Staying Alert When It’s Too Quiet

On High Alert

Yesterday might have started with a bang, but by the time I went walking, things had become dangerously quiet. I know better than to drop my guard when the Murphys go silent. While other people are hiding Easter eggs for their kids to find, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are hiding a different kind of Easter egg for me to stumble on if I grow too complacent. These Easter eggs bear an eerie resemblance to grenades.

I might have gotten up early at the insistence of my cats, but it doesn’t mean I’ll be sleepwalking through the day. Instead, I’ll get a jump on things like my 1st of the month bill paying, and lining things up for Tuesday’s weekly reconciliation. I might even get some dusting done as the pictures on my walls have acquired a layer of dust on top of them thick enough to write an entire blog post. I’ll also be looking both ways before I cross…several times, and opening doors slowly lest there be something (or someone) waiting to dash in, or jump out and startle me.

While I appreciate the temporary calm, I’ve learned the hard way it often means I’m simply in the eye of the latest hurricane I lovingly call my life. It doesn’t help that things on the work front don’t rest on the weekends, in part because it’s often a break from contract work to catch up on administrative tasks where I make my home, and have for the better part of the last 35 or so years. Even the people I work for have referred to the last couple of months, and the months to come as a hurricane, which, for the record, doesn’t exactly keep my stress level down, nor keep me from bouncing on the balls of my feet on high alert.

Herding Cats

It also doesn’t help that each new addition comes with it’s own, unique, complicated set of rules, or that getting all the information I need to comply with those rules often feels like herding cats. While I love my cats, trying to get them all in one place takes either extreme patience, or my personal favorite, bribery ( handful of treats strategically tossed goes a long way!). However, this herd of cats, while easier to work with overall, isn’t so easily gathered neatly together.

All of this is not to say I didn’t take advantage of yesterday’s temporary lull in the insanity. I got my Costco meatloaf and mashed potatoes baked and packaged in single-serving containers, and spent the rest of the day, after my daily 2.3 mile walk, relaxing with the cats. I do see having to lock Ishtar in a room in my future though. She doesn’t do well with me focusing on my work instead of her, and even now, is meowing pitifully, as if I didn’t just give her a few long, loving strokes. I’m not at her immediate beck and call, which is enough to distress her.

I’m also seriously considering writing tomorrow’s blog post tonight as I don’t see a single break in the schedule which would allow me to put fingers to keys and write anything remotely resembling coherent once my feet hit the floor in the morning. Ishy might even decide to cooperate, as she’s currently lying on my desk purring loudly with her ears twitching back and forth like radar dishes. Maybe she’ll swat the Murphys into next year instead of driving me crazy meowing her head off, and getting into mischief. One could only hope!

5 Gratitudes a Day Keeps the Stress Away

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for a break in the storm, even though I know it’s more like the eye of the hurricane.
2. I’m grateful for Ishtar’s attempt to behave and be helpful, even if it only lasts for a few minutes at a time.
3. I’m grateful for the time to get ahead a little bit today.
4. I’m grateful for being woken early by the cats so I can get my day started. I have to admit, I get more done, and have more energy to do so when I don’t lay in bed too long.
5. I’m grateful for Max and Cinders finally spending a cold, rainy night inside the garage for the first time since Sable and Saki joined the family.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.