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Oh God help me, it's snowing.
AGAIN.
I have officially lost count of how many times it has snowed in recent weeks. I do know that the snow is piled up everywhere, great huge banks of it, way over my head in places. I've shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and [insert infinity symbol here] I am sooooo ready for it not to snow anymore.
But there we are. Flakes turning into drifts turning into piles. Mother Nature is really piling it on this year, at least in this neck of the woods (at least I think there are still woods there...it's hard to tell with all that snow). It's overwhelming.
It's not a good feeling, this sense that the Universe is just dumping everything on you at once, and I don't just mean in the literal (or meteorological) sense either. The best of efforts get derailed when we experience this kind of thing.
It's tough to keep going when it feels like everything in our life is conspiring against us.
It's hard to stay focused on goals when it seems that someone's trying to distract us with crises big and small, all day every day, like it's their job.
It's a challenge to move on when remnants of old ways and behaviors---ours or someone else's---seem to be dragging us backwards.
It's difficult to summon up the mental energy needed for success when we are faced with stress, loss, illness, strained finances or resources.
We struggle---understandably---when it seems that it's just one thing after another, without relief, or a break, or someone to come along and share the burden with us.
It's hard to stay positive when it seems the whole Universe is just piling on.
But what options do we have? We can mope and rail and backslide and curse the heavens (I will personally be swearing up a storm as I shovel this latest batch of snow, just so you know), but that isn't going to change things. The frustrated, overwhelmed feeling stems, in part, from the impulse to handle everything thrown our way, to suck it up and get it all done, to make everything all better again...a task that is impossible sometimes, or at least really tough to pull off without a bit of help, some triage, and a side order of attitude adjustment.
In truth, it sometimes IS a little too much to handle. And sometimes, it's okay to not do everything, or handle everything, or suck it up and deal. Sometimes, we need to just do what we can, accept the limits of that, make a plan to start fresh once we've gathered more resources and recharged our batteries, and forgiven ourselves for not being super-human after all.
To cheer myself up, I checked the calendar and realized that in a mere five weeks or so, we can turn the clocks ahead, and get back a bit of our daylight. Sure, there may be a rogue storm or a random slow-melting snowbank hanging around, but for the most part, we won't be fighting the elements in addition to everything else life tosses our way. Something to look forward to. And in the meantime? We all just do our best to muddle through. It beats the alternative.
Peace and blessings for our sister, Cedwyn. May her family and friends find peace.
Who's Your Little Buddy?
1BQ, 2thanks, 3rdGenFeminist, 417els, A Man Called Gloom, Abra Crabcakeya, Actbriniel, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alise, Alpha99, also mom of 5, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, angry marmot, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, AoT, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arodb, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, Aunt Acid, awkawk, b4uknowit, BadKitties, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, beefydaddy18, betterdemsonly, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, BJKay, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, bluedust, BluejayRN, BlueJessamine, BlueMississippi, Bluerall, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, Boston Beans, boudi08, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, BrianParker14, Bronxist, broths, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, Buckeye Nut Schell, buddabelly, Bugsydarlin, bumbi, BusyinCA, cactusgal, cagernant, Carol in San Antonio, CathiefromCanada, CathodeRay, CDH in Brooklyn, Cedwyn (in memorium), cee4, 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