So, I went Christmas shopping and got my car written off. Hmm…not exactly the outcome I was planning for! Happily, no one was hurt…except my poor car. Interestingly, it brought about a couple of those days where nothing goes quite to plan – even the simplest thing like watching a DVD ended up being an utter performance. Things continued to go pear-shaped, one after another, until 3 days later I found myself yelling at the digibox. And it got me thinking…why is it that sometimes we cope really well with our best laid plans going awry, and sometimes we lose it over the silliest things?
It’s a topical subject to ponder too, because lots of us are a little more fraught and stressed in the lead up to the holiday season. A great example being the chap who was in such a rush to get shopping, he forgot to look to see if anything was behind him when he reversed. Like me. Sometimes it takes a ‘crash’ of some description to slow you down and make you pay attention to what’s happening in your life – whether it’s an illness, a car accident, or some other event that just stops you in your tracks.
The fact is that things change. Life does not follow our plan for it – how could it? There are so many variables that go into a life, so many other people to fit into our plan – how could it possibly go as we plan 100% of the time? Obviously if I was running the world, things would run precisely to my plan…and if you were running the world it would go to yours. As neither of us are (yet) Master of the Universe, we have to put up with the fact that things do go pear-shaped. Regularly.
Most of the time I’m fairly laid back about my best laid plans being turned upside down by the law of sod – after all, if there’s nothing I can do about it, why worry? But just occasionally small things pile up and up and up until I’m exploring the lower reaches of insanity. It is usually when I’ve let one thing slip…self care. You see, when I am being efficient and dealing with insurance companies, car dealers, wreckers (my poor car), I have no time to take care of myself. I’m too busy.
Then guess what happens? I feel worse, I get more and more tense and allow more and more little things to get to me. And before I know it I’m shouting at the digibox! And all because I’m ignoring the tension, ignoring the stress, ignoring that I feel like weeping pathetically. Ironically, if I actually took the time to listen to what my body and emotions had to say, I would be in much better shape to deal with what’s in front of me. Never mind those best laid plans, just get yourself in good shape, and all will go smoothly. And if it doesn’t, you’ll be in a much better place to deal with it!
Something to play with
Scan your body right now – how are you feeling? Are you tense? Where is your tension? What emotion are you feeling? What do you need from yourself right now to help yourself feel better? Even if you’re already feeling good, feeling better is a great thing to aim for!
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A note from Donna
Well, one of my Christmas presents this year will be a new car! It’s funny how attached I can get to a ton of steel – when clearing her out today, I got very melancholy. And when someone mentioned a wreckers yard that would crush her, I was horrified. Still, it’s a good lesson in letting go of the old, and allowing the new to enter. An appropriate lesson as we see out the old year, and see in the new!