Six AM

This is my favorite time of the day. If I get up at 6 it says I haven’t been worrying too much (because if I had been I would have gotten up at 4). It also means that I am awake and alone with a fresh brain.

The furniture for The Room is arriving today. All I need is one more hour or two of clean up before I’m ready for that. So all is well.

I would like to thank My Crew for the kudos on the tape (as well as the ones giving props for the ability to post it!!) As you can see I typically see only those things I’ve done wrong not what went well. Useful habit when trying to improve. Pain in the ass when making an effort to be content.

And that I suppose is my subject for today. I have realized, of late, that contentment is not something that just occurs. You know what I mean. We all say as soon as I. . . then you name it – get that promotion – lose weight – find a mate – etc. I’ll be content. But you know what happens while you’re waiting for that to get right something else goes wrong. Rarely, if ever, do all your ducks get in a row.

I realized some time ago, though I forget it on a regular basis: Happy ain’t looking for me – I need to look for it.

So today I WILL find contentment in whatever ordinary difficulties of the day that may occur. (I say ordinary because if you have something really bad happen like wrap your car around a poll or get shot – contentment is pretty much off the table at least for a day or two ; ). But I mean the dumb stuff. Waiting in lines – minor annoyances- teenagy children. I am going to find my center today and stay there.

Contentment is something you strive for: it’s an acceptance of what is, it requires you to focus on all that is right. If you’ve read my book you will know that it will help to Globalize You Pain Quotient. And when your mood drifts back towards irritation make a decision to pull it back to where it will do you some good.

My husband said something to me the other day that I found quite helpful. I received a phone call from someone with respect to something important and they left a message saying give me a call or something like that but didn’t say really what it was about.

So what did I do? I started wondering what’s wrong. Asked Big E do you think. . . then I went through every negative scenario you could think of. He let me finish. Did not get mad (which he used to do – improvement, another thing to be happy about) and then said: “don’t waste your time worrying about a problem until you know you have one.”

That was a light bulb and sparkler moment for me. Sometimes worry is helpful. If you have a problem and you are concerned about it you go through all of the possible scenarios and reactions. That way you might come upon a solution or be more prepared. That’s the part that throws me. I do that kind of worrying and often find creative solutions to difficulties that way. So I find it beneficial.

But like anything else too much of it or applied inappropriately it’s nothing but trouble. The hard part for me was deciding when worry was helpful and when I have gone “off the road “. Now I have at least one bright line rule I can follow. Doesn’t solve it all but it should help me eliminate a whole section of inappropriate concern.

This picture is me all happy. (from my trip to Sedona months back but my facial expression is apt.) Also I am all into my new computer skills and I want to share.

Peace people.