Make Your Bed – my guest room

Howdy, y’all – is everyone hanging in there?  Looking back on recent posts,  I realized that I’ve only posted once a month lately. That’s such a difference from my old bi-monthly “bursting with new things to share.”
New make-up, skin care, or beat-the-heat beauty tips… I don’t have any to offer, and who really cares about that? Styling your outfits… heck, I’m not really going anywhere that requires outfits, are you?

Don’t get me wrong,  I haven’t given up on myself… I’m not walking around looking like “the the Wreck of the Hesperus” nor living the grunge life!  While it may take more energy than I have some days, I do shower, blow my hair dry (even gave myself a haircut this morning!) and put on eyebrows. Self-care is important… maybe more than you realize. Taking good care of myself helps keep me in the moment, in my body, and feeling valued.

These are the same reasons I make nectar and fill the hummingbird feeder, clean and refill the birdbath, and stand out in this heat to water my garden. Yes, it helps all of the birds, bees, and butterflies, and by helping them, I help myself stay grounded. Sane. Connected.

I’m sure that by now you, too, are beginning to realize that things aren’t  “going back to normal.”

There are a lot of changes afoot, and many of them a long time coming. So, how best to deal?
By realizing that Change is the only constant there is. And by realizing  that willingness to change, adaptability, is the key to living well.

Adapting helped me learn to live well with multiple chronic illnesses years ago, and to recover again after the strokes last year. When the pandemic began, I remember feeling bit smug, and “uniquely suited” to handle this new experience. Ninety percent of the time I can. I learned to manage my feelings of loneliness, powerlessness, and patience while recovering from the stroke. I became familiar with new technology; using Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Duo to “see” my friends and family, have online doctor visits, and even do my group therapy online!

But, every once in a while I feel freaked out, sick, and off kilter – like everyone else. How can I make myself feel better?
I know I did it before… how can I do it now? To that end, I pulled out my book and re-read it to see how to apply what I’d written to these circumstances. Living Well 2.0 in the Time of Corona. Each chapter reminded me of ways to feel more present and less worried. This read-through, my favorite chapter is “There’s No Rut in Routine.”

Rumi said, “Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.”

My days begin by making my bed. First thing every day.  I was surprised by how many friends poo-pooed it, but it felt important enough to me to include in my book and give it a chapter of its own. I felt validated in my bed-making habit when I heard Naval Admiral Wm. H. McRaven’s commencement speech to the 2014 graduating class at University of Texas, Austin.

A Navy SEAL for 36 years, McCraven offered this simple lesson and its importance to him: “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.  It will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. And, if by chance you are having a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made, that you made, and it gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

I find that outer order gives me inner calm… and it is one of the few things I can control. If you don’t already, try making your bed daily for a week and see if it makes you feel better. If you do, pick another small task you’ve been avoiding, and give it your attention, then please let me know how it went in the comments. I love hearing from you all.

XO Donna

 

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to accept the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”