Chicks, Changes and Worry (2008)

Chicks & Changes - Feb 27, 2008

Current mood:thoughtful
Today I was musing on changes.  About two years ago, I had purchased a book entitled "Say Yes to Change!"   Mostly it was about letting yourself be open enough, to have dreams and desires, and then taking steps in the right directions, to get those changes jump started.  And ... that's pretty much what I did.... I started with steps; they were small, but they were forward thinking.  Even packing up things I wasn't using at the time, was small steps. It let the Universe know that I was ready, preparing for steps, and life-changes.  And yes, my life sure did change! (It took some time for it all to fall into place, though!)   Tonight, as I was reading in another book, I found this quote:

"A Newborn chick doesn't know it's alive

until its world begins to crumble. 

What seems like the collapse of your universe

may be just an exciting beginning."

And I thought, yes!  That's exactly how it felt at times.  Things were crumbling, not seeming as if it were going to be the way I was hoping.  But ... persevere!  When things seem to be falling apart, spinning out of control, or totally crumbling, it may be a part of the changes you've been wanting to make!  Don't lose hope!

Rocking Chair - Feb 28, 2008

Current mood:breezy

I was trying to think up an interesting topic for a blog today .... and there just doesn't seem much to share. I spent the day at work doing nothing of interest, just opening freight .... what seemed like three weeks worth of freight! I'm the kind who loves a challenge, but I wonder at times what I got myself into! Guess all that tedious work numbed my brain from thinking of something bright to share. But here's a thought for today:

Worry is like a rocking chair.

You may feel like you're doing something,

but it won't get you anywhere.

Sometimes, we seem to worry about things - and no matter how much we worry, we can't change the outcome. Like me, sometimes I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, worried about something at work. (yeah, sick huh?) and it doesn't matter what I'm worrying about it, it won't change a thing. Sometimes there are worries that are OK ... when a friend is sick (Get Well Soon Cathy!!) or when a friend is blue (hugz Rob!) and of course, we worry about our families, and that everything will be OK with them. 

But if worry is getting in the way of you living your life, then its time to put your worries on a shelf. Take each one down for a specific amount of time, do a little worrying, then set it back on the shelf. It's not always easy. But if you spend your evening doing a lot of worrying, are you missing out on some important piece of life with your family?? Is what you're worrying about worth it? Some of you will answer "Yes!" for some of your worries. And that's understandable. Just be more aware of what your mind is worrying about, and let some of it go if you can.

Friendships (2008)

Sorry if these old posts are a bit boring to some, but I wanted them posted *somewhere* because it was a time in my life full of many changes, and with that, many observations about life.  I was prolific in my writing a few years back - it was something easily done because there were so many different things going on in my life.  Now, 10+ years later? I'm not sure I live with the same zest, or zsa zsa zsu that I had back then.  But that's ok, I'm getting older!

First Real Day - Feb 25, 2008

Current mood:cheerful
Today feels like my first REAL day in Arizona.... I started at my new store today, and it was ... typical.   The people are nice, the managers seem to be good ones.  It's difficult to be the new kid on the block, when everyone else has a niche.  But, that's OK, there's plenty of work that needs to be done.  Seems with all the resets that are needing to be done, we're also going to be flipping counters and such ... oh BOY!!!!   A week of overnights ahead!

I clocked out at 4pm, I was home at 4:23.  That was terrific!!!  It was a balmy 75 degrees, I slipped out of work clothes and into capris, a Tshirt, and walked past one pool, then the next, to get my mailbox.  *grin* yeah, it's the good life. For the moment.  We'll see what happens when its 105 or so. lol.   Although, I hit more traffic lights going one direction to work, than I did in a whole week of commuting in Ohio!!

Last night, I relaxed with a couple of cosmopolitans (something my daughter left here) and they were pretty yummy!  I felt so --- gosh! like you see on TV !  -- sitting on the balcony, sipping from a champagne flute.   Now if only I'd been wearing a ball gown, petite slippers on my feet, my hair all done up ....... Only thing missing from that *fantasy* is Mr.Just.Right standing at the base of the balcony, crooning tunes. hahahahahhaha  Yeah, I know, get REAL!

OK, I'd best be getting some of these boxes unpacked, or dealt with; I can barely move from room to room.  Who knew I had collected all this *stuff* over time?? I sure didn't !!!  Amazing how it seems to "disappear" when it's out of sight, out of mind.  Pack a box, shove it in the closet.  And forget you even have it.   A word to the wise:   If you're gonna move, do a Goodwill donation FIRST!  hahaha

Good Friends - Feb 26, 2008

Current mood:loved

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Today, I got some quality time on the phone with Emily back "home" (odd, I didn't live in Ohio long, but for the moment, it still feels like "home"). It's always so good to hear a familiar voice, be able to share things with people who know you. I mean, sure, I have family; I could call any number of them who would be willing to lend an ear. But there's something special about being able to "talk shop" with someone who does what you do; someone you can laugh with when you jokingly say something about one of the bosses. (we didn't say anything bad... HONEST!) Funny how within any kind of job, there's a certain lingo -- it's nice that I don't have to explain every little detail of what I'm talking about ... Emily knows *exactly* what I mean! And her and I have traveled to other stores for special projects together - enough so that I can say "it looks like the back room at Evandale" and she knows what that means!! Another odd fact: Her and I have the same anniversary date with Walmart ! We have some of the same ways of doing things (could that be said another way? that we are both a little bit OCD?? I know I am, in a few certain ways! hahahaha) We're ages apart, and yet, there has never seemed to be a difference between us. (hey Em... are you eatin bananas? or donuts? hmm ? lol)

I looked up some quotes on friendship, and the one posted above seemed to fit very well. Although, there are some other great ones, as well. These all came from www.quote-garden.com :

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.

~Author Unknown

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good,

and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.

~Arnold H. Glasgow

Treasure your friends; make an effort to keep in contact! We all tend to get busy with our lives, and think "later.... I'll do that later .... "; Sometimes, later never comes. So if there's a friend you're thinking about, then drop them a note, give them a call - even if its just to say Hello !!! It might be just what they need !!!

Set up to fail??

It's been a week now, and changes are happening left and right.  It seems like every time I turned around, there was someone else with something new.  By noon each day, I couldn't seem to make a decision when someone asked me a question.  I think it's truly unfair of my BigBox Store to make changes that haven't been tried out, and worse, implemented with no input from people who actually DO the tasks we are asked to do.  Adding something else to my plate:  well, hell, they do that all the time.  Usually it's a slow gradual, adding one or two simple changes at a time.  This one is drastic.  And I swear, they must have only tested it in a "model" store, that doesn't do a lot of volume.  Or it's tested without using real shoppers who leave a store a mess as they shop, opening packages, dropping off cold items in the hardware dept ..... you get the idea.  If you don't have to spend all of your working hours cleaning up after lousy shoppers, you have a great deal more time on your hands to do what *really* needs to be done.

Yes, I'm venting, and I'm grouchy over the recent changes.  They announced the changes to begin on May 13th (such a lucky number, right???)  however, in the madness of retail management everywhere -- not just my store, it happens in every store -- when something new comes along, they want to be "ahead of the game" and have things ready so when upper management asks, they can be "positive" about the change. 

Well, I for one am kind of tired of this kind of thinking.  I cannot train anyone on the new processes put in place when they aren't even downloaded to our computers yet!  So why am I being forced to do something that just can't happen yet?!?!?  Too many questions, and all I can say is "we do it this way for now, but come Monday, it will all change."  Why does upper management in all walks of life think this is the way to keep good employees??  If something new is coming, then *management* should know how to do it first!  And yet I am left to train them as well.  (They have a shock coming on Monday, because I "saved up" a bunch of things that I am going to make each of them process, so they know how to teach others.) 

I can't be a teacher all day, and also get my two functions done in a day.  I will be processing claims as usual, but I am also in charge of the "clearance area", making sure all the necessary processes are done in a timely and correct manner.  The really bad part of being in charge of this means I am dependent on every other department in the store to be up to speed in their own departmental functions.  And THAT hasn't happened in my store in over six months.





Am I being set up to fail???

Right now, it feels like it.

R&R

Another work week behind me, and I'm happy to say that my lifestyle changes have made a bit of improvements.  I think my blood pressure has dropped a bit, and so have five pounds.  Not a whole lot, but every little thing makes a difference these days!  I'm still eating well, reaching for "nutrient points" when I log my meals.  Most days, I reach my goal of 80 or better.  Today ... not so much.

After a grueling session working in the back of the store, going through old boxes of retention paperwork, we nearly completed the task set before us.  The powers that be have changed how and what can be shredded after certain dates.  I knew there were "several pallets" in the back that needed to be disposed of, but how they are disposed has changed.  We counted 13 pallets, with an average of 30 cases per pallet, of things that had to be resorted by the category they belonged in:  "Daily Reports" vs Accounting Records, etc.  In the past, we sorted them by the destroy date, mixing the cases on each pallet.  Then they changed, and said nope, they need to be sorted another way.  After three hours of hard work, heavy lifting and many clouds of dust, we are getting rid of 8 pallets -- 240 cases -- of old records, and have only 3 more to go through.  But that's for another day!   I'm ready for a long hot shower!

And now it's Saturday evening; Friday and today being two very relaxing days of nothing but sunshine, reading a good book, taking long walks, and watching a bit of Netflix. 

Nothing gets more relaxing, however, than watching an Arizona sunset:

Lifestyle, Update

It's been a few days since I took the time to actually write.  I've been in a mode of taking care of myself, mostly working on my lifestyle changes.  I cut back by 250 calories each day, and have managed to finally drop three pounds -- nothing to really write home about, but every inch of progress is a step in the right direction.

My daily walks. .....  and here's Sadie again, scratching at me to pet her.  She hates when I get in a writing mood.  Or maybe she's so spoiled that she thinks all of my waking hours should be *her* time.  lol

Back to daily walks:  I'm walking 37-40 minutes pushing Sadie in her stroller, we cover nearly 2 miles in that time, and it feels really good to have that accomplishment each day!  At the same time, I'm making sure that the foods I eat put me at a good point on the nutrient scale via the Samsung app.   I've cut back my Diet Coke to one a day.  I'm drinking my Plexus Slim Pink Drink.   How long can I keep this up?  It's not easy but I keep telling myself that I'm eating to live, not living to eat.

After my last checkup, I'm on the borderline of having high blood pressure.  I know that dropping weight, exercise an cutting back on sodium is the answer to keeping it low enough so that I don't have to go on meds. 

So for now I try to remember:    A little progress each day adds up to big results!

The Pug Lady

When you live in a city that welcomes "snow birds", don't try to take yourself out for a meal at 12:30pm on a Sunday after church!  Even at a fast food place, I waited 20 minutes for a meal.  There was a long line at Chipotle, so I didn't hang around (I had groceries in the trunk!)  I opted for a quick Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell.  Not the best meal for me, but .... it was pretty good.  After the long wait!  Sometimes, when we get a sunny day after the week of storms we had, it was easy to forget that there would be others out and about as well.   Not that I had anywhere else I needed to be .... lol

It's been a week of changes for me in my eating habits.  I have been encouraged by reaching my goal of a nutrient score over 80 when I log my foods.  This week, I made 85 three times so far!  I removed carbs from my breakfast and just eat my eggs.  I added an apple and some raw baby carrots to my lunch each day, as well as making sure I drink at least 48 ounces of water during my work day.  That won't be hard to hit now that we're back on track with our normal spring weather -- warm and sunny!

I've also quit focusing on a goal of 12k steps per day, and am actively watching how my FitBit tracks active minutes.  You have to be engaged in your activity for more than 10 minutes for it to count anything toward that number.  Mondays are always more active than any other day, but with changing that focus, Sadie and I head out each evening at 6pm for a long walk.  It's a quick 10 minutes over to the park where I let Sadie run in the grass.  Then it's back into her stroller and off we go for 1.4 miles, circling our neighborhood.  I'm sure if any of the neighbors are like me, they have a nickname for folks if they don't know a real name. 
I'm betting dollars to donuts that I'm "The Pug Lady".  lol 
Many folks wave to me each evening, and that's really nice :)

I'm hoping after all the hard work and better eating, I show improvement on the scale!  While I know it's not good to be measuring success by the scale, it's hard to break a habit so ingrained into us.

Change is Good

Two weeks in and after many ups and downs, I think I've finally conquered the 3 pound loss.  It isn't easy eating "clean", and I have my slip ups.  It isn't easy having to ponder the good vs bad with every food choice because I'm trying to watch so many different things.  I've gotten to the point where I look forward to 2pm when I allow myself a Diet Coke.  At the same time, I'm watching calories but more, I'm watching the nutrients in my food choices.  About 3-4 days a week, I'm able to reach my score of 85 in the nutrients category on my Samsung app and that's really good!  **pat on the back**

Today at work was another story, however.  When something hazardous like a bottle of bleach leaks, we process it into special waste buckets that get picked up by a special hauling company.  It's our job to make sure that liquids are absorbed so they don't harm anyone.  Between our processing, and the company's removing the products from our building, about a quarter cup of bleach was left in one of the buckets.  As I was putting things back to rights, I grabbed a bucket and was about to slide it up on the shelf.  The contents of the bucket came splashing down the front of my shirt.


I didn't panic, I've been trained, I grabbed paper towels to wipe the excess, then tossed off my shirt before heading into the bathroom to splash water on my skin (and my bra).  I wiped down, then splashed myself again and wiped down yet again, just to be sure I got it all off.   All was fine, although I had to buy a new shirt to finish out my day!!  Once I got home, it was time for a shower - took a couple of scrub downs with some coconut body wash (it goes along with my coconut shampoo and lotion as well!!) After all that I was finally rid of the smell of bleach.  *whew*

Long walks with Sadie in the stroller each evening, along with taking my supplements, I find myself sleeping better each night.  I think it's a combination of many things, but I'm chalking it up to two things:  very little Diet Coke and my Plexus Probio5 .  Maybe it's only my imagination, but getting enough sleep is definitely good for me --- and my co-workers!!

So here's to some good changes --
and I'm hoping for more to come!

Doctor, Doctor....

Gimme the news .....   *sigh*  Old song reference, but ...

A trip to the doc, with 8 months between the last visit resulted in some good and some bad news.   On the good side, my white count was back up again.  And my cholesterol dropped 20 points!  On the bad side, my blood pressure was up.  The doc was concerned that maybe I have "white coat" anxiety, and it goes up when I'm at the doc.   Personally, I think it's related to my caffeine intake.



I've been doing much better on reducing my consumption; Monday thru Weds I only had one Diet Coke, at 2pm each day.   But now that I think back, my Thursday started with over 200 gallons of paint that needed to be processed before I left for the doc's office, so did I slip and have a Diet Coke first off?  Did that set my blood pressure higher???  It will be one of the things I'll be tracking.

I've been investigating "diets".   Keto has too much fat for my body to process with my liver bile issues.  Lowering my carbs has always worked for me in the past, but I need to also reduce sodium and eat more plant based foods.  So I'm going to try the "DASH" diet -- a wider variety of foods, and controlling portions, and greatly reducing my sugar intake.  (Goodbye chocolate, I will miss you!!)

This will easily fit in with the new "Lifestyle Changes" I've been trying to do.  to keep. 
One day at a time ......

For today's numbers:  14,758 steps today, which included a 34 minute walk pushing Sadie in her stroller.  Tomorrow will be more walking, along with some housework!

Hello, Weekend!

Lifestyle Change Day 9

Here I am, 9 days into the changes, and ... it's going well. 

I've not lost any weight, but I'm feeling better than I did before. 
I'm trying to stay positive about the changes, and hope that other things will follow when my body and hormones adjust to the new eating style.  At least, that's what I'm telling myself. For now.

Sunday, with the Superbowl, I exceeded my Diet Coke limit, and treated myself to a small plate of home made nachos.  Which nearly started a fire in my microwave! 

I had this paper plate left over from Christmas, red with a gold trim.  I wasn't thinking the trim had any metal in it, but I should have guessed.  I couldn't figure out what the smell was as I was melting cheese on my nachos!  But back to nachos, it was just 1 serving of tortilla chips, a little melted cheese, then chopped avocado and tomatoes on top.  Which tasted delish!

My step counts were down that day as well, because of the rain.  But they're back up over 10K again this week.  My food counts are recorded and each day it's been over 85 in the nutrient content, and that makes me happy.

I see my doctor tomorrow for an annual checkup.  I know she'll say something about my weight.  And maybe a lecture if my cholesterol is up, or my blood pressure.

SuperBowl LIII

Here we are, another Superbowl game to watch.  Most years, it's the National Anthem, the commercials and the half time show that get all the attention.  As well they should!  Some of the singers we've had in the past made ... history.  It was nice to see (and hear) Gladys Knight singing it this year.  Personally, I prefer people to sing it as written.  I understand as an artist, they want to add their own personality to the song, and her version was just fine for me.  Always nice for me to see the "oldies but goodies" be out there singing!  Mostly, before they're all gone. :/

The half time show :  Maroon 5 and Adam Levine, wow, good job!  I like his music, always have.  Didn't know the other two singers, but I don't follow that genre of tunes.  Adam is a great showman, and seems to be in tune with his fans.  I admire that.

I just saw the Toyota Supra commercial the Pinball Wizard, I liked it!  And a Michael Buble commercial... yay :)  I wonder what the favorite commercial will turn out to be?

One last crazy football fact:  I was dating my second husband Superbowl XXIII , 30 years ago!  It was 49ers but I don't remember who they played.   Did they win?   Yes!  20-16 against the Bengals.  I cheated with Google. hahaha

Even though it was the weekend, and raining, I made an effort to get in a walk - not a Sadie stroll, but a real walk for me.  I was able to do three 20+ minute walks in my two days, and am counting that as success!  My eating was a bit over what I do during the week, but that's how it works out on a weekend.  After Subway for lunch, and veggies for dinner on Saturday, I had a late lunch/early dinner of cheese pizza.  I wanted something warm and comforting what with all the rain, and even though it was sprinkling, forced that final walk with Sadie!  I'm wondering what the scale will show in the morning!

I spent part of my day preparing lunches and dinner meals for the week.  I baked some eggs for breakfasts, and cooked up some hamburgers on my Foreman grill so they're ready when I come home from work. (I rarely feel like cooking during the week!)

I wonder what this week will hold, but am keeping a positive attitude - so far!

Lifestyle Change, Day 6

On Thursday, I fasted through breakfast so that I could have blood drawn for my annual checkup.  I'm fretting what the numbers might say.  But I did my best the three days prior, so that's that.  For lunch, it turned into a cheat day because I didn't bring my lunch.  I know better -- but still didn't do it.  While lunch was a cheeseburger and fries, dinner was reasonable, so that helps.

Friday was a bit better.  I count it a success when I can ignore "donut day" and stay on track.  Every day, a little success is better than nothing!  When I got home after work, right before my shower, I stepped on the scale, anticipating what it would read.  And I was OK with the number, it was 2 lbs lighter than the start of the week! 

But then my hopes were dashed when I finally stepped on the scale Saturday morning.  I was heavier in the morning after 12 hours of fasting, having only sipped 8 ounces of water throughout the night!  Two pounds more registered on that scale and all of my hard work, my hopes, were dashed.  Hit me like a ton of bricks!  Which means I ate breakfast 2 hours earlier than I should. 

I indulged in a sandwich from Subway for lunch - turkey, bacon, guacamole with cheese, spinach and tomato, no sauce.  It was delish!  My calorie goal per day has been 1350.  This put me over goal by 400 calories, and I wasn't at work so my step counts weren't as high either. 



But Sunday is another day.  It's also grocery shopping day,
so I can be diligent with my purchases
and careful with my choices for another week of meals. 

Bring on the veggies!

Ch-Ch-Changes

I've been thinking a lot about change - and changes.   I used to go by the saying "If you want something to change, you have to change something."  Like, driving a different way to work, or walking a different path through the park, having a meal someplace new or different.  When you make a change, the universe is forced to change around you.  Or something like that.

Sometimes, this is very true.

But the other changes I've been pondering have to do with change just for the sake of change.  Or, forcing a change that hasn't been tried out yet.  I'm talking about the stuff that happens in a BigBox store.  And being I've been part of that for nearly 18 years, I understand the need for change. 
Shoppers change, and with that, what services are provided need to change as well. 
Toss in the whole e-commerce thing, and there are many, many changes happening. 

Most people don't adapt to change overnight.  There's a process, there's teaching and training, and there's leaving a little room for trial and error.  But when there are changes that occur in one procedure, or area, of a BigBox store and no one's on board with the changes .... and there's yet another change, folks get fed up.  They can't do a good job when they don't have a clue what's expected any longer. 

Which also adds fuel to the rumor mill that surrounds most work places, and especially retail.  ((Maybe that's because retails employs more women than men??? *smirk* ))  Ok, joking aside, the rumors that fly around because a corporation wants to "try something" in a certain part of the country, or in a certain kind of store ... frankly, I'd rather they be up front about it, and let us add our own thoughts, creative solutions and/or criticisms about the changes.  Because a desk jockey who might know the steps of a certain job function in a retail setting doesn't know the reality of what takes place in the real work place.

For example, someone behind a desk decides that it takes a certain number of hours to unload a trailer full of merchandise; ie, there might be "2500 pieces" on a trailer, which calculates into 2.25 hours with 7 employees unloading it.  There isn't any time built in for the slippery box of paint, which comes 4 gallons to a box and gets heavy; it falls to the floor and breaks open.  Who cleans it?  it most certainly disturbs the flow of unloading the trailer.  When you force people to work in time constraints, where is the give and take when it comes to doing something outside the "usual routine"?

An employee doesn't feel appreciated for what IS accomplished when all that is noticed is that the end time of unloading a trailer isn't met at the specified time.  In order for the crew of 7 employees to unload on time, they have to hustle.  In a world of too much hustle, mistakes are made, or worse, not only product is sacrificed, maybe someone slips in the paint and it becomes an industrial accident.

Do I have a point to all this?  Other than the obvious:  "change is difficult", changes ARE coming, and most likely will affect me in a job security way, along with my job satisfaction.  I'm all for change that makes improvements to the way we work, but not when the changes I foresee eliminate positions.

Those are the changes that scare the hell outta me!

Try Something New

Today is a new beginning!  Frankly, every day is a new beginning, a new start, a chance to make a change, and today it's mine!  I'm starting the new Plexus Slim, and am having my first #pinkdrink as I jot down these notes.

Why?  My health.  I have issues with gut health, am currently taking meds to combat the effects of Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM from here on out)  My liver produces bile acid, and my gall bladder has been removed, so said BA goes right into my system, and irritates my colon with the usual typically bad reaction.  Thank goodness the cholystyramine that I take once a day does the trick-- most days.   With a bit of research, it's safe to assume that while I don't want to reduce the bile my liver produces, I could improve the quality of the bile.  Which sounds like a very weird thing!

Personally, I've found that eating sugary or fatty foods makes things worse.  I also recently introduced oranges into my diet, and those?  are a no-no!  I'm guessing too much acid.  I've also recently discovered that drinking water with higher alkalinity seems to improve things as well. Because of this new PinkDrink, I'm supposed to drink half my body weight in water each day.  That might be just a stretch; however, when I was exercising, I was hitting 100+ oz per day.  So it's doable!

Eating too much also amps up the BA, so "eat small and often" .... but let's face reality.  Changing our eating habits is one of the hardest things a person can do.  Sticking with it is even harder!  Small changes that you stick to over a long period of time seem to be the best way for making a long term change.  We all think we're strong enough to do it! But statistically, it's a very hard road.  And we slip up.  For me, it was the hardest thing giving up "donut Friday" at work.  But I did it.  For about 6 weeks.  Last Friday, I slipped up, and couldn't resist a quick afternoon sugar high.  The end result wasn't fun.

The other thing I know that I need to do is to kick my Diet Coke habit.  Again.  Three years ago when I was on a big exercise kick, I was able to do it.  Nine years ago when I moved from Ohio to Arizona, the money struggle was real and I kicked it then, too.  But I keep going back to it.  Why?  I'm not sure ... caffeine, because it tastes good, or my personal favorite:  I'm hooked on the bubbles! (lol)

My trip to the grocery store each week is usually filled with good intentions, I even make it out the door with healthy choices, but the stresses of the week become too much and my will power loses its oomph.  When I get home and am making the dinner choice -- broccoli and cauliflower just don't make the top of the list when I'm stressed! 

So today, with a weekly plan, and a shopping list in hand ....... off I go to the grocery store!
Wish me luck!

Changes

Sitting outside, my evening rituals complete
there's a strong breeze
blowing my chimes around
and a cricket
chirping away.

Sadie at my feet,
I let my mind wander
thinking about everything
and nothing.

This is a year for changes
some small,
some big
and some not at all.

I don't know what's
on my horizon.
And that's Ok with me!
 @LDPoetry 2013

Turn the Page

I was doing some research, and came across this phrase.  

And I kind of like it.

Turn the page. 

Being an avid reader, I likened it to reading a book.  You have to turn the page to get to the next part, the next phase, the next story.  And the quotes I found related to that, as well.  There's a song "turn the page" by Bob Seger, mostly about life on the road as a singer, but I think he relates well to turning the page to the next day, week or month.

Sometimes there are situations that require us to .... Turn the Page.  Meaning we need to do something different in order to get past our current situation, to step into the next phase, and sometimes to just plain shake things up!

When was the last time you turned the page?  We do it on a daily basis in little ways that we may not even realize.  You may turn a page by taking a different route home from work, or giving an extra smile to the guy behind the checkout counter, or by extricating yourself from some kind of relationship that isn't working.  

Maybe its the time of year; a friend of mine says I always seem to make changes when spring rolls into summer.  But I'm feeling changes coming: whatever those changes are, some are by me, some are by chance.  

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, 

but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
~ Maria Robinson

 “Sometimes it's the smallest decisions 

that can change your life forever.”  

~Keri Russell

 

Turn the page.

Changes

This morning, the word 'change' is on my mind.  I woke up and things felt different today.  Usually my first thought on the weekends is to wonder what's going on with people I know from the internet; and so I log on and check email, messages, etc.  Lately, while I still pop on and check those things, I'm not as interested in hanging around, chatting with folks who drift on.  That's how I know things with me are changing.  Which made me look up a few quotes about "change"::

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

People are always telling me that change is good.  

But all that means is that something you didn't want to happen has happened. 

 ~Meg Ryan

 

There is only one way to happiness, 

and that is to cease worrying things 

which are beyond the power of our will. 

~Epictetus

“When you love someone, it's never over.... 

You move on, because you have to, but you bring him in your heart.”  

~Elizabeth Chandler

There are the basic changes in life; you grow up, move out on your own, or school ends and you get your first job.   A new job.  A career change.  Start a family.  Buy a house.  Move across town, or across the country.  Health issues.  Family issues.  Love begins.  Love ends.  Every day, there are all kinds of changes in our lives.  Some of them big ones. Some of them little ones.  Some of them we see coming, some we choose, and some are thrust upon us for reasons we can't figure out at all.  And yet, we're expected to move with the changes.  It's certainly easier to accept changes that we embrace, or want.  But its the other changes, the ones that happen without expecting them, that make it harder to keep moving on.

And yet, somehow we do just that. 

We survive changes, we adapt and adjust.

Sometimes it hurts. 

Sometimes we cry.

Sometimes we're happy with them.

As for me, and the changes I feel coming .... I know I will have good days, not so good days, and better days.  There will be moments where I wish the world would stop, and just as many moments where I wish it would just hurry along into the next phase.  Reminds me of a country song:  "If you're going through hell, keep on moving, if you're scared, don't show it..... You might get out, before the devil even knows you're there."   

When it comes to change, whether its one we choose, or one thrust upon us, don't give up, don't give in, push through to the other side.  It may turn out to be the best change, once you look back on it.