Friday, March 30, 2012

I’m curious about how others handle it when their friends fall upon good fortune.  For me, my tummy get this extra warm and fuzzy feeling, I get tingly all over and I feel like it’s Christmas, New Years and my birthday all rolled in one.  Though this is the way I always react, I do so even more when I know that same friend has been struggling and a sudden ray of sunshine manages to break through their surrounding dark clouds. 

So, when I say that I love it when good things happen to my friends, I’m not just spouting words, I really love the fact that good fortune is embracing them.  To have something positive happen to a friend is even more rewarding than when good fortune happens my way.  I’m struggling here to put this into clear words, so please bear with me. 

Is it the same with others?  Do other folks feel fulfilled, as I do, when they’re made aware that something good has happened to a friend?  Not just that they feel happy for the friend, but that the news actually makes them…fulfilled? 

By nature, I’m a giver, nurturer and like to see those around me happy so will go to great lengths to pull that off.  Perhaps this is why when I get word that something good’s happened to a friend, I’m so elated.  For to me, there’s no greater happiness.  As I mentioned, yes, it’s nice with good things happen to me, but to see the same play out with a friend…nothing better.

How about you?  How does it affect you when something good happens to a friend?

Thursday, March 29, 2012

“We all blow up eventually if we keep ignoring things.”  This is what I shared with a friend earlier today. Think of the human emotions like a giant pressure cooker. Unless you routinely let off steam by directly addressing those things you'd rather not, the unpleasantness won't go away, but will magnify to the point that you can't ignore it or worse, it’ll become distorted, causing your fuse to blow. 

It’s ironic how often folks exert such effort to avoid dealing with those things that make them uncomfortable.  They do this over and over, thinking they’ve got a handle on things.  They don’t.  This becomes painfully apparent when they end up losing their cool and blowing up at some unsuspecting and undeserving individual. 

So why does the person blow up?  Because they’re not in control of their emotions.  If they were, they would’ve taken the time to do the hard work to address issues as they arose thus bleeding off some of the built-up tension.  The trick then, is to dig in, do the dirty work, and meet issues head on instead of attempting to ignore them.

Wednesday, March 29, 2012

Nothing like having to take an antibiotic and having an intense allergic reaction.  Only rarely can I consume medications without some sort of complications, but this time was over the top.  Years, back, I learned I was allergic to erythromycin.  Within twenty minutes of taking it, I felt like my head was in a vice, felt sick to my stomach, every part of me hurt like a prize fighter had beat me up and I was suddenly tired—so very tired.  In addition, as if the other reactions weren’t enough to convince me to never take the drug again, I felt like I was some drug addict having terrible withdrawals.  Like everything I heard was fuzzy.  And like I wasn’t one with my body.

Flash forward to yesterday when I went to my doctor and needed an antibiotic.  Aware of my allergy to erythromycin, she was careful to prescribe something not anywhere near from the same drug family.  But…as my luck would have it, within twenty minutes of taking the offensive drug, my body reacted the same as it does to erythromycin.  Not good!

So picture this, there I am, having to drive my youngest son here, there and everywhere and take him to open house at his school that evening.  All this while I could barely function.  I managed to make it through yesterday.  But by the time I was at open house, I was literally crawling at a slug’s pace, it being an extreme effort to lift each of my feet to walk the campus.  Did I mention I run marathons and don’t get tired?  LOL.

After open house, I came home.  It was only 8PM, but I was so exhausted that I poured myself into bed and slept for the next sixteen hours, only waking long enough to drive my son to school in the morning then going back to bed.  Finally able to pull myself from sleep, I decided against taking any more of the antibiotics and headed to my doctor’s office to get a new prescription.  Thankfully, they gave me one I’ve had in the past without any ill side effects. 

So, things are slowly getting back on track.  I’m feeling better by the hour and will discard the other antibiotic so I don’t ever take it by accident.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

One of the books I’m currently reading is The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, written by Umberto Eco.  The book is about a man who awakes after a terrible accident without the ability to recognize his wife or daughters.  What I found interesting was a comment the main character made. 

When his wife brought him home from the hospital, still unaware of his past or who his loved ones are, he remarked to her how, “You can only anticipate the future if you can call the past to mind.”  He said this when referring to how he’s amazed that he’s able to recall mechanical actions, like brushing his teeth, walking, driving a car, but realizes that’s only possible because somewhere in the recesses of his mind dwell the occasions when he learned those abilities.

I found the character’s revelation thought provoking.  Had never really thought about it before.  Yes, I write all the time about how one must come to terms with their past to move forward.  But I had never given much thought to the bui9lding blocks that allow us to subconsciously recall how to do the most menial and also complex tasks.

What things do you need to draw upon from the past in order to move forward?

Monday, March 26, 2012

Ever notice how things you might have previously resisted learning about can suddenly become appealing or necessary?  How, given the right time and space, you become “enlightened?” 

There are times when one’s mood can affect this.  When a person’s in a darker mental state, it can be hard to see the potential or need to move forward.  Likewise, when someone is overjoyed, it can sometimes prove a struggle to contain one’s enthusiasm long enough to make the right decisions.

So…if it’s hard to identify what we need to learn in order to progress when we’re sad or over-enthused, then how does one recognize opportunities to educate themselves?  Wish there was an easy answer.  One that would prove flawless in every situation.  But, as emotionally driven individuals, each comprised of an intricate network of past experiences, old scars and inhibitions, there is no clear-cut way to address this.  All I can offer is what I do.

When I find myself feeling down in the dumps, the universe’s “ceiling” oppressively closing in on me, I try to take a step back and identify what’s got me down.  By doing so, I shed, or at the very least, loosen the constrictive binds that hold me down, limiting my ability to see potential.  Doesn’t mean that I suddenly feel better with dawning blue skies and tiny birds twittering about.  Takes time to work through one’s emotions.  But I do gain hope.  And through that hope, I’m able to want to move forward.

Similarly, when I’m so excited about life that nothing seems like it could go wrong, I have to force myself to put on the breaks, just a bit, when faced with making decisions that could have lasting results.  You know the saying: only fools rush in….  Well…not wanting to be a fool, I like to surmise a situation or potential prospect from all angles so I can identify if there are any flaws that would make my rushing in result in shortsightedness. 

By becoming familiar with my various emotional states, I’m better equipped to navigate through them with as little collateral damage as possible.  And, once thinking in a clearer, I’m then able to reflect on opportunities that may have been presented earlier, but that I opted to resist due to whatever I was feeling at the time.  It’s all about the timing….