Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
Yeah, you kind of have to say the title out loud.
And then finish the sentence.
Like this: one hundred, and for the record I shouldn’t have to explain myself.
Or: one hundred, and for the record this is actually a perfectly cromulent title for a Friday Chicken. Yes.
The hard stuff
The harsh corners.
My bed at Mabel Dodge Luhan house (in the most fabulous room ever) had a … footboard? Is that what it’s called?
At the foot of the bed there were large carved wooden protuberances, at any rate.
Harsh bed frame corners!
And I have giant purple swollen bruises from (repeatedly) walking into the harsh corners.
Even after I macguyvered a ridiculous solution involving many blankets, it was still kind of … ridiculous.
Ow. OW.
Getting SUGARED.
Ugh. Disaster. Awful and annoying and miserable.
(Background: I quit sugar ten years ago and am incredibly sensitive to it.)
So first, the reaction itself:
Extreme agitation. Pounding heart. I get so hyper and so uncomfortable and so disconnected from myself.
My knees knock together, I can’t stop touching things, I speak way too fast and way too much and I can’t focus on anything. It sucks.
Then, the coming down:
Tears. A long, agonizing, sleepless night.
And also the frustration with myself for not asking.
I always ask. I even asked about the not-suspicious-sounding bleu cheese sauce (yes, it had agave syrup in it and yes I avoided it like the plague).
But I thought I could have curry with my rice. One bite said otherwise. Oh, regret.
And then more sleeplessness.
Somehow that rough night of being hyper and discombobulated set off a kind of chain reaction.
Because I couldn’t sleep the next night either.
Everything is harder without rest. And rest became one of the big themes of the week, in all sorts of interesting and challenging ways.
Something I really needed got all wet.
So I put it on the roof to bake dry in the sun. But then in the afternoon the skies opened and it got soaked again.
Problematic.
Slipping into an old and familiar pattern I thought was long done with.
Painful yearning for something you know is bad for you, you know you don’t want, you know you can’t have.
It comes with its own particular flavor and imprint: part pain and part delight.
So addictive. So soothing and distressing at the same time.
A week without my gentleman friend.
Sadmouse me.
Oh, and this is the sweetest thing. He said:
I am the Captain of Loose Ends when we are apart.
Aw.
The good stuff
Slightly further along in my quest to achieve oneness with green chiles.
Progress!
Seriously, I love New Mexico so much I can hardly stand it.
The number of minutes between me getting off the plane in Albuquerque and me putting green chile sauce in my mouth was … not very many. Possibly two.
Jubilation!
And Selma and I went to our favorite place for green chile stew. Twice. Probably also going again this afternoon.
My room.
Aside from the bed (and the harsh corners!), this was the most incredible thing.
The giant veranda, with the view of trees and mountains. Hours and delicious hours spent writing outside (I’m writing out there right now!)
Watching the rain. Smelling the rain.
The claw foot bathtub in the tiny room, with windows that D. H. Lawrence painted and thick wood beams across the ceiling. Heaven.
Oh, and access to the roof.
Dancing on the rooftop.
Doing Shiva Nata up there.
Bare feet on the roof, trees above me, mountains in the distance. Birds overhead and at eye level.
I have no words to describe how magical this was.
Teaching.
Oh, this lovely group of people at Jen’s Writer’s Retreat.
With daily Shiva Nata blowing my mind and everyone else’s.
Transcendent.
There is no other way to describe it.
Spontaneous joyful singing. Love, contentment, gratitude, wonder.
And of course Selma and I had great fun teaching Old Turkish Lady yoga and various destuckification practices.
Kindness.
So many people on Twitter were so lovely to me when I was strung out on speed oh right, sugar.
They kept me company and made me laugh.
Especially Kirsty, who wrote a very long and very wonderful story to help me fall asleep. Thank you!
WRITING!
I got shocking amounts of writing done this week.
Brilliant, kooky, unexpected, hilarious, sad, powerful, surprising, new things.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yay.
So pleased with the Very Personal Ad I wrote Sunday, that set the tone and the feel for all of my writing this week.
Being queen.
Lots of work this week on being powerful and sovereign and gracious, having strong, flexible, loving boundaries.
It turns out I am finally getting better at this.
Great things I read this week.
About the Bechdel Test (Alison!).
And Jolie’s sweet and marvelous post about what not to do: NO KISSING!
It’s about composition, but it’s about a lot of things.
And … playing live at the meme beach house!
Yes, that’s a Stuism too.
My brother and I have this thing where we come up with ridiculous band names and then say in this really pretentious, knowing tone, “Oh, well, you know, it’s just one guy.”
This week?
The Harsh Corners.
Yes. YES. It’s just one guy.
That’s it for me …
And yes yes yes, of course you can join in my Friday ritual right here in the comments bit if you feel like it.
Yeah? Anything hard and/or good happen in your week?
And, as always, have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious day and a restful weekend-ing.
And a happy week to come. Shabbat shalom.
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i am the first??? eeek!
okay, well:
the hard:
leaving my conference feeling (against all rational proof) kind of like a …failure. like i could have had a great time, if only i hadn’t been…um, me. so wriggling out of all that took a few days, shiva nata, yoga, eft. what came out of it was good learning, but sometimes i wish i could get to that same good learning more easily.
jet lag. aaagh. for one entire day i felt like an alien inside my body. and the tired! it was so strong!
the good:
an amazing conversation with a monster-prison warder-internal voice of pessimism courtesy of shiva nata. it really helped me understand why i was feeling such conflict about a seemingly positive decision i was making (after all, how hard can saying “yes” to life be? well, there’s a monster inside totally dedicated to making sure that doesn’t happen…)
yoga! i signed up for a free weekly online class, and yesterday got to take a “dynamic kripalu flow”, which i wouldn’t have been able to experience normally, and which was so interesting.
antique markets, knitting and catching up on True Blood.
something small: i brought back 4 of my favorite pens from the conference (they don’t sell them in America) and am loving on them!
*amazing* work with EFT, and introducing a beloved person to the amazing things tapping can do. noticing changes in my ability to read subtle energy shifts in my own self, and feeling that gap between feeling and reaction time widen s l o w l y more and more, so that there’s more choice and learning to be experienced. lovely.
oh, and shabbat dinner with almost the entire family, featuring my homebaked challah tonight!
The record shows that the hard in my life has overstayed its welcome.
Gack. Sick of everything being so hard. Sick of being so exhausted. Sick of working like a crazy person and feeling so very unappreciated.
So on that cheery note, let’s review the week:
The Hard:
– Equipment malfunctions in my lab. Nothing too major, but time-consuming
– Equipment that worked fine to do multiple microphone capture just one week ago refused to work this week. Sigh.
– Whiny students – results from the weekend’s testing were released and several 4.0 students only got B’s. Guess what – for the exit exams we do raise the bar to see how you compare with professionals in the field. Some of you just have not reached an acceptable level of competency. Not to say that you won’t, but you aren’t there yet and thus not deserving of the A that means you exceeded expectations. Deal with it.
– Boss got flooded with the storms over the weekend so once again, I got the lion’s share of the administrative crap to deal with.
– Hot & humid weather
– Dear friend’s kitty health has declined and the end in near. Bringing back all the sad memories from a year ago when our kitty was approaching her end.
The Good:
+ Working a ton of hours means staying in the A/C a lot. Not a bad thing when the weather sucks so much.
+ Finally caught up a client’s bookkeeping that has been piling up for 6 months – the essentials had been taken care of, but not the filing & reconciliation.
+ Turned in a paper on time. The previous assignment required an extension.
+ One of the firemen that we test in our lab came to my rescue when my car refused to start.
Here’s hoping this cloud of bad just moves on or better yet, dissipates. Tired of having it hanging over me.
Oooof, Havi, your week sounds mad and glorious and exhausting and luscious all at once. Wishing you a long visit from the gods of sleep tonight…
My week’s been mostly wonderful. Creative, mind- and heart-expanding, filled with insights and the swish and roar of underground rivers surfacing, greening the landscape of my life.
Good this week:
+ My son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law were here for a visit. Both my boys and their sweethearts home with me at the same time! 🙂
+ Sovereignty Kindergarten and the astonishing power, commitment and collective wisdom of the folks who are taking this journey together. So much honesty and loving support of each other!
+ Reconnecting with old friends. Long, lazy lunches on my sunny deck.
+ Writing, writing, writing…The muse has been playing with me all week.
+ Working with lovely Briana to create an e-book/audio of Healing Internet Hangover.
+ Amna is coming for a visit! Yay!
Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!
Love, Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Going Away =-.
The hard:
-Being absolutely petrified for almost a week of a conversation I knew I needed to have. And knowing that once I had it I’d feel better and still not wanting to have it.
-Five day headache due to above.
-Construction. And turning off my lights, water, and power for a whole day. And not being clear on what day that would be until it happened.
-A big client who went on vacation last week also having to cancel this week due to meetings, etc. And giving me 12 hours notice.
-The internet/phone debacle of yesterday.
-Hackers. Ugh!
The good:
-Had the conversation and it was FINE. Felt a million times better afterward too.
-Finally got my most wonderfullest new business cards. Very fantabulous.
-Had a good meeting with my project person. Feeling much better about our direction.
-The boyfriend came back (he’d been elsewhere). It’s nice to have someone to give you a hug when there’s hard. I hadn’t had that in a while.
-Headache has gone away! I almost feel normal again!
-Realizing that I could just let go about the hacker situation, and that I could put on my crown and just be at peace with the fact that they have their karma and I have mine. And move forward from there.
Happy Weekend chickeneers! 🙂
The Harsh Corners is just one guy? Cuz it totally feels like there’s four of them. (Snort)
The retreat sounds magical! I love being on rooftops…kind of makes me miss the old rooftop deck in the city. Until I think of the noise and smells and too-many-people-and-cars aspect of the city…
Hard this week:
-Sleep craziness. Being awake for 24 hours. Sleeping only 2 then having another day. Then not being able to fall asleep again on Sat., probably because the body clock was broken. Much insomnia all week long. Have been up today since 2 am. Makes me feel like I’m on drugs. In a bad way. Where are you, Mr Sandman?
-Jerks being jerkish. Me taking it personally. Yadda-yadda-yadda. When will I learn to let it go? Apparently, never.
-Unenjoyable social events. Obligations. Blech.
-Chocolate cravings. Like, all the time. Probably related to the sleep thing.
Good:
-Before the flood, the sweetheart’s show was awesome. Even without A/C in the club on the hottest day yet this summer. Still awesome. Danced and had fun. Love listening to/watching him play guitar. Makes me feel connected even when I’m 20 feet away from him. Neat.
-Sort of NVC-ing argument. Tried to state feelings/needs. Was not heard. Exploded into graphic demonstration of feelings/needs. Was heard. Maybe not quite NVC…but still, at least I didn’t just stuff it all down, my usual m.o.
-Excitement about maybe learning to do a new thing.
-I went running for the first time since…well, let’s just say the last time I was out it was snowing. It did not feel good. But it will feel good in a few more weeks.
-The bad work thing is almost finished. Almost. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, at least.
.-= Emily´s last post … Randomness – Fiber-Dreaming- Insults & More =-.
Sorry to hear about your run in with sugar. On the bright side, at least you know what it is you need to avoid. Not that that helps when you feel like crap…
Hello, Chicken of Fridayness.
The hard
– Now that I’ve recovered from Art Fair, I’ve been cleaning my house. Oy. It’s still so messy, you can’t really tell I’ve done anything, even though I’ve done a lot. Lots of filing, tossing, shredding…and trying to figure out an away for some things. I really do not like cleaning. Which is, of course, how it got so bad. Sometimes I wish I could afford to pay someone else to do it, but then I realize that even if I could, a) there would still be a lot of stuff I’d have to do myself (sorting, filing, etc.), and b) I’d feel weird, like what, do I think I’m too good to clean my own house? Even Gandhi cleaned toilets. So I think I should do everything myself. Except then I just don’t do it. Ugh.
– Day job particularly sucked this week. I’m so sick of copying and pasting into spreadsheets I could puke.
– Car alarm going off right now. Stop! Please stop!
The good
+ Cleaning is in preparation for gentleman friend moving in, so there will be room for his stuff. Yay!
+ Got my check for my stuff that sold at Art Fair, and it was more than I was expecting. Yay!
+ Ah…car alarm stopped. Thank you.
.-= Riin´s last post … Art Fair is almost here =-.
Oh, the sugar, ick. I’m sorry that happened. But I’m glad the week was still good!
Let’s chicken.
The hard:
-Giant Test of Doom. Perfectly awful. It’s been almost 48 hours now and the emotional mess is fading, but I am still not confident at all that I passed. And I have to wait six weeks to find out. That feels like such a long time.
-So. much. to. do. I pick up my keys to my new apartment 1025 miles away in two weeks. Two weeks! ACK.
The so-so: The glazing on the pots didn’t turn out as well as I was hoping. But they aren’t horrible and they are in gift-giving condition, pretty much, so it’s just sort of middling. I am hoping the recipient likes them anyway.
The Good:
-People being sympathetic about the Giant Test of Doom. It helps to have friends who have been through it and survived, and friends who assure you they will still love you if you failed.
-I got one question that I agonized over correct. It’s one point out of two hundred. But I felt weirdly better about the whole thing. Also, mailing back my study materials, so hopefully I will get my deposit back.
-Vacation. Vacation is going very, very well. As I type it’s pouring rain outside, and I am inside with a super soft robe and one of my favorite nightgowns, breakfast is in twenty minutes, and after that a soaking tub is calling. Yesterday was a marvelous day out (shopping! lunch! facial! reading an *entire book* for fun! dinner! tea and chocolate! piano playing! item!), today will be a marvelous day in. I feel like I will probably be more or less ready to face the world tomorrow.
Hugs for everybody’s hard, and cheers for good. Happy weekend!
Oh, the sugar! No good! So sorry that happened, Havi.
Let’s chicken this thing.
The hard
–Having one flight delayed because of a thunderstorm such that we missed the next flight and were rebooked into the airport 50 MILES AWAY from our car and our luggage. Arriving at 1am. Having to find a friend to pick us up and then lend us his car for the next day for said car- and luggage-retrieval.
–Spending the first day of my LeaveMeAlone Staycation fetching cars and luggage.
–The last day of the trip to my parents’ involved my mother asking all of those pesky questions she’d been saving up all week (all year!) and then refusing to listen to my answers. Nice.
–My father-in-law is declining really rapidly. Only 1/4 of his lungs are clear. The end really is likely nigh.
–Horrible poison ivy rash I can’t figure out how I got all over both arms. Itches. ITCHES!
–Accidental glutening. Stomach cramps. Not Fun.
The good
–We have really awesome friends who pick us up unexpectedly at airports really far away at ungodly hours of the morning. Yay friends!
–LeaveMeAlone Staycation! Yoga! Shiva Nata! Reading books! Sleeping in! Feeling motivated!
–Something has shifted in my practice, and it’s suddenly got a momentum of its own.
–My Love and I are so very happy together. We affirm that over and over, but this week, full of travel nightmares and grouchiness and doctor’s appointments and everything, affirmed it even more strongly.
Happy chicken, everyone.
I’m so sorry about the sugar and the ouch-y corners! But I’m glad there were lovely good things, too, like chiles. Those sound sooo tasty!
This week in Kailand~
The Hard:
~Being super duper hypersensitive to everything – noises, touch, light, criticism, yuck…
~Feeling really, really mixed up and not being present for most of the week.
~Sleeping fitfully for two nights in a row and waking up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all.
The Good:
~Making tiny bits of art like I was 7 again, when I didn’t create to make a masterpiece but created to create. Ooh, the freedom.
~Meeting myself exactly where I was and having fun with it.
~Hearing my fiance say “If it’s any constellation” instead of “consolation”. Oh, I love him so.
~Having the softest blanket ever to snuggle with. It’s like sharing the bed with a bunch of baby sheep! Or something like that.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Oh, yikes. Sugar and wetness and whacking your shins… and you had a wonderful week anyway. 🙂
It’s been a rough week.
The hard:
– Money. There is not enough of it.
– I kept some of the money stuff from my sweetheart in order to avoid stressing her out, and it ended up blowing up in my face.
– Everybody who’s seen my new thing has said “wow, that’s AWESOME”, and almost nobody has signed up for it. I don’t know what to do there.
– Stress related to all of the above, to the point where I’m barely sleeping and eating even less.
The good:
– Everybody who has seen my new thing has said, “wow, that’s AWESOME”.
– My sweetheart hasn’t killed me yet.
– Exercise makes me less stressed, so I’ve been doing it whenever I can. (In moderation, I promise.)
– Writing every day. It’s nice to get back into that habit.
– Books about Halloween. (Only three months!)
♥!
.-= Chris Anthony´s last post … Everyday Delight 5 – War On Depression Edition =-.
Havi, ouch about the sugar incident. So annoying.
And, dancing on the roof? Ohhh I am so happy for you. Sounds so, so perfect.
Let’s try to chicken this week… It’s been a while since I chickened on a Friday.
The Hard:
– Overworking AND undersleeping. Pretty much every single day this week. As the result, not feeling very good about it, on many different levels.
– Went to the acupuncturist and – ow – every single needle hurt like hell. And usually I’m quite ok with the needles. Very achey.
– Feeling very, very disconnected.
– Stupid cold sore. Grrrr.
– Ran out of food. Twice.
– Skipped lunch or dinner. Several times.
– Did not go to the book club because of work and tiredness even though I really, really wanted to.
– Managed to turned Shiva Nata into a should and was not doing it. Very painful.
Wow, looking at the list above, no wonder I’ve been feeling quite miserable. Just a lot of hard for my body and mind.
The Good:
– Went climbing 3 times = yeah! And feeling strong and balanced from that
– Got back into Shiva Nata today = triple yeah! And finally caught the wave
– Figured out how to play music on our stereo system (requires 4 remote controls – pretty silly, I know) – now I can haz music whenever I want
– Got back into habit of making banana-spinach smoothies (mmmm)
– Cleaned the house! House is clean and comfy = big yeah!
– Also, feeling myself again and free to comment on this chicken. Reconnnecting. Exhaling. Ahhh.
It’s been a pretty hard week and I am happy to finally let got of the hard and open up to the good this Friday.
Happy Friday to everyone! 🙂
Cromulent: I love that word!
This week’s hard:
– Much hard for my sweetie this week, and not a thing I can do to make it softer.
– I lost a good chunk of yesterday, the day I had stored up and saved to get some new pieces finished and loose ends tied up for this weekend’s show.
This week’s good:
– Even though I lost part of yesterday, my niece helped me out a lot and we did get lots of little things done that will make my booth look spectacular. And I got to teach her some stuff about working with tools.
– I am prepared enough, and I recognize that I am never going to be prepared as I want to be going into a show.
– The most spectacular dress and shoes for next month’s black tie wedding found me on Monday. My sweetie found a gift card in the drawer that took a nice chunk out of that expenditure, too.
– Summer Market weekend! My favorite show of the year. Pretty new displays. Cool new pieces.
Happy Friday, everyone.
.-= Lori Paximadis´s last post … whither summer =-.
Being from New Mexico I totally understand about the chile thing…
The hard
-Having big plans but still not being able to focus/have enough confidence to actually do them.
-Not sleeping nearly enough
The good
-The first week since loss of loved ones that I haven’t cried (until writing this sentence ;>)
-Monsoons finally came–rained and cooled
-Wrote two days
Oh Havi, I’m so sorry about the sugar. You react to sugar the way I react to caffeine. (But it’s so much easier to figure out if something has caffeine.)
Hard
– Dog is sick, and we still don’t know what’s wrong.
– Taking care of dog is keeping me from sleeping.
– Househunting stress.
Good
+ Working at home means I can take a nap when I need to. And lately I need to!
+ Not tutoring means more time for myself. Yay!
+ Working through some stuck in my art. Progress!
.-= Barbara J Carter´s last post … New dot painting- “Mandala” =-.
It is both hard and good to read…
Painful yearning for something you know is bad for you, you know you don’t want, you know you can’t have.
It comes with its own particular flavor and imprint: part pain and part delight.
So addictive. So soothing and distressing at the same time
…because, oh, my stars, so, so true. Every last word there I recognize. And there is both despair at not feeling sufficiently free of it and comfort in someone I admire putting it so precisely and so well.
As for the rest of my feathers:
Hard:
* running around like proverbial fowl with head cut off, and feeling like I’ve gotten about as much done
* being served flat Coke at place I’m likely to frequent due to friends gathering there. Not hard in itself, but sort of a “enough effing straws on the camel already” hard
* the effing asthma. Trying to sing through the effing asthma.
Good:
* waitress knocking down our bill because “y’all were easy and I see you have a designated driver.” (Wasn’t why I was sticking to Coke, but hey, not arguing!)
* discussing cloak, crown, and hazelnut bucket details with Léan. So, so excited!
* receiving an amazing shoulder-rub from a friend. I am a touch glutton and oh, it was so good.
* I am getting things done: I have hosted so many dinners over the past month that local wine store clerks recognize me on sight. I cooked shakshouka for my sweetie this morning. I have birthday presents ready to wrap, editing in progress, and paperwork in process. Go me!
Hugs and encouragement to all y’all, and shabbat shalom!
.-= Mechaieh´s last post … clippings- to laughis essential =-.
Hi there!
The hard:
-having to carve out alone-time for myself this week. (house-guest). The time was there but giving myself the permission to take it (and then actually taking it for myself) was difficult.
-general nervousness and anxiety about this weekend’s workshop. I’m going to be teaching some stuff in a group setting that I’ve only taught one-on-one so far. Yikes!
The good:
-spending an entire day lounging along the Sandy River. Pulling our blanket up under a big leaf maple just in time to watch a 15 minute downpour and stay completely dry.
-amazing, AMAZING, food all week. All from scratch (of course – she says pretentiously). 🙂
-a lovely DM from a new friend that reminded me of my commitment to take daily alone time that arrived just as I was becoming overwhelmed.
Ok, back to being a host. Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
.-= Larisa´s last post … Perils and Pitfalls to Revealing More =-.
So very sorry to hear about the sugaring! And the harsh corners, too. I hate it when I keep bumping into the same thing again and again. (Smack — ow!)
Oh, Chicken. Hold me. Please.
Hard:
-A major squabble with my sweetie because I was running late for a movie date and didn’t call early enough to say that I was running late. I was running less than five minutes late, and I did call about five minutes before we were supposed to meet to say that I was nearly there. Not good enough. He went home in a huff, and the movie date I’d so eagerly anticipated didn’t happen. Eventually, eventually, he did allow as how he’d over-reacted (this is the same sweetie who was so irritable for so much of last week), but for many hours it felt like I was being treated as the only one in the wrong. Argh. Just argh.
-Deadlines for my dissertation proposal moving steadily closer. Stress.
-Needed to take my sweetie to the emergency room unexpectedly; left home a bit past midnight, and didn’t get home until around 5AM. He was in terrible pain that turned out to be his first-ever flareup of gout.
-Then I still had to work the next day — and somehow, my bleary phone message to “cancel my morning appointments, I’ll be late because of a family medical emergency” got transmuted into “Kat is in a serious medical condition!” so I had a bit of explaining to do.
-Having trouble feeling sovereign this week. I don’t seem to have enough time for myself, and I don’t seem to know how to claim it, all of a sudden. I hate this.
Good:
+An amazingly, incredibly beautiful weekend trip down the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway to pick up my daughter in Asheville. Peaceful mountain roads. Glimpses of wildlife. Exhilirating views. People-watching. New sights! This is one of the things that replenishes me — definitely worth at least a page in the Book of Me: “When you need refreshment, go someplace new. Almost anyplace will do, but if it can be a place of beauty and charm, so much the better.”
+Daughter is home!
+I’ve been doing fantastic music therapy work this week. Sometimes, when I’m under a lot of stress, I somehow rise to the occasion and do some of my very best work.
+Meeting this next deadline, though it will take a lot of work, does not feel impossible. It’s a first draft. I can do this.
+Keeping up the Shiva Nata, in gentle daily ways. Astonished to find that I’m actually progressing, and delighted by the little kernels of hot buttered epiphany that keep popping up.
Much love to everyone. Here, please help yourself to your virtual beverage of choice. I’m very grateful for your company!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … The trouble with “middle vision” =-.
Quick postscript: I feel the need to say that the squabble with my sweetie was largely caused by communication breakdown on both sides. We had different expectations regarding the meeting time all along, and didn’t realize until it had all blown up in our faces. And I also forgot to mention that while we squabbled, we both managed to transcend old arguing patterns: I was strong and assertive rather than cringingly apologetic, and he was willing to have it out with me immediately instead of storming off alone for several hours first.
Okay. Enough over-explaining. I’ll stop now. 🙂
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … The trouble with “middle vision” =-.
Cromulent! Excellent word. I need more reasons to say this word! I feel like maybe Cromulent and the Cormorants (neo-swing blues with a touch of film noir) are playing at a dive bar near the Meme Beach House.
I already chickened in full on my own blog this morning but I will come back here to say that you, Havi, were my oracle this week. Wise words from an old post of yours COMPLETELY turned around an awful moment. It turned into this good thing, and I got to dream a little about a tiny dream, and that was nice. Thank you!
.-= Jesse´s last post … When in doubt- consult the Oracle =-.
Oof, so sorry about the sugaring! What a pain! Shivanauting on the roof of the MDL house, on the other hand, sounds totally delightful!
Around here this week, the hard:
– lack of clarity, confusion, running around in circles in my mind even though I did more than I usually do to get stuff out of my mind and get some clarity
– wanting to take these things to the KT to get help with them, and not being able to do so
– experimenting with asking for and receiving help from my gentleman friend, and not being in a place to be able to receive it fully
– having a mini meltdown
And the good:
– though I felt blah for a while after the meltdown, it didn’t last more than half a day and things got way better
– I feel like things are about to happen: I *want* to do the stuff I need to do, and the meltdown is passed so I’m ready to get going
– I’m slowly, slowly learning to ask for help
– I’m about to start testing recipes for yet another vegan cookbook a friend of mine is writing. Yay!
– a friend is coming to visit me soon! Fun!
Wishing a great weekend and a fabulous week to everyone!
Glad you’re feeling better after the sugar incident, Havi. I’m glad the story helped. I must finish it.
The Hard
– someone threw a very nasty shoe on my blog & I got upset and cried even though I could tell she was projecting like crazy and it was nothing to do with me or what I’d written.
– I’ve had the Coughing Virus of Doom. The stabbing lung pain and feeling like my blood is made of lead can stop any time they like. I am exceedingly fed up.
– Having to cancel two meetings with friends because I was too sick.
– not being able to get as much work done as I wanted.
The Good
– I dealt with the shoe-throwing really well.
– Writing the story for Havi was fun.
– I’ve had several cool phone calls with people, including another free consulting session where I felt that I’d really helped them with their Crazy Internet Plan.
– the person I did the paid consulting session with last week has been implementing changes on her website and has already seen an improvement in her numbers. I’m so chuffed.
I’m practising better self care: instead of pushing myself, I’m letting myself rest and heal from the Coughing Virus of Doom.
A restful massage that wore me out but felt like it helped.
– wrote a blog post about the importance of championing others that I’m very proud off. It got a fair bit of retweeting, which was great.
– I’ve been getting some reading done.
– ate the first of the tomatoes and courgettes from my garden and they were delicious.
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … Succeed Online- champion others =-.
I had perhaps the worst day in my adult life yesterday. The good news is I got through it and came out the other side, but it’s still sort of hard to talk about, but I’m going to try anyway.
The Hard:
-Had a total life emergency surprise sprung on me yesterday with no warning, and was put in a position where I had to fix it even though it wasn’t my mistake. It sucked, and I did, but I’m still pretty shaken up/upset about it.
-Had to break down and ask for help, and I never do that.
-Am still dealing with the fallout of it today, on top of work and other things. Very stressed out, still feeling fairly betrayed and generally awful.
The Good:
-I didn’t know before this that I was even capable of asking for help, or that I would get it if I asked. Both are true, and they came from a source that was unexpected. I felt very lucky to have such good people in my life.
-After getting over the shock of everything, I realize that this means that I can let go of some things in my life that were really hurtful to my life progress. This means bizarrely, that the awful thing that happened has opened me up to getting to make choices for myself and not for others, which is kind of freeing.
-The idea of getting to rebuild my life around what I want and what I think is right is pretty exciting. I’m sort of enjoying the chance to re-evaluate and figure out what is really important to me.
-I am taking my dog to a charity event tomorrow, which will be fun and make me feel good and hopefully help distract me from all of the other stress in my life.
.-= Holly´s last post … Step out of your comfort zone =-.
Happy Friday!
Squawk! (That’s my chicken happy sound.)
The good: Havi mentioned me in a Friday Chicken! I’m honored and touched!
.-= Jolie´s last post … Summer Sunshine- 39 =-.
Goodness. Sugaring and protuberances. Yikes. Neither sound good at all.
The hard:
– My money for the month is gone, but Saturday and the farmers’ market are still part of the month. Alas.
– The pup had another swallowing incident and this time I cannot trace it back to anything.
– Horrid and scary dreams are ruining my sleep. The latest one is apparently recurring since I – while I was trying to stop it – remembered having it before.
– Very sneezy and sniffly due to allergies.
– Attended a book signing for the sort of crime thriller that I rarely read and had to hear all about unpleasant subjects just before bed. (Hey! I just realized why the bad dreams might be here.)
The good:
– I had the idea to pre-sell some cards to figure out packaging and totally forgot about the benefit of determining shipping costs. Nice. The cards look so beauty-full. As a bonus, I found a use for all the card supplies that sit and sit and sit ..
– My neighbor made me cupcakes in exchange for giving her a ride to/from the car repair place. Except then she decided not to go so I have cupcakes anyway!
– Good feedback and ideas from an unexpected source.
– A lovely visit and lunch with a friend and her kids.
– I am getting lots of things accomplished.
– The book Slow Time. It is so enjoyable and inspiring.
– My youngest sister is thrilled to be getting an autographed book.
– Cooler weather.
Hugs to all for the hard and cheers for the good. xoxo
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … inspired by graffiti =-.
The retreat sounds divine (except for the sugar badness, and corners will get you! Corner are bad!) I love the idea of practicing yoga on the roof. Sounds wonderful.
Had a major breakthrough this week but there was the hard to go with it.
The hard
I basically catatonic on Monday and Tuesday.When I tried to work Monday and Tuesday. Monday I went back to bed and slept all day. Tuesday I watched TV all day.
Insomnia struck last night, and my brain got caught up in the what-if cycle that would never happen but that kept me awake until after 3:00. Then had really weird and bad dreams and woke with a horrible crick in my neck and shoulder.
The good
Tuesday night I grabbed my journal and began being an investigator, trying to find out what was going on with me. Then I heard “What stories are you telling yourself?” I had to stop and think for a while. I identified the story that was harming me and wrote a new story (click blog link below to read them).
Wednesday was Project Front Burner where I made major progress on The Book Proposal, and figured out why chapter 1 wasn’t working and how to fix it. Now editing ch. 1! Woot!
Gotten lots of blog stuff done on The SITS Girls and Problogger 31 Days to Be a Better Blogger challenge. The blog is coming to life and taking on purpose. Yeah!
Yesterday was the perfect summer day. It was in the high 70s with no humidity. I walked down to the lake, meditated and journaled right next to the water. Yesterday afternoon I went to a friends and sat next to her pool to work. Swam some. Edited some. Swam some more. Edited some more. And miracle of miracles: I didn’t sunburn.
Over all it’s been a good week, and I am happy. And if I sleep tonight, I will be ecstatic tomorrow.
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … Learning to tell stories that empower instead of hurt =-.
Hoorah for writing and shivanata on the roof, boo to sugar and harsh corners.
The Good
– novel-writing is slowly getting on track
– no more breakdowns after last weeks epic breakdown
– no more nightmares
– space to read
– grapes <3
– singing <3
– writing a psychological blog post – a new adventure
– got lots of niggling paperwork/emails done
– my other half emailed me from Cambodia
The Hard
– no nightmares because of no sleep. you hit the nail on the head with “Everything is harder without rest.”
– no vegetables or healthy snacks here = junk food + no energy (+ no sleep)
– no plot for my story = writers block
– week 12 of 14 without my other half is taking its toll
– running out of green tea mid-week =(
– oversleeping in the morning
– migraines and aches and physical pain
– no time to read my books
– unable to focus to meditate or self-heal
Here’s to a better week (+ one week closer to other half’s return) -clinks a glass of spiced rum-
.-= Rose´s last post … Preparations for a Party- The Baby Shower =-.
The hard:
– Spent pretty much all the time at work and didn’t eat properly, way too many sandwiches that make me feel sluggish.
– Hardly any time to mayself, hardly any yoga.
– Feeling that the plans we made for a holiday in August are no longer what I want and need (my parents invited us to join them on their holiday), knowing that if I cancel it this will be met with utter disappointment.
The good:
– Last day in the current job today- next week I can send them my bill.
– Hardcore babysitting of 3 year old twin girls and their 4 year old sister for 24 hours.
– The big proof of trust by their parents to let us take care of their kids while they had to go to a funeral and be away over night.
– Making strawberry jam with the girls.
– An evening of laughter and Chinese food.
I loved Dykes to Watch Out For back in the day, thanks for the link to the test! 🙂
Hard:
My cousin Mike had a massive heart attack last Friday while mowing the lawn. We were only able to attend visitation on Tuesday. He would’ve been 64 yesterday (he’s one of my cousins who is my mom’s age). None of us was remotely ready for the cousins to start leaving earth. Hard hard hard.
6am wake up call Monday-Thursday since school started again. Waking up hasn’t been a big problem. Staying awake in the middle of the afternoon has.
Good:
Getting back to my old friend the bike path Monday-Thursday this week. Seeing the difference already.
Working in my book for The Sketchbook Project. Having too much fun drawing and painting submarines.
Discovering a breakfast that gets me through one hour of bike path workout and to lunchtime without that awful shaky feeling.
Winning tickets to the state fair for the perfect day for us to go. Everything working out like a dream. Best day at the fair ever 🙂
Finding out that sometimes the crown of sovreignty is shaped like a row of bananas. 🙂
.-= Andi´s last post … The Sketchbook Project =-.
A late chicken…Hoping everyone’s weekends are going well.
The hard:
– terrible internet connection problems
– receiving negative feedback from a course tutor that I totally disagree with
– general emotional meh-ness
– having to constantly listen to conversations about dieting
– oppressive weather
– trying to go to a writer’s group and getting so lost I ended up at a crematorium…
The good:
-….which I then found hilariously funny, has made for a very entertaining story and I discovered an interesting graveyard I’m going to visit tomorrow
– reading a couple of fantastic books
– having time to read a couple of fantastic books
– relationships at work getting a bit better
– doing very well in another part of my course
another late chicken! I hope your weeks have started well.
@janecronin: I read as far as “crematorium” and thought ‘that sounds like a funny story’ and I’m glad you are finding amusement from it.
@havi: may the sugar demons be gone now
The Hard = the busy, the tornado, technological crap/nonsense, family
The Good = weather improvements, yard work!! (I, uhm, like yard work when it isn’t 104 degrees out.) Wow: Insights.