It’s the age of information. As a blogger, there is always a tightrope of facts-vs-opinions and the thoughts, “Will I offend someone?”, “Does anyone find this interesting?”, and “Am I the only one going through this?”...but those are the risks you take when you write...most of what CoffeeTalkMom has been is a diary of sorts: life lessons from the fields of parenting and marriage and faith and, well, life. Sometimes life is funny (I always try to find the humor in things), sometimes it is scary (those feelings of “what if?”, and sometimes, well...it is just bland...redundant...nothing...
Most recently, CTD and I were watching something on TV and the word “bored” came out of nowhere. I asked him, “Are you bored?”...”Honestly?...YES” is what he answered. I was taken aback in a way. When we were kids, the word “bored” was an invitation for chores and tasks and school-work...You better never say that word, or you were no longer “bored”! I guess there is a redundancy in chemo. The first day he went, he jumped out of the car like a kid on his first day of class, replete with backpack, water bottle, blanket, ipad, etc... There was a sense of “let’s get this going and over with”. Now, as we enter chemo #4, there is a dread combined with boredom. You sit for 8 hours, knowing that the next three weeks will be a series of stomach aches, work, and naps...followed by a couple of days where you feel almost normal...only to start the process over again...this is the worst kind of “Groundhog Day”. Remember 2020? We ALL felt that way!!
SO...what now? How do you get out of the rut? how do you move forward during a health crisis...? How do you combat the feelings of dread? Here are a few ideas:
LAUGH: OK...we are the LAST people you would think would EVER use TikTok...but there is some FUNNY stuff on there...
WORK: We both feel like it keeps us sharp...even if it is a few hours a day...When he told me he had a “full morning” one day, I said, “Good...I can hear your regular, healthy voice through the wall and it sets my mind at ease”...
WALK: Getting outside...even if it is cold...even for a 20 minute walk...
SEE COLOR: flowers in a vase do wonders and give us hope for green grass and Spring on the way...you don’t have to spend a ton, but something bright helps!!
SMELL: I started baking bread every week...it’s like getting your “hands in the dirt” when it isn’t warm enough to garden.
WATCH: www.agoodmovietowatch.com is a good site for ideas!
ENGAGE: don’t give up meeting with your friends and family! It gives us a sense of “normalcy” in a crazy time...
FOCUS on OTHERS: Boulder last week was a tragedy...that could lead to a different type of blog...but it’s amazing how we can step back from what we are going through a realize that this life is short...and we should spend our time, talent, and treasure on things that really matter...do something for someone else!
Life can feel overwhelming at times, but God gives us the tools to overcome. Don’t be “bored” or I may put you to work!!
For Christians, this is Holy Week...a time for reflection...a time to thank God for all of the gifts and blessings he has given us...a time to take into account the suffering he endured for US....this is particularly evident today:
Romans 5:3-4
...not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope...”
Here’s to H O P E...for all of you!
CoffeeTalkMom