Wednesday, February 4, 2009

In the Bleak Midwinter

A couple of weeks ago, housebound by some terrible weather and feeling a little stupefied by the lack of sunlight, I remember thinking "I feel like nothing changes. I'm tired of everything-weather, house, yard, job, clothes- you name it!" I posted my FaceBook status: "Ready for a trip to the Bahamas, but don't think that will be happening any time soon." In a running joke with my husband, we keep track of the days when the windchill is below zero, issuing "Frozen Booger Alerts". This winter has been a doozey! Fourteen alerts so far.

Do you ever feel that it's harder to do the same thing day in and day out, than to do something stressful and different all the time? I think persevering, when there is no adrenalin rush, no sense of urgency, no variety of any kind, is the most difficult kind of endurance to pursue.

I don't get like that very often, but that day I let myself wallow in the gloom for a few hours. Then I gave myself a good shake. What was so terrible about being precisely where I was? I needed to quit being such a slug.

Since then, here's what has happened: we finally started the bathroom remodelling job for which we've been saving and planning a long time (more on that in another post); I've found about 30 of my college friends through FaceBook, and we are going to have a reunion in February; and, we've been blessed with a new grandson, who we will get to see for the first time next week!

That's a lot! I thrive on projects, the more complicated the better, and that bathroom remodel is definitely going to take a lot of attention. The college girl friends have been a constant source of amusement; I so look forward to opening my laptop every day and seeing who has written me. The reunion dinner will be a blast. And the grandson! How can you beat that for a positive change in one's life?

All of this is to say, if your feeling stuck, just wait a bit. Things change. Good stuff happens. Spring will come soon!

5 comments:

Farmer's Daughter said...

Congratulations on your grandson!
My cousin had her first baby yesterday! Nothing like that to cheer us up.

Now if the temperature would only go up....

Lady Sterling said...

"Frozen Booger Alerts" - I wondered what the FB Alert was on Facebook. I was thinking Facebook alert, freezing something or other alert. But Frozen Booger Alert - I would not have gotten that one! I love it!

I know what you mean about when things get stagnant or dull but if you wait a little it will definitely change or you need to make change happen. I get that way when I finish books - what am I going to read next. That's where I am now. Time to go to my list and pick out a handful of books.

Anonymous said...

Sorry you were in a funk. Glad you've got projects and a new grandson to cheer you up :) And your FB alerts crack me up. But I don't think I've ever experienced anything colder than 20 degrees F. I've certainly never gone outside in such weather. So I can't imagine....

Jena said...

Congrats on the new little boy and the bathroom project! It is a great time of year to get those types of projects done. Here's to no more blues.

Rose said...

Congratulations on your new grandson, Joyce! That will certainly chase away the winter blahs.

I agree with you totally--some days when I can't seem to get much done because I'm not very motivated, I think to myself how did I ever work full-time and raise 4 children? I think it's true the busier you are, the more you get done. Lately, I've been giving myself permission to be lazy occasionally, but when I feel myself really getting in a rut, I try to get out and do something different just get out of those blahs.

I'm impressed you're on Facebook; my daughter spends a lot of time there, but I haven't gotten into that yet.