I don’t have a title …

I just got out of bed an hour ago. Keep in mind, sleeping and being in bed are oft times two different meanings for me. I wake up in the morning to let my dog out, and then feed her, and we go back to bed together. I sometimes feel guilty about it, but the truth is I have no need to feel guilty. I can sleep in if I want to, especially if I don’t have anything on my agenda beside hanging out with my dog.

For me, my life is continually under measure. I have lived a life of self scrutiny, most often negative as I reflect upon who I am in my 60’s. I find it difficult to give myself a break sometimes. I am responsible for who I am, no one else. People might have influenced me over the years, but the damage done is always my own. I believe karma has played a role in my struggles over my marriage falling apart, and my adjustment over the last five years. I have moments of clarity where I realize I have done a lot of good in my life, but sometimes those are rare reminders. I have a diagnosis I am comfortable discussing outside of this page. I’m still nervous of people’s perception, although as the years go by, I am less inhibited with talking about what my life really is in my eyes. Most people I don’t know would likely be surprised with my honesty, sometimes not realizing at all what I walk around with every day.

So many days are spent trying to find direction for who I am. I read a lot of literature about ‘being present’ and it all makes sense to me when I can really live it. I want to be remembered as someone who is and was passionate about the beauty of life. I have wonderful children that are essential to my purpose to go forward and live a reasonable life. But it is the skeletons that remain with me and hold the same power over me through various aspects of my life. Learning to let go is very difficult for me. I believe it to be letting go of my responsibility and living with what I carry around with me is and always will be challenging. That part of my life I am pretty clear.

So, my task for today is to clean my home. I’ve spent weeks thinking about it, now I’d actually like to do it and feel the beauty of accomplishment. Our lives are designed to find the positive in our lives, embrace it and trust it with every aspect of our being.

6 responses to “I don’t have a title …”

  1. I feel this piece on so many levels. I often will come up with checklists for my checklists, just so I can make sure that I feel accomplished about at least one thing that day. I too am my worst critic. I always try to lift others up but I struggle to do the same for myself. I sincerely appreciate you sharing this with us today. Thank You. 🙏🏼 And I hope you feel amazing after you are all done cleaning today! It truly is a magical feeling! ♥️

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind commentary. There is something to that feeling of accomplishment. I did get started with the vacuum today, so there is that.☺️Thank you again.

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      1. Then I would be very proud of myself, if I were you. 🤗 Also, I went to your “about” section Thom and saw that you like to write poetry. I love it a bunch, myself! Do you have a particular style that you fancy or do you write all kinds? I’m only comfortable with rhyming poetry myself. I swear, even the thoughts in my head, rhyme. Lol A bit annoying, that. Ha Maybe we can give each other theme ideas to write about sometime. Just a thought. Anyway, I will be back here often and I will do my best to support you and your blog. Have a lovely evening please! 🙏🏼

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      2. Hi Eryn, thanks so much for your commentary and supportive words. I do delve into poetry primarily here. I’ve moved toward commentary the last few weeks – everything is an experiment I think. I’d love to discuss poetry further. Again, I really appreciate your words. I’d be happy to talk about poetry any time you like.

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  2. aquietwalk,

    I hope you don’t mind, but I ran your post past my wife, who is now 77 years of age, as opposed to my 84. We discussed your missive and came to similar conclusions.

    Thinking about your thoughts in the order you have written them, the first one is going back to bed with your dog. Nothing wrong with that, provided it is a rare treat and not a regular occurrence. The trouble is that such a situation, while it feels warm and comforting, gives the mind far too much time to ponder negative thoughts. You mentioned more in your post about cleaning your house. Yes, an excellent idea. It is doing something physical that takes one’s mind off other things. The added feeling of “accomplishment” is supreme. It takes willpower sometimes to do something that is in your best interest, but one must rise above taking the easy way out.

    Something I have learned over the last eight decades is that it does not matter a damn what other people, outside of your own family, think about you. IT JUST DOES NOT MATTER!!! It is and should be entirely irrelevant to you as a person. Remember that, and the confidence then comes from within.

    While it is a good idea to live in the present, it is even more rewarding to live in the future. Doing something or making something that has a positive outcome. You were involved with performing arts. That is primarily working on a project that has a rewarding and positive outcome. Since you are no longer doing that, you need to replace it with something that yields similar outcomes—creating something with your hands or collaborating with others as a volunteer to achieve a positive outcome. Volunteering with any non-profit organisation is the best remedy.

    Both my wife and I were very shy when we were young, but we made the decision early in our lives to do something about it. We are still the same deep underneath, but we have learnt to change our lives and move on. Such a change is extremely difficult, but it can be done if you really want it to. The human mind is capable of amazing things; we just need to find the determination to achieve them.

    All the best, and we hope you can find the spot in this world that you truly desire.

    Regards, Val and Phil

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    1. Thank you for your comprehensive feedback Phil. I appreciate it.
      Thom

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