A CHANGE OF ROUTINE

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     I received a wonderful email the other day that directed me to read its contents slowly and think about what it meant in relation to my Life.  As soon as I read it, I felt happy because it suggested that I not get bogged down in the routine of daily chores, work, and the personal reasons for not having more fun and being more spontaneous with invitations from others.  It was a lift to read.

     The anonymous author suggested that we too often put off doing something that brings joy because we “are too rigid to depart from our routines” and that we “cram so much into our schedules” that there is little room for other activities or being with the people we love. 

     The author said, “We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!”  

     This week I’m going to lighten up on the “should do’s” and “must do’s” and even the pleasurable that have become routine.  I am going to add other pleasurables into my experience.

© Dr. Drayton-Craig, 2010

UNPLANNED CAREER TRANSITION

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     I know of several individuals who are faced with career transitions premature of retirement by 3 – 5 years.  They are being dealt a hard blow for which there was no planning, no visible means of financial sustainability, or idea of what to do next.  Their personal reactions vary, as well as their personal circumstances and responsibilities.

    

     There is no magic wand that will make everything better, nor will a frantic search for immediate employment likely result in new employment right away.  Hence, what might be called for is time to reckon with the new situation internally to allow oneself to adjust, find clarity, and to renew one’s spirit in strength.

     In my first blog for this year I spoke about transition and how terrifying it can be: like swinging from a trapeze, letting go in mid air to grab the next bar.  The challenges this period will present to someone will force one to take steps to address many issues, step by step.  Many of these challenges are likely to be uncomfortable and overwhelming, but it is a process – the process of Life.  Each challenge, crisis, issue, or problem that requires you to handle or solve it, is also setting you up to be in position for that which is coming next.  The process requires tenacious faith that things will unfold as they should.

     The period of transition will last as long as it lasts.  Here are just a few suggestions to assist you in this period:  Focus on what you do have and the many ways that you are blessed.  Create activities that you can do for free.  Cultivate consistency in patterns that will move you toward your goals – such as allotting the same amount of time daily, at the same time of day, to work on your project.  The last suggestion is to be a blessing to someone else each day.

© Dr. Drayton-Craig, 2010

WAITING PATIENTLY

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     The grandson of my neighbor was a cute trusting little boy.  He and his sister lived with his grandmother who kept a meticulous front yard of flowers accentuated by two evergreen bushes.  He was about eight years old when I suggested that someday he would be as tall as the shrubs which dwarfed him at the time.  Yet, every new birthday, I would ask him how old he was and have him stand by the bush to compare his height.  He, inevitably, was not there yet.  It would appear that he had some expectation walking over to the bush that they would be on par. Thus, he would ask, “Miss Ethel, am I as tall as the bush yet?”  He wasn’t, and I would state that some day he was going to be a big boy and would be as tall as the bush. 

     I do not know how he felt in between the days of the year after a birthday and before the next one.  More than likely he went about his business and got absorbed in other things of childhood, perhaps checking himself near the bush from time to time on his own.

     One day I was standing outside the fence to his yard.  His grandfather was in the yard, as well as he.  I had no thought about his progress when he caught me off guard and said, “Miss Ethel, look!”  He was standing next to the bush inside the yard and opposite me.  I looked for a moment not realizing what he wanted me to see when all of a sudden I got it!  Not only was he the height of the bush, but he was actually slightly taller.  While placing my arm out like a ruler over his head, he beamed with a smile from ear to ear.  I exclaimed with great celebration that he was now a young man.

     As adults, sometimes we have to wait – even a long time to see hoped for results.  In that period of time we are to experience the process of Life unfolding and things evolving and changing whether they are apparent or not.

“Waiting is the missing link in the transformation process.”  (Sue Monk Kidd)

© Dr. Ethel Drayton-Craig, 2010