A Week to Forget
You know when you’re having one of those weeks when it just doesn’t seem anything is working out as you planned and you’re not making any traction?
Welcome to my week.
When I went to sleep on Sunday, relaxed from having spent the full weekend with Dale doing things we like to do, I had all kinds of energy and things on my to-do list for Monday and beyond:
- Get back to yoga classes
- Finish all of my assignment deadlines on time and get ahead in my work
- Start at least our afternoon walks again with the dogs
- Organize the kitchen
- Finish washing clothes and rotating the closet
Here it is Thursday and none of that has happened. After we fell asleep on Sunday night, the coyotes decided to make a run by the house about 1:45, which set the dogs off. Dale and I didn’t talk in the dark, but I could feel he was still awake, as I was, when our alarm went off at 4:30 on Monday.
On Tuesday night, I covered the election for our local paper in our county. In the age of electronic voting, this is usually a fairly easy and quick assignment. That is, until there’s a record turn out of voters and problems-a-plenty with voting machines.
Not only did I lose more sleep, but my editor mistakenly called our home phone rather than my cell around midnight.
Good morning, Dale.
As I write this late on Wednesday, I’m looking at the calendar and hoping I can gain more traction on Thursday and Friday (although I’ve already missed yoga).
“Afterall, tomorrow is another day.”
(closing the door to Our Little House and fade to black….)
If you’re having one of those weeks, how do you get back on track?
I try & think about moving to Bull Shoals. I wonder if the ecomony will improve. Do yu know how the castle is doing? The more we see how things are going the more we want to live off grid. I just hope that area stays rural.
Hi, Sandra. I have no idea how the castle is doing. I haven’t heard anything about it since the spring. As for the economy here, we were one of the first to hit the skids and in a big way, but our economy is now rebounding nicely. Several of the largest employers are now hiring.
Yes, I had that kind of week too! Must be the week for it. I dropped things ( in a science lab class this is never good), a student accidentally cost my projector a $400 bulb-will be working Monday I am told- Wed, we gave the wrong test! Every night I have to tell myself to let go-and start fresh the next day. I did end the week on a high note, we pulled out the hovercraft and rode that down the hall to further instill Newton’s laws in our students’ heads. At least we got it right today!
On to a great weekend!
BJ-Yikes. You had a Murphy’s Law week for sure. I hope you had a great weekend. I think it was a good one to get that hour back we lost this spring! 🙂
I too use Scarlett’s quote as my mantra when I’m ending a day during which the to-do list just didn’t happen. I had a lot of those this week too, for some reason — maybe it was in the stars for all of us! I try a trick I learned from the positive psychologists; before I go to bed I make a list of what I HAVE done that day; and even though it may not match what I intended to to, there’s always something there I can take satisfaction in. I promise, it really helps!
That is an excellent way to end the day, Melanie. Thanks for the suggestion! And yes, I think the stars were mis-aligned this week.
Kim, I’ll have to remember that “Do the next thing”-it would be a good mantra when things are overwhelming. Kerri, you are not alone. Medical issues with two family members have whittled my painting time down to half hour bits when I can fit them in around doctor and physical therapy appointments and ferrying my son to school.(I’m a professional oil painter). My living room roof started to leak during a rainstorm and so did my kitchen ceiling BUT they don’t have the same cause and we are going to have to have sections of the ceiling removed to find out the problem. So, in the meantime we have an ugly, leaking patch on the kitchen ceiling that is spreading like a disease as we speak. And of course, the builder can’t come for at least a week! Also just got hit with an $11,000 car insurance bill(courtesy of having teenagers and NJ insurance rates), and I picked up a cold somewhere between Annapolis and home. I keep reminding myself of John Lennon’s saying”Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” and take a deep breath and carry on. Oh, and did I mention that my house is in need of major cleaning and then there’s endless laundry for six people…
Oh, my, Rae. I know I have nothing to complain about. We have jobs, we have our health. We don’t have any major issues with the house.
Keep on keeping on, my friend!
One of my favorite spiritual writers, Elisabeth Elliot, has a saying that I’ve adopted almost as a mantra when my reserves are low: “Do the next thing.”
No matter how exhausted I am, how frazzled, how disheartened or toddlerweary, I can usually look around and figure out a “next thing”… something productive, something that will get me moving and things headed in the right direction. I may not accomplish my entire “to do list” this time, but I can at least do the next thing.
It seriously keeps me from losing my mind some days. Example: I’ve been wanting to get the living room rug vacuumed and grocery shopping done all week. It’s Thursday. Neither of those things have happened. I did drag the vacuum cleaner downstairs before I left home for the day, though, so I’ll be able to tackle the rug in just a few minutes once I get home. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s progress.
That is an excellent philosophy, Kim, not ridiculous at all!
That’s really too bad that you missed yoga because that’s my salvation. I had class last night which was a blessing after starting off the week with a computer crash.
The class I want to try is also on Wednesday evenings, Heather. I will say I think you’ve won the horrible week contest. Computer crashes are the worst!
What a hurtful week. The more we get upset, the more things go wrong. I sing or whistle a merry song that keeps me plugging along. It saves on teeth. When I cool down, I thank God I am health enough to plug along.
That sounds like a very good plan, Mary!
I had the same week last week. I came home from vacation all rested and relaxed and immediately got a cold which caused me to plod through the rest of the week leaving a wake of tissues behind.
So now I am catching up from 2 weeks.
Misery (that’s me) loves company (that’s you).
It’s nice to know I’m not alone, Kristi. I hope you’re feeling better!
Cup of tea, a chocolate something, stiff drink, go outside and scream.
It’s called Murphy’s Law. Anything can happen, it will.
What I (try) to do is look at what needs attention first, that is the least demanding or sometimes I tackle the most demanding problem, and try to get it out of the way first. It just depends on the day and what kind of a meltdown you have, and if the least problem or the demanding problem can wait or get done on the list.
Chocolate is a mainstay of my diet! 😉 We did have a Hillbilly martini (Chillata) last night with our dinner and went to bed early. No coyotes, no dogs barking, no phone calls. I think we both feel better today.
This kind of week can be frustrating. I guess I’ve learned to deal with set backs as life on a farm with animals is full of surprises. For sure, life happens while you’re making other plans. Hang in there things will soon be back to normal.
Have a good weekend!
That’s something we all need to remember…life is something that happens while we’re making other plans. We just have to learn to roll with it.
Thanks, and you have a good weekend as well!