Saturday, August 17, 2013

Getting to Know....

There are times when you think you know a person really well, and suddenly they present you with something new....something you had no idea about. SURPRISE!!! You didn't know so much as you thought you did.

All this can mean is that you can learn something new every day, if you pay attention. That's not a bad thing, is it?  Lessons follow lessons, and hopefully they make some impact on you that you can add to your file called 'wisdom'.  These lessons are given to us that we might learn from them, and I enjoy learning them, though they aren't always the most pleasant events that bring those lessons about.

Hearing the new things from an old friend gives pause. It brings curiosity too...'what else do I not know'?  Now that sort of thing doesn't make a lot sense to me, because I have long ago accepted this person as they were, so what else I don't know will only be a learning experience in the future, should I continue to accept this person as he/she is.  That's pretty much my nature, so I'm quite certain that we'll remain buddies in the years to come, unless I'm presented with something dangerous or criminal.

These thoughts just flow right now....they don't need to be pondered. I'm one who likes surprises...and lessons too, so I'll be accepting of them.  I think the only thing I can say to sum all this up is this:  You just never know EVERYTHING, nor do you need to.  Keep what is needful, shun the rest of it.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Ups and Downs

Life, for all of us, seems to bring its ups and downs.   The 'ups' don't come to us in the same ways, nor do the 'downs'... and most of us will respond to them in the same ways.The pleasant occurances bring feelings of  happiness and  sometimes pride.  The less than joyous days bring us emotions of sadness or heavy hearts.  We've all been there,  so you know what I mean.

Recently one of my daughters had a major surgery. I was 'itching' to go back to Long Island to nurse her back to health. Because our kids either share homes with someone, or the one that they live in is already too small for its residents comfort, there is always the issue of where to stay when we go back home.  Knowing that fact, and that she had a good support group of friends and family members there to care for her, my daughter insisted that we stay here, and come later in the Fall when she'd feel better. It was one of those events that caused me to feel that heaviness that comes from wanting to make sure your child is safely cared for while recuperating, and knowing you can't 'fix' it. 

What do you do in such a case? You deal with it the best way you can. I've always been one to 'look it in the eye' and deal with it, not try to run from it, or wallow in it either. You can suffer through, or you can do what I did, and just say, 'I can't be there. It IS what it IS", and I just went about my day right here....900 miles from my daughter. That is NOT to say that the wanting to be there stopped! Oh no! It kept cropping up....it nagged me. It woke me up at night, at which times I spent praying for my daughter and her care givers. 

The 'uppers' are easy to deal with.  You just share the joy with others, or you just 'float around' in you own little bubble of happiness.  I always savor those happy times and am grateful for them.

Emotions are such delicate things, and they are sometimes difficult to manage. They are fickle, coming and going as they choose. I guess the solution is to just take hold of them and wrangle with the things until you can manage them, rather than letting them rule you.  It's all about a balance, I think.  

Sometimes I think I really AM a control freak.....but in this case, that's not such a bad thing, is it?