Simple Blessings

A Good Night’s Sleep: A Blessing in Itself

Last night, I was able to sleep in my bed for the first time in weeks! After pain drove me to the couch where my left arm and shoulder could be supported, my efforts and self-sacrifice were rewarded. Though I’m far from pain-free, and am still looking forward to physical therapy starting in a couple weeks, it was still a huge step forward, and one both me and my cats appreciate.

Artemis was the first to realize things were going back to normal, as she sat on the night stand watching me pull the pillows off the bed. As soon as I settled, she was on top of me, nestling in and purring like a motor boat, sending her healing energy flowing into my shoulder and arm. Fortunately for both of us, I didn’t even need to shift and roll over a few minutes in, but fell asleep to her sweet purr in my ear, and her warm body cuddling into my arm.

Although Max’s stress level and skittishness are still on the high side, he was happy to follow me down the hall where he curled up in his usual spot at the foot of my bed, while Lazarus and Ishtar moved back to their side of the bed. Scrappy Doo and Pyewacket, the old timers of the bunch, maintained a “wait and see” attitude, remaining in the living room in case I ended up wandering back to the couch if the bed didn’t quite work for me yet. Sadly for them, they were disappointed, as I got the best night’s sleep I’ve had since I was forced to move to the couch.

Resuming Joyful Routines

Being able to sleep comfortably in my bed, surrounded by my fur kids also meant I woke at the usual time instead of sleeping until 9:30 or 10, so my demanding little darlings didn’t have to wait as long for breakfast. Seeing my eyelids crack, Lazarus was back on the night stand with his “where the heck is my breakfast?” stare, daring me to even try going back to sleep. I think we’re all extremely grateful to be back to our normal routine. Change is nice when it has some benefit. The one I’ve had to implement for the last few weeks definitely falls short of that requirement.

There’s a certain comfort in routine, whether it’s bedtime rituals, performing chores on the same day each week, or seeing the same people walking around the neighborhood every day. Only when those routines are done because you have to rather than you want to, and fail to allow you to progress, do they lead to stagnation, and the ruts I dread far more than any change which might come about. Whether the change is due to my own actions, or the Universe kicking my butt out of a rut, it beats slogging through life, mindlessly following a routine that’s long-since failed to serve me or bring me joy.

When going dancing on Thursday nights became something I had to do rather than something I got to do, I realized even something which usually brought me joy had become more of a rut; more of a duty than a pleasure. Allowing myself to decide whether I wanted to go or not without self-recrimination meant first letting go of expectations I’d held onto for far too long. It also meant withdrawing my trust and loyalty to any instructor or venue, and allowing myself to heal from the pain brought on by disappointment and disillusionment.

Revising and Releasing Expectations

Granted, my own unrequited expectations, and failure to accurately read the room contributed in great part to the pain. Being left alone to struggle through post-surgery challenges while others were lauded, and applauded for their strength and courage, and given bucket loads of moral support (not to mention, being expected to contribute to those buckets) opened my eyes wide to how little my feelings were recognized or regarded.

As I stood back and removed my rose-colored glasses, I mourned the joy of dancing which had slowly dissolved while my attention was focused on healing, both physically and emotionally, away from the community I’d mistakenly believed would be there to support me. I had to admit, I’d given my last f*&k to them. While I might still go dancing, and might even encounter some of those I’d thought cared on occasion, I knew I could stand on my own with the support of a handful of people who were not part of the dance community.

My latest round of herniated discs/pinched nerve/pain in my left arm and shoulder have been met, not by reaching out into what I’ve learned is a void, but by reaching in; stretching and icing every day, maintaining my current exercise routine, and most of all, avoiding dwelling on what I couldn’t do, and focusing on what I could, and what made me feel better.

Knowing I Have the Power to Heal Myself

Though my first physical therapy appointment is still 2 weeks away, I’m feeling much better. I haven’t allowed the pain and numbness to slow me down or consume me. I knew what I needed to do, and paid attention to the things that made me feel better. I even de-furred the furniture last week, which is an ambitious effort under the best of circumstances, and discovered it actually loosened up my neck even more instead of making things worse.

I know now, a huge part of it has been avoiding going where I’d be forced to pretend the pain wasn’t there, and be falsely happy and social when all I really wanted to do was curl up with my ice pack, SalonPas, and healing kitties. Yet when I get out and walk, or do my volunteer hours at the animal rescue, I always come back feeling less pain; less discomfort; and most of all, connected instead of detached.

A lot of things in my life have changed in the last 6 months or so. Some may have seemed for the worst at the time, but I’ve learned sometimes you have to tear things down before you can re-build on fresh ground, with stronger, more resilient materials. Most of all, I’ve been given so many opportunities to recognize and appreciate all the small, but significant blessings in my life.

Grateful for Simple Blessings

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for being able to get a restful, easy night of sleep in my bed.
2. I’m grateful for all the things I either blew up myself, or were blown up for me in the last year or so.
3. I’m grateful for discovering who and what would support me, no matter what.
4. I’m grateful for giving myself the choice of whether or not to dance, and when I do go, I now go with no other expectations except allowing myself to have a good time.
5. I’m grateful for all the previously hidden blessings in my life which showed up when I removed the rose-colored glasses, and efforts to fit in where I wasn’t ever meant to.

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. In her spare time, she’s also an accountant with extensive experience in Government Contracting.

Learning Every Day

Learning the Joy of Change

Learning how to embrace change is, in my opinion, one of the most important lessons of all. In fact, I’d even call it a super power. Without it, you spend most of your life fighting to swim upstream, holding onto what no longer serves you., Familiarity is the worst excuse of all to keep doing things the same way, especially once you’ve seen how much easier, more effective, and more efficient it is to do them differently.

Years ago, I knew a woman who got up early every morning to sweep, and mop her kitchen floor. To me, it seemed like a pointless waste of what could have been an extra hour of sleep. In my eyes, it seemed like she worked way too hard to keep the floor clean.

In recent years, I finally learned the wisdom of her actions (sans the missed sleep, of course). When I sweep the floors daily, I minimize the amount of dirt, dust, and fur that gets tracked through the house, thereby keeping the floors cleaner. It takes a lot less effort to keep things clean than it does to have to start from cruddy, and remove weeks, or months of accumulated dirt.

Healthy Habits for a Healthy Life

Photo Courtesy of Elana Centor via Flikr

When I finally recognized the wisdom of daily cleaning, it improved my life in ways I didn’t expect. Initially removing clutter took awhile. It was accomplished, at first, in fits and starts, often occurring because I needed to make space for something else. While clutter is more obvious to me now, it’s usually a matter of a few minutes rather than hours, or even days, to return my space to what I now consider a livable condition.

Once my space was de-cluttered, it was a simple matter to add in daily routines like sweeping the floors, cleaning the kitchen, and even restocking the baskets of supplements in my bathroom when I emptied one of the bottles. I save an immense amount of time by no longer digging through piles, drawers, and bins looking for something.

My laundry is done on the same night every week, and put away the next day, after everything has had a chance to dry. My kitchen is clean and de-cluttered before I go to bed, so even a visit from my local ant colony is easily managed. The dishwasher and drainer are emptied promptly. A new coffee pot is set up so it’ll be ready in the morning when I need for it. (thank goodness for the “brew later” function!). My bare feet are no longer offended by bits of sand, pieces of dry cat food, or anything else that makes walking uncomfortable.

Making Self-Care a Priority

Photo-BK via Flikr

I’ve learned getting the house in order transmutes to other parts of my life. Self-care has been elevated to the position it belongs. Teeth are brushed regularly, supplements are taken daily, and my face is washed and moisturized twice a day without fail.

The funny thing is, after a couple of years performing what I’ve come to think of as my daily rituals, I find I couldn’t neglect one, even if I tried. Nights when I’ve fallen asleep on the couch aren’t reason enough to skip cleaning the kitchen, washing my face, or brushing my teeth. My health and well-being have become the most important things in my daily life.

Slowly, but surely, it’s morphed into a resumption of my former work patterns. I’m no longer lounging in front of the TV from about 7PM onward. Nights give me a clear, uninterrupted span of time to work through problems, tackle projects, and give my full attention to whatever, and whoever needs it, which is me, as often as not.

Loving Whatever the Day Brings

My work day may not actually begin until 11:00 AM, but it may also extend until 11:00 PM on occasion. Being unencumbered by clutter and debris allows my mind to focus on things that truly matter to me. It’s a gift I denied myself while I believed daily tasks increased, rather than decreased the time needed to keep up with things.

The beauty of learning new things, and embracing change is, the more I learn, the more I want to know, and the more I want to know, the more opportunities I get to learn and grow. It doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally fall into a rut, or need a day to do nothing productive.

Learning to embrace those days as a time to refresh, recharge, and maybe regroup has been an important aspect of my evolution. Establishing regular, non-negotiable routines to keep my space clear, and my health supported allow those seemingly non-productive days to be both guilt-free, and enjoyable.

Finding Joy in Small Achievements

Photo-Ritzee Rebel via Flikr

Learning isn’t limited to the giant, world-shaking, life-changing discoveries. I purchased a new watch a couple of months ago which had a generic band. One of my vanities is switching bands to match my outfits, so I bought a pack of bands in a variety of colors. When I switched them out the first couple of times, they didn’t feel right, but I figured I just had to get used to it.

After a few days of discomfort, I resorted to a Google search to learn the right way to both attach, and detach the bands. Now I can remove and replace them with ease, and am finally putting the pieces on in the right direction. Discomfort, or outright pain are strong motivators to learning!

I may use a break in my schedule to research a future purchase, or investigate something for a friend. Often, it means discovering an aspect I wasn’t aware of, which will send me off on another tangent to learn more about the parts new to me, which makes my spongy little brain ecstatic.

Above all, I’m learning it’s OK to change my routines as my world changes. I’ve finally stopped beating myself up over missing blog posts, and given myself permission to cut back to 1 per week, and sometimes, when the mood strikes, 2.

Grateful for a Life of Learning

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for learning to embrace change.
2. I’m grateful for every, single learning opportunity.
3. I’m grateful for lessons that, though painful helped me learn how abundant life becomes when I embrace change.
4. I’m grateful for research which expands my entire universe.
5. I’m grateful for abundance: joy, lessons, opportunities, knowledge, research skills, challenges, peace, health, harmony, balance, philanthropy, and prosperity.

Namaste

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.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook as Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author