Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. That Christmas, we took Mattie to Los Angeles to spend the holidays with my parents. It was Mattie's first Christmas in LA and I knew my parents were excited. My mom put up a miniature tree for Mattie in the kitchen and he loved decorating and playing with it. Back then I really thought there would be MANY MANY more Christmases like this together.
Quote of the day: When my dad died, I didn’t know where to put my grief. The first time I had a miscarriage was the same. I didn’t know how to fit what I was feeling with normal, everyday life. For me to go and write was like a way of shaping something so big that I would otherwise be overwhelmed. ~ Rachel Joyce
I got up at 5:30am today in order to get out of the house by 9:15am, to get one of our cars to the dealership for service. I had never been to this service center before so I really had no idea what to expect. But one thing is for certain, I have become even more assertive and as a result I can get a lot accomplished and done effectively. The car dealership tried very hard to accommodate me and even though they said they couldn't get me a loaner car the day before, today they magically made it happen. Which I appreciated.
Though it was nice to get a loaner car, I was actually looking forward to sitting for a few hours with a book, my tea and some snacks. It was going to be my time without having to listen to any one, no caregiving demands, or tasks to do. It wasn't meant to be. Once I got the loaner, I went to the grocery store and then drove home to do more chores.
Later today, I had an appointment at the bank. I have been getting the run around with trying to create a PIN for my ATM card. I couldn't accomplish this on-line or by phone. Though I tried to make a bank appointment on-line, all the appointment times were booked for a month! NOT acceptable. So yesterday I marched into the bank and said I needed appointment and I was not waiting a month. They accommodated me today and the banker I met with was a miracle worker. She was very customer focused, efficient, and kind. If we could only clone her! I view today as a day in which I was very productive.
As I told the therapist last week, I celebrate the small stuff. I also told her my dad's analogy. When I was doing my dissertation, I felt overwhelmed, as that was a huge research endeavor. Back then my dad would say that if I wanted to consume an elephant, I wouldn't do it all at once. Instead, I would need to take little scoops each day. Of course none of us are going to eat an elephant, but you get the analogy. Sometimes looking at the big picture is NOT helpful. But when you take small steps toward the bigger picture, eventually you will reach your goal successfully. Needless to say, this is an analogy that has stuck with me over all these years.
No comments:
Post a Comment