The order of the week? Complete discombobulation.
I realize now this shouldn't shock me. It is, after all, the first week of Summer vacation and simultaneously two of my grown children are arriving back into my life. What happened to the calm, quiet routine of the school year?
Where have my mornings of quiet work gone?
They've gone into the tires of my car, zig-zagging around town and feeling like an air-traffic contol worker, negotiating where everyone who is in and out of my house and telephone line is to go next. Zipping into the grocery store, wedging in a chore here and there.
Self care? Wait - when was my last shower?
I have managed to find myself participating in two low time intensity creative challenges. Otherwise, I probably would not still be upright. I also managed to help a friend with a writing project and help a different friend who had car troubles.
- Let go of expectations: Be ready to improvise until your groove can get re-created for the Summer. Even when your groove is feeling close to heaven, be prepared for bumps and in the moment changes which leads to....
- Become a master of improvisation: none of your kids, friends or neighbors wakes up saying, "I'm going to mess up Mom's (friend's neighbor's) day with being needy." Choose to put a Mona Lisa smile on your face and in your off time, google "quips to help me feel better" to use in such emergencies.
- Squeeze something creative into your life somewhere, somehow - even if it is just for five minutes. My instagram photo challenge with the SITSgirls and the Index-Card-a-Day projects are literally life lines for me. Last night I sat in a park near my home watching the sunset because I had a prompt of "sun" for the photo challenge. It wasn't about the photo and it was about the photo. Double joy created right there because I took a moment out of my discombulation and got re-centered.
- Ask for help when necessary - before you hit the wall or turn into a screaming maniac which frightens anyone within a city block of you. I've learned over and over again most people will help if you let them know its necessary. My friend asked for help with her resume and cover letter. I gave it - and explained along the way why it was taking longer than usual. Communication is key. My friend's car trouble meant me offering (and my friend accepting) a ride. People will help you AND you need to be comfortable asking. Practice this one. It does get easier.
I know this Summer is bound to be filled with moments when I am dizzy even when standing on primarily solid ground, but I also know that by being aware and following my own advice, the dizzyness will make me laugh rather than throw up.
I'm here to help if you need me! It can't hurt to ask - - and its always good practice. Try me!
This blog post was inspired in part by a prompt from TheSITSgirls.com: "How do you handle change?".....
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Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people's creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming Summer, 2014 and beyond.
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