I have a feeling it is a lot further than I think, though.

Now if I can only find the time (and gas $) to swing by Minneapolis area and on out to Wyoming and back….

I am going to try and shift some of my reading time into other things. But it is what I do. And besides, vacuum or read? Dust or read? Not so hard a choice really.

I used to be an expert at #1, in a sense. I would hurry my way to the bottom (via music, primarily) so I could begin the upswing sooner. I don’t intentionally use this trick so much anymore. And while there is perhaps some good argument to be made for using it again, I don’t know. This technique is one I’m sort of in a transition period with. But it has (at times) served me well in the past.

#2 C’mon, beautiful! This is me you’re talking to. Do you even imagine that I can be still? I really, really, really wish I could. But except for extremely short periods of time, I seem incapable. Still, an important concept and one I do try to attain.

#3 Actually a good idea. I could make excuses about how/when but I won’t. Tis a great idea.

#4

#5 I would SO love to visit Vermont! I WILL get there someday.

Take care of yourself, girl! But, then, it sounds like you may be better at it than me already.

yes, i cannot imagine how you have time to read all that.

I think a very key point is what you said about how “sometimes the things I really want in my life at one point are the things I need to remove from my life to find any balance further down the line.” This is very true for me, also. The difficulty is recognizing that point when it arrives, especially since it is probably more of a transition than a point.

May we both find some direction and balance in our lives, even for a moment so that we may recharge in preparation for the next period.

That particular post really resonated with me, and maybe its because I am in such a horrible transition period myself.

So, I am in a place where I have never felt more unbalanced or unsure. Here’s some of what I’ve learned that helps me get on, even if only a little. Maybe some of it will be useful to you or someone.

1.) If I’m feeling hopeless, or sad, or angry, I just let myself feel it for a while. I only ever seem to become really unglued when I try to convince myself and others that I don’t feel anything negative ever at all. Kind of like patching something broken, and then cramming it fuller just to prove to yourself it never was broken. That’s just a silly thing to do to an object, why do it to yourself? You might already be good at this, but it’s taken me a while to learn.

2.) Just be still sometimes. When I get too overwhelmed, sometimes I just go on my stoop and sit no matter how busy or behind or whatever I am. I do nothing but hear what I hear and see what I see. Eventually my imagination takes over and I’m elsewhere. When I come back around, I usually feel loads better.

3.) Destinationless road trips. Seriously, get an atlas of Illinois (preferably with a gazetteer) and just hit the road, making sure to stop whenever you feel the urge. I do this a lot with a friend of mine, but it’s just as fun alone. We end up in all kinds of places, with coffee and a packet of beef jerky to last the day. We’ve been broke lately, so we usually top the tank off with ten, mark the midway point, and head home when it gets there. Since you didn’t have a place in mind, it’s not so bad to just stop and head home.

4.) Reading the Joy of Cataloging for the umpteenth time. I don’t think I really need to explain myself here

5.) Whenever you do take a vacation, come visit me in Vermont! No coincidence that Meredith posted before me. She’s in central, I’m up north, you’ll cover a lot of ground. Then we can sit and have face time over strong coffee and home cooking…outside, of course, where you may view my sexy kitties but not be affected by them.

That’s all she wrote.