January 2011

I am afraid of the dark. I have been as long as I can remember.

As a child, the darkness represented the monsters in the world. I remember hiding under the covers at night because my mind decided that if I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me either. It made perfect sense to me.

As I grew up, the darkness came to mean something different to me.

Sometimes the darkness meant incredible sadness that would roll in quietly, like a wall of fog, surrounding and enveloping me within it.

Other times, when the darkness was near, it meant that the world would soon go very still, and I would be lost and completely alone in it.

But most times it represented this huge empty void of nothingness to me, so dark that I could not find my way, that perhaps I would never find the light.

Over time we begin to see the darkness differently and instead of fearing it, we begin to rejoice in the incredible color painting across the sky announcing its arrival.

Maybe we simply learned to trust that dawn always follows even the darkest moments…

P.S. A special shout out to all my friends who are participating in day five of the V7N 30 Day Blog Challenge. I know you can do it!

Inside the mind of an ADHD Cricket is usually a mess of complete chaos that no one but me is likely to understand, the non-stop chatter of my thoughts jumping all over the place (and back again) until I can focus.

How in the heck is there over 1000 emails in my inbox again? Good morning kitty cat, yes I see you. Where is my coffee? Dang! Were the spammers breeding over the holidays? Where is that phone ringing? Why on earth am I up this early. I should prolly check to see why that site is running slow. Did I pay the server fees? OUCH! If you bite me again I swear I am gonna pull all your teeth out!

What was I thinking when I ordered SouthernWench.com? No, don’t open Facebook yet, you will never get out of there. Where the HECK did I set my coffee down? Is she not getting my emails? Okay, I really need to sit down, focus and knock out these directory submissions right now. Did I forget to feed you? Ugggggh! Is it naptime yet? Oh yeah, my coffee. Crap! It’s cold…

Actually it’s not that I have trouble focusing, it’s more that my mind wants to focus on way too many things at a time. The results of that are never pretty.

So how do I ever get anything done?

The answer to what works (most of the time) for me often show within the pictures I choose to take. Have you ever noticed that I tend to shoot very close up, so that I am focused on ONE thing right in front of me?

That is exactly what I do when I am working. I remove as many distractions as possible so that the only thing I am seeing right in front of me is exactly what I need to be focused on.

Does it work?

Heck yeah! But like most things in life, it can be too much of a good thing.

The down side of this method (for me) is that I don’t tend to notice the laundry piling up or that I have been working on something so long that the sun is coming up before I have even gone to bed.

It may be time to work on balance, ya think? (grin)

P.S. A special shout out to all my friends who are participating in day three of the V7N 30 Day Blog Challenge. I know you can do it!

We have all had one of those days that feel as if we take one step forward and then at least three steps (or a dozen) back. You’ve had those days too, right?

Today it was my turn.

Every decision I made seemed to result in several new things that needed to be done, and each of those things needed to be done right NOW!

Before I knew it, I was tripping all over my own feet.

Take a deep breath.

Remember that sometimes, it just is, what it is.

Walk away for a bit if you need to.

If all else fails, curl up and take a ‘lil nap.

Once you find yourself ready to tackle the day again, just smile and work through it all, one baby step at a time. Why? Because one way or another, you CAN do this.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher

P.S. A special shout out to all my friends who are participating in day two of the V7N 30 Day Blog Challenge. I know you can do it!

Have you ever really taken the time to watch animals in nature? They live life in the moment, don’t they? Much of their time is taken up with daily instincts of survival.

They may be building nests, caring for their young, gathering and storing food, and at times, running for dear life from their predators. If you watch long enough though, you will see that they also stop now and then to “just be”.

Yes, I realize life is crazy and it threatens to overwhelm you daily.

The bills are stacking up along with the laundry, a gazillion things need your attention, and no matter how many hours you work, sometimes it feels as if you will never catch up. Ya know what? Maybe that is exactly why we need to take some time to just be…

Take a long hot bubble bath. Close your eyes and let the world slip away for a few moments. Read a book, just because you enjoy it, not because it has any real purpose. Take a break to sit on a park bench. Feed the pigeons and talk to them for a bit. Build a huge fire (hopefully in a fireplace) and curl up with your favorite quilt and think of nothing at all. Get lost in your favorite music.

For a few moments today, just be…

P.S. A special shout out to all my friends who are participating in the V7N 30 Day Blog Challenge. I know you can do it!