The Big Picture from Beginning to End

The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one. (Oscar Wilde)

Now that we are coming to the end of the 2020 pandemic, many of us can relate to the quote above. So, we should be careful what we wish for, right? We may have hated our previous job and suddenly, it was gone!

Let's face it. No beating around the bush. Once we become single again, most likely we will need to either find an alternative income source or a regular job. Even if we have all the money we need (which may not last for long), sitting around with nothing to do is terribly boring, unproductive, and detrimental to our social life as we all experienced in 2020!

There are actually many benefits to taking a job or starting a whole brand-new career. Try a little exercise and list as many advantages as possible. If we have already been working for a while, maybe we are thinking of changing our job. That is not a bad thing by any means. We have to take pride in our work and if it's time to move on, we'll know it by the dissatisfaction we feel.

5 Perks Why Working Is Good for Us

• Our health and happiness will improve.
• Taking the risk will energize us.
• Gives us reason to become who we really are.
• Creates friendships with those in the same situation.
• Provides ways to find new interests.      

The Wrong Thing at the Right Time

All of this may seem scary at first, but even if we have never worked before outside the home, there are ways to get started with that too. One of the first things to do is to find our strengths. If accounting is not our thing, taking a job as a bookkeeper would be a disaster. If we hate baking, working as a pastry chef would drive us crazy. If sales give us hives, selling cars would be a joke. Get the picture? 

WHAT AM I GOOD AT? [Click Here to find out]

Next, we do not need to be told, education is important. If a degree is already on our shelf, then great--we need to get out the door and hit the pavement! If not, then, obviously, the key is to get educated in a field that is exciting for us. It may mean night school while we work elsewhere to pay the bills, but then what else do we have to do with our time? If we work hard at it, it will happen before we know it. 

Who is Directing Us?

Some of us are planners from way back. Organizing is at the top of our list. Others are definitely not in that camp! We need help for sure. What is really good to know is that we do not need to do this alone. There are support groups, counselors, and friends to call on when we are down in the dumps. 

There is also One who cares about us more than anyone ever could. God knows what we need (not want) the most and what is best for us. He sees the Big Picture from beginning to end. The best we can do is look at our life with blinders on. God is willing to direct our steps until we reach His ideal for our perfect life. Our part is just to ask!

“Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3 NLT).

 

 

On Our Way to the Mountaintop

In the unexpected health struggle we dragged ourselves through in 2020, most of us noticed a sharp decline in personal activity. In fact, we are still staying at home with very few exceptions to go out. Cooking has become a new experience. Bingeing on TV is, unfortunately, becoming a habit. Our circadian rhythm is out of whack! Sound familiar? None of these activities offer us much benefit. Happily, some other pursuits in our lives have increased for the better.

Maybe some of us are walking or hiking more around the neighborhood which is increasing the well-being of our bodies. Phone calls to or from friends we haven’t spoken to in a while is a welcome connection. Getting some projects done around the house that was put off way too long are suddenly calling us.

Still, life has gotten slightly boring overall. There is only so much housecleaning we can do! Now we can understand children in the summer when they complain to their moms, “I’m bored!” Kids have shown us that when we are truly bored, we tend to get ourselves into trouble. 

Look Forward to the Highest Point

Apparently, we have fallen into a deep valley of doldrums and disinterest. It’s a herculean challenge to climb out and join the rest of the world. Just moving seems impossible. We feel stuck as if we are struggling in quicksand, and nothing is working for us the way it should. Ever been there? If we are not careful, this valley can easily turn into yet another personal health crisis.

The valley represents our “low altitude point” and it can become dangerous as it drags us down with nowhere to go. Our single-again lives may certainly feel like this valley. Our days consist of a lack of enthusiasm, no purpose, and inertia. Is this what we expected our lives would be like once we mustered up the courage to step out on our own? Hopefully not! This awareness should make us irritated enough to do something about it!

Focusing on our “mountaintop”—the highest point we can individually achieve in life--and staying there to claim victory over everything that is wrong in our lives is a worthy goal for 2021. But here is a nugget of truth: No one starts out on a mountaintop. We all begin in a valley!   

Arlene Blum has had a full life. She is an American mountaineer, writer, and environmental health scientist. Blum is best known for organizing and leading an eleven-woman ascent of the tenth highest mountain in the world, Annapurna in Nepal (China) which, until then, had been climbed by only eight people (all men). She did the same thing at Denali near Anchorage, Alaska, and Mount Everest in Nepal [Wikipedia]. And just like us, Blum started out at the bottom of a valley.

Lydia Pounamu Bradey is a New Zealand mountaineer. She became the first woman to summit Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. She has gone on to summit the mountain five more times. [Wikipedia]. And guess what? Bradey started out at the bottom of a valley.

Life is Sweeter Up Here

We all start out in a valley. Without the “valleys” in our life (grief, heartache, trials, troubles, and tribulations), we have no “mountaintop” to climb, and nothing to look forward to (victory, passion, possibilities, and purpose). Finding our own mountaintop makes life so much sweeter. How uninteresting and boring would our lives become if we only had flat land without any curves and twists and turns to keep the excitement going? This is basically the reason people love to take road trips—to conquer restlessness and create an incentive to get out of bed!

So, what can we do to start our climb and brighten our future? Now that we are single-again, we can stop ignoring all the things we’ve wanted to do but couldn’t for one reason or another. We all have passions hidden away in our hearts and minds. “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and then sink yourself into that” is a favorite verse from Galatians 6:4 (The Message). We start by finding our passion.

What is possible? These are things that might be an answer to our search, but we need to try them out first. There’s nothing wrong with trying. We are sure the two women mountaineers had many “tries” before finally reaching their mountaintop. Jesus once said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26b NLT). Great advice!

Once we work through those two steps (and they may take some time but that’s okay), we reach our true purpose. And, of course, this is different for each one of us because we were created as unique human beings. No one is like us. And we should never try becoming someone else. God delighted in creating us just the way we are. When we arrive at our purpose, we’ll know it, if we don't give up!

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT).

 

Is Sleep Possible During This Crises? Part I

Cozy Time

Especially this month and perhaps several more months ahead, dealing with the craziness of staying healthy during a pandemic is a real challenge. But our days must go on. One important thing we can do is to get a good night’s sleep.

Nothing is more relaxing for most people than getting into our own bed between cool, clean sheets and a super soft pillow (or two or three). Cuddling up inside a cozy blanket and closing our eyes to block out the world while we drift away into dreamland intending to enjoy seven or eight hours of calm and quiet. Perfect serenity!

That is one version of the ideal night so we can wake up refreshed and ready to go in the morning. But so many women struggle with making this happen on a regular and repeated basis including this blog writer! Aside from the aggravation of not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep, there are some serious health issues we should understand. 

If we drag through our day working from home now and struggle to handle children who are out of school, we may tend to doze off at inappropriate times. Or we may be unable to look our best because we had no energy to get ready for the day ahead. We might recognize some of these many symptoms of insomnia.     

What's the Big Deal About Sleep? 
We may conclude four hours of restless sleep is adequate because we've been doing that for weeks or months! But a good night's sleep of seven to eight hours provides restoration and healing for our body. If we can't remember anything about the conversation we had with a friend just two hours ago or we forget to pick up anything for dinner, our lack of sleep may be on its way to becoming our own personal health crisis.

The Women's Health organization puts this issue into a "nutshell" for us: "Sleep is essential for good health. During sleep, our bodies and brains repair themselves. Some research suggests our brains use the time during sleep to clear away toxins that build up during the day. Sleep is also important for our ability to learn and form memories. Not getting enough sleep puts people at risk for health problems, including high blood pressure, obesity, and depression." Click on the following link to learn more: Women's Health 

Seven Warning Signs

Focus on what's important

Maybe a more comprehensive symptom list would help us determine if insomnia is something to speak to our physician about getting a diagnosis. Let's try and honestly check off any of these warning signs:

·   Difficulty falling asleep at night

·   Waking up during the night or too early

·   Not feeling well-rested after a night's sleep

·   Daytime tiredness or sleepiness

·   Irritability, depression or anxiety

·   Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering

·   Increased errors or accidents

Now click on the following Mayo Clinic link for more information: Better Sleep   

One Minute Idea

There is one Person who knows us better than anyone else. God knows what we are dealing with and He knows what we can do about it if we ask. Let’s never try and go to sleep without checking in with the Lord God Almighty who created this entire world and everyone in it. Ask Him to calm your mind and body and be sure to thank Him for His love and care!

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe" (Psalm 4:8 NLT).