My Table Legs Are Wobbly. How about Yours?
Life
really does get in the way, doesn't it? Even though the book for the OBS has been in my bag, I haven't opened Me, Myself, and Lies for a while and really looked at it with the intensity I needed. Until this morning. A little bit of time last week while we were watching Owen, but a nearly 2-year-old and focusing on OBS really don't mix well.
In Chapter 6, "Look Up," what hit me the hardest was Jennifer's visual of the table with four legs, starting on page 97.
Just like an unsteady, unbalanced table which will collapse under a heavy load, I can fall into despair when one of my 'legs' becomes unsteady. I love analogies, partly because I used to teach them in my lit classes and encouraged my writing students to incorporate them also, but also because they make difficult topics much easier to understand when being compared to something common. In this case--a table with four legs.
The Emotional Leg - Oh boy...this one is very unsteady for me. I take EVERYTHING to heart, my feelings are hurt easily, and my tear ducts are very close to the surface. As Jennifer said, though, 'our problems usually have less to do with our circumstances than with the way we choose to feel about them.' The biggest issue I have right now is my mom's death and cleaning out her house and selling the contents and the property. When I take things to heart, let my emotions overwhelm me, then my 'table' is very shaky, and I slip into despair. Jennifer reminds me not to think with my feelings, but to calibrate with the truth and tighten up the shaky leg of my table. This will help me, especially as I decide what items to keep and what to place in the auction box, so to speak. As my husband says, the things are just that...things. My memories can never be erased. I also cannot let myself slip into the "Why did Mom keep this? I mean, all of the cancelled checks from 1958 and 1959?" and "Why couldn't she tell us whose china this was? Now we will never know." If I let my emotions run wild on topics such as those, then my leg grows weaker and weaker. Not going to happen.
The Physical Leg - I know this is important, and the three things Jennifer mentions are just what I thought of when I started reading this section: food, sleep, exercise. Yes, I feel better when I eat properly (and I haven't been since the beginning of May). Yes I feel better when I sleep, and sleep well (and I have been bed-hopping so that doesn't help - that sounds bad, doesn't it? I mean from my mom's house, to my daughter's house, to our house, ok? add in naps in the car too) Exercise? What is that? My daily Walks with Leslie have evaporated. Just no time. But I need to MAKE time.
The Mental Leg - exercising one's brain. I like that. I enjoy reading. I judged Creative Writing 4-H project last Saturday at one of the county fairs and really enjoyed reading the entries and selecting the best ones. I just finished reading, in spurts, The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. And I love digging into the Bible, but I haven't done much of that lately. Plus I can discuss interesting topics with others to stimulate brain activity. I have learned more about corn crops and fertilizers and weed killers this spring than I knew in the 40 years we have been married. Why? Because I listened while he was talking to me about it and I asked more questions (perk of retirement and not having to grade mountains of papers).
The Spiritual Leg - This one seems to be the invisible leg, according to Jennifer. It's the one we can't really see, but we sure can feel the effects if it is loose or wobbly. When we place our trust in Him, when we start our day in prayer, when we study the scripture, our days become better, our lives are better, and our outlook is so much brighter. That is one reason why my Online Bible Study group is so important - to grow as Sisters in Christ.
Goal for the next few weeks? Tighten up the table legs. One leg at a time. Soon my table will be sturdy again.
In Chapter 6, "Look Up," what hit me the hardest was Jennifer's visual of the table with four legs, starting on page 97.
Just like an unsteady, unbalanced table which will collapse under a heavy load, I can fall into despair when one of my 'legs' becomes unsteady. I love analogies, partly because I used to teach them in my lit classes and encouraged my writing students to incorporate them also, but also because they make difficult topics much easier to understand when being compared to something common. In this case--a table with four legs.
The Emotional Leg - Oh boy...this one is very unsteady for me. I take EVERYTHING to heart, my feelings are hurt easily, and my tear ducts are very close to the surface. As Jennifer said, though, 'our problems usually have less to do with our circumstances than with the way we choose to feel about them.' The biggest issue I have right now is my mom's death and cleaning out her house and selling the contents and the property. When I take things to heart, let my emotions overwhelm me, then my 'table' is very shaky, and I slip into despair. Jennifer reminds me not to think with my feelings, but to calibrate with the truth and tighten up the shaky leg of my table. This will help me, especially as I decide what items to keep and what to place in the auction box, so to speak. As my husband says, the things are just that...things. My memories can never be erased. I also cannot let myself slip into the "Why did Mom keep this? I mean, all of the cancelled checks from 1958 and 1959?" and "Why couldn't she tell us whose china this was? Now we will never know." If I let my emotions run wild on topics such as those, then my leg grows weaker and weaker. Not going to happen.
The Physical Leg - I know this is important, and the three things Jennifer mentions are just what I thought of when I started reading this section: food, sleep, exercise. Yes, I feel better when I eat properly (and I haven't been since the beginning of May). Yes I feel better when I sleep, and sleep well (and I have been bed-hopping so that doesn't help - that sounds bad, doesn't it? I mean from my mom's house, to my daughter's house, to our house, ok? add in naps in the car too) Exercise? What is that? My daily Walks with Leslie have evaporated. Just no time. But I need to MAKE time.
The Mental Leg - exercising one's brain. I like that. I enjoy reading. I judged Creative Writing 4-H project last Saturday at one of the county fairs and really enjoyed reading the entries and selecting the best ones. I just finished reading, in spurts, The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. And I love digging into the Bible, but I haven't done much of that lately. Plus I can discuss interesting topics with others to stimulate brain activity. I have learned more about corn crops and fertilizers and weed killers this spring than I knew in the 40 years we have been married. Why? Because I listened while he was talking to me about it and I asked more questions (perk of retirement and not having to grade mountains of papers).
The Spiritual Leg - This one seems to be the invisible leg, according to Jennifer. It's the one we can't really see, but we sure can feel the effects if it is loose or wobbly. When we place our trust in Him, when we start our day in prayer, when we study the scripture, our days become better, our lives are better, and our outlook is so much brighter. That is one reason why my Online Bible Study group is so important - to grow as Sisters in Christ.
Goal for the next few weeks? Tighten up the table legs. One leg at a time. Soon my table will be sturdy again.
posted by Beth @ 10:51 AM
0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home