Miscellaneous Monday - Lessons Learned Edition

Monday, January 21, 2013

The Oregon Trail


I'm off to Oregon this afternoon, bless my heart. I love that part of the country, and while traveling is sometimes a burden for me, it's nice to be going somewhere that I enjoy rather than BFE. I'll be back mid-week, so it's a fairly short trip this time, which also pleases me. Since I have to travel whether I love it or hate it, I'm trying to think of ways to enjoy it so I'm not unhappy every time I have to pack a suitcase.

Getting Over Myself

One of the things I've learned as I've gotten older is that crisis situations are awesome opportunities to discover new things about myself, and to use those discoveries to drive my growth. And dealing with my Hot Mom's recent illness has given me something to work on: I am not the only competent person in the room. I need to accept the assistance of others with grace - and then trust them to do the right thing. They don't need me to remind them, or tell them how to do the things that constitute their area of expertise. Doing so is disrespectful, and deprives them of their status as self-sufficient, competent humans, capable of fulfilling their obligations. This is a personality trait I share with my Hot Mom, and it's an area of growth I really want to spend time and energy on in the coming year. Grow, Janiece, grow.

Take Care of You

The other thing I've learned is that when taking care of someone else, it's perfectly acceptable to manage the situation in such a way that allows me as the caregiver an opportunity to take care of myself, as well. By the time Thursday of last week rolled around I felt absolutely awful, not only because of the strain of my Hot Mom's situation, but because I had failed to take the time to exercise. I just can't do that anymore. I can skip a day here and there due to travel or other obligations, but a whole week? I'm asking for trouble, both mentally and physically. Lesson learned - I need to take the time to exercise on a regular basis regardless of what else is demanding my attention.

1 comments:

The Mechanicky Gal said...

Thanks for bringing to my attention the fact the I, also, need to get over myself. New Guy at Work, you can do the task in whatever way you please to get the desired result. My way is NOT necessarily the ONLY BEST way.
Thank you.