So I was talking w/ someone this morning & she mentioned a blog she does. Made me think…”hmmm….I have one. Haven’t done anything with it in a while, but I have one.” So I said to self: “Self – I think it’s time you look at your last blog post.” Was a little surprised to see it was 2009!!! Only 3 years ago!
As I read through my last few posts I thought about some very telling things:
1) The duration since my last post. Three years…..what on earth has been going on in my life to distract me from periodic postings for the last 3 years….36 months….1095 days. And the answer? I’m not sure. I guess just life. I’ve settled into the new job and taken on multiple more responsibilities. We took in 2 cats from my brother. So I guess the answer is just….life.
2) The messages of my last few posts. I mention in a couple of them that what I was working through in 2009 was a repeat of previous times….the gerbil wheel. And the REALLY telling thing was this: some things haven’t changed. Had a conversation w/ someone today about this very thing…repeating the past. Then I checked in on my blog. What a wake-up call!
So the question becomes ‘so what am I going to do about it?’ And I’m formulating answers to that question as I type. Which leads me to this point to ponder:what has changed in your life the last 3 years? Are you where you were then? Are you stuck in a rut and didn’t even know it? If so, what are YOU going to do about it?
I’m preaching to myself here…not preaching….questioning, challenging, shaking the cobwebs from my head. It’s SO easy to unknowingly fall back into old patterns. And when that sudden realization happens, it’s even easier to get discouraged & down on oneself, and the climb out is definitely harder each time you fall into the rut because like a foot stuck in ankle deep mud, the chains of discouragement and negative self-talk drag us down and try to keep us from climbing out. “But” this…’But’ that….HOGWASH! Let’s quit making excuses and do what’s needed. We’re not lazy. We require more than that from others, so we should at least expect that from ourselves as well!
From one climber to another, shake off the chains, throw your hip over the edge, quickly followed by your knee and foot, drag the other leg out of the abyss, catch your breath (but don’t use that as an excuse to sit there, beat yourself up & do nothing), stand up, and start walking again. Yes, we have ground to make up. Yes, it’s frustrating and discouraging. Our choice is pretty direct: (1) stay in the mud, be weighted down, and watch life pass us by; or (2) do whatever it take to get climb out of the rut, recover, and start walking again. I’m up for a walk….how ’bout you?