Be Kind To Yourself

It Was A Good Day Today

I had a good day today. How was yours? Yes, I have good days/hours. (disclaimer... this is NOT a picture of me, just how I feel on a good day)

On my good days I tend to try to do everything I've thought about while I was down for a bit. It's easy to overdo it. But I'm so excited!!

"Today is life -- 

the only life you are sure of. 

Make the most of today. 

Get interested in something. 

Shake yourself awake. 

Develop a hobby. 

Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. 

Live today with gusto." 

-:- Dale Carnegie -:-

What can you do to stay positive? First off not doing what you've always done is frustrating, there is no getting around that. You have worked to get this far in life and now everything is upside down. So go easy on yourself. Below are some ideas to help with staying positive. Decide how to spend your spoons. See How To Spend My Spoons

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

-:- J. R. R. Tolkein -:- 

• Remember: You're Not Failing! Remember that just doing the basics is fantastic. Are you a list maker? Did your lists use to have big projects on them? Forget that, write down the little things so you can check them all off. Made bed, brushed teeth, put the clothes from the washer into dryer, filled the medicine dividers, watered plants. Go ahead, make the list and check them off as you get them done, such satisfaction for the smallest of small tasks. 

• Give Yourself Time to Grieve: Getting a disease like this is really the pits! It stinks! Take time to grieve the life and dreams you are changing. Have a good cry. When I’m upset I go pound it out on the piano. Find your outlet and let the grief come out (make sure anything living isn’t hurt in the process). Now the important part is you need to come back. See RP Will Not Define Me!
  

“It’s also important not to become angry, 

no matter how difficult life may seem because 

you can lose all hope if you can’t laugh at 

yourself and life in general.” 

-:- Stephen Hawking -:-

• Service  It is empowering to have things to look forward to. We will always feel better when we step out of ourselves and serve another. Some days, just shake it off and even though we may only have a little bit of energy we can find a way to serve. Here are a bunch of suggestions for small acts of service that are guaranteed to bring you joy.

Ideas adapted from Natural Beach Living

I am a little pencil in God's hands. 

He does the thinking. He does the writing. 

He does everything and sometimes it is really hard 

because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more" 

-:- Mother Teresa -:- 

We had a discussion on our RP Facebook Page about what body part we can donate. We spent time going over the facts that no one would want our blood and discussed what on us is not affected  by the disease that could actually be useful. We decided our skin. So we aren't taking the donor option off of our driver's licenses. Then it was mentioned how wonderful it is to be part of a group that no matter how sick we are, we are looking for a way to help others, even after we are gone. I am so grateful for this incredible group of fellow RP friends, we aren't large in number but we are huge in spirit.

• Break Down To-do's Into Mini Tasks If you've just had a flare, work yourself into things that need to be done gradually. Break them up into workable sections. Work on the task then take a break. If you are sitting, get up and walk around. Stretch. Don't over do it. There is such pleasure in the completion of small tasks. I love to quilt but I've found the longer I sit at the sewing machine the more the costochondritis in my ribs hurts. If my ribs start hurting, then I find a comfortable chair and watch a tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt and get inspired. I need to add more time on to the things I want to complete. My family loves my fresh peach pies. They are best when the peaches are picked from our tree that day then put into a home baked shell. I used to put out 9 pies on the day I was making Thanksgiving Dinner, now for the 3 peach pies, it takes me two days. One day I make the shells and bake them, the next day I make the filling and my husband picks the peaches. A big change for me but I'm not going to stop making them because it is harder, I'm going to just take longer.

• Do Little Things for Yourself It's easy to focus on all the things you're missing. Let's focus on the good. Do little things for yourself: Have you had a manicure, pedicure, a rest under a shade tree, read a book, binge watched your favorite series, slept in fresh clean sheets? My voice doesn't last long but I ration it out so I can get one of my great talks on the phone with 4 and 7 year old grandchicklets. 

The phone rang the other morning while we were getting ready for church and a little voice said “Hi Nana, how are you feeling?” He proceeded to tell me about an exciting football game he went to with Papa and his uncle Marc, (they were the red team)  many more stories. Then as I sent him a kiss through the phone, I asked him if he got it, he said yes. I said “did it go in your ear?” He said, “yes, then it went through my blood and through my whole body and I feel good” Oh, how I love conversations with a just turned 4 year old! We had that whole conversation by all by ourselves. Being a Nana is the BEST invention ever!

Treat Yourself
Treat yourself to something fun once a week or as often as you can. Nature is incredible at rejuvenating your spirit, go play with some puppies, get your hair cut, and then there is always ice cream. I rarely have an appetite but I never say no to ice cream.  Writing my history and doing family history is a passion of mine, I can do it with my laptop in my recliner. It is very relaxing and fulfilling at the same time.

People need to be touched. A hug, a squeeze, lightly touching an elbow, we respond so well to thoughtful touch. The Maori greet with the hongi, or the "sharing of breath," is a sacred and revered act that is typically displayed in a very distinctive manner: A physical exchange where two people press their noses against one another.

  

"No other form of communication is as universally 

understood as touch. The compassionate touch of a hand 

or a reassuring hug can take away our fears, 

soothe our anxieties, and fill the emptiness of being lonely."

 -:- Randi G Fine -:-

Those are just a few, very calm things that I can do now compared to the go a mile a minute gal I once was. Remember you are human, not super human, and that's okay.

Live your life by design or by default. You can choose. 
I choose design.
-:-

You Are Being Watched Over

There was once a group of women studying the book of Malachi in the Old Testament. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled the women, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.The man answered “Yes”, and explained that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of this world’s fire, just remember that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are refining you. Let the light of Christ shine from you.

Remember to look up at the stars 

and not down at your feet. 

Try to make sense of what you see and 

wonder about what makes the universe exist. 

Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, 

there is always something you can do and succeed at.
It matters that you don’t just give up.” 

-:- Stephen Hawking -:-