cannot have on my own. I can’t do any of this on my own, but with God’s guidance, and the reassurance that He is always there, I can do this.
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You CAN do this! I’ll be praying for strength for you.
Comment by Nichole September 14, 2012 @ 12:27 pmThank you very much! Knowing people have my back is encouraging.
Comment by rootietoot September 14, 2012 @ 12:48 pmpsssst- it’s palo duro canyon lol
Comment by pheenobarbidoll September 14, 2012 @ 5:06 pmYou know, I’ve been there a million times and NEVER get it right. Whatever. I know what I mean and where it is.
Comment by rootietoot September 14, 2012 @ 6:47 pmYou got the Palo right. If you wrote it like we say it it would have been Pala Dura Canyin lol
Comment by pheenobarbidoll September 14, 2012 @ 6:50 pmI think that’s what messes me up all time. Pala Dura is how my family says it. My grandfather owned the ranch that was bordered by the east rim of the canyon, he sold it to the state for the park way back when.
Comment by rootietoot September 14, 2012 @ 7:01 pmI was drinking two beers every night last year, trying to cope with the extreme stress of the job I had plus the move away from everything and everyone I knew. How I stopped: the weirdest thing: I started eating fruit. If I eat at least two servings of fruit in a day, be it fruit itself or a glass of juice, I don;t have any desire to drink any alcohol. I do not know why that is.
Comment by Michelle September 14, 2012 @ 6:21 pmPrayer journaling, when I remember to do it, helps keep my perspective a bit more broad about my life. I will be praying for you, and I WILL remember to write it down
Fruit! I’ll write that down and try it! You’re a stress drinker too, eh. It is a dumb reason to do it but it works in the short term. And thanks for the prayers! I like journaling too, perspective is always a good thing.
Comment by rootietoot September 14, 2012 @ 7:03 pm