Needs Improvement: #yourturnchallenge
A little perspective…
I feel like drinking whiskey and watching tv but because I don’t have tv and I do want to keep my commitment to the #yourturnchallenge, I am drinking whiskey and writing. Single malt Irish whiskey from Trader Joe’s if you’re curious.And it’s excellent.
Because it’s been that kind of day and it is easier to pour some whiskey into a beautiful cut glass than it is to choose a wine tonight.
Yep, that kind of a day. The kind where instead of baking the cookies you have dough for in the fridge you just eat the dough (and yes raw cookie dough does actually go kinda good with whiskey ).
The kind of day where you don’t even have the energy to eat the pre-made salad in the crisper–too much chewing. Way too much chewing.
The kind of day where I was so busy taking care of everyone else–my husband had surgery to remove a cancer, the kid, teaching– I didn’t even get a chance to call my doc to find out about my own xrays and whether I’d been approved for the tests my doc wants me to have to rule out the big things.
We’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days. Those days where you wonder how you kept going.
And then at that point where you just want to drink whiskey and watch tv even if there is no tv, you do it–you do one more thing.
You take the last pull from the glass, pop the last bite into your mouth, and you settle into it–whatever it is.
And you accept the #yourturnchallenge. Because it is always your turn. Whatever it is.
For a friend of mine yesterday, it was being literally covered in shit: her morning client is an older woman who has become incontinent. Cleaning up after her is something that has to be done, and with loving kindness, a compassion that few of us can muster for those who aren’t our own flesh and blood, and sometimes not even then.
I learned that when I didn’t think I could go a step further, I could; I learned that when I hiked from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail, becoming in the process one of the first women to complete the trail. This is the trail recently made famous by Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild made recently into a film with Reese Witherspoon.
So today I did. None of it was particularly hard. Not physically hard like many of the days on the PCT. or emotionally hard like when my mom died or my husband broke his neck, or even mentally hard like when I was in grad school.
It was a little of everything above. And I held it together. And just about everything that had to get done did.
I showed up and taught all three of my classes–and they went well. I got my kid to school–on time. I got my husband to surgery to have a cancer removed and then to the plastic surgeon and then home. Thanks to friends, my kid got to his trombone lesson, and I picked him up. Groceries were bought, dinner was made.
The theme for the #yourturnchallenge Day 3 Weds. Jan 21 is “Tell us about something that you think should be improved.”
More of us need to not be swayed by adversity, but to be resilient. I know we all have days we are thrown, where it is hard to put one foot in front of the other. Where we are lost. My friend Danika blogged about a recent bout with depression; it might sound familiar and her advice might resonate.
So what do you think needs improvemnt?
As it is that I am falling asleep on the couch, that’s all folkx.
Read more about the #YourTurnChallenge. If you choose to join the #YourTurnCenge, you can write about anything but preferably not anything too trivial. I’m going to try to write daily on at least two of my blogs. To go deeper, organizer Winnie Kao has offered these Daily Questions which you can use for prompts. Or not.
Day 1 Mon. Jan. 19: Why are you doing the Your Turn Challenge?
Day 2 Tues. Jan. 20: Tell us about something that’s important to you.
Day 3 Weds. Jan 21: Tell us about something that you think should be improved.
Day 4 Thurs. Jan. 22: Teach us something that you do well.
Day 5 Fri. Jan. 23: What advice would you give for getting unstuck?
Day 6 Sat. Jan 24: Tell us about a time when you surprised yourself.
Day 7 Sun Jan 25: What are you taking with you from this Challenge?
art predator 