Rising to the Challenge

Thank you, Phyllis and Jerry, for your encouraging words on my last post.  Ya’ll know me pretty darn well, recognizing and reminding me that I am a Warrior who thrives on challenges and for pointing out that the one presenting itself to me currently is to not only survive but to thrive in our current situation.  Here are my challenges:

• Stay mentally stimulated
• Remain spiritually awakened
• Focus on positive aspects of my life and circumstances
• Continue to nurture friendships and stay in touch
• Integrate physical activity to these surroundings
• Get off the property as feasible for interaction with others and as stimuli for all of the above

I have the resources to accomplish all the above and am already engaging in most of them.  I think what I need to do is be mindful of these goals every day and set my intention for each.

Just now I had a thought – “Is this what the newly retired grapple with after leaving the workforce?  That sense of lack of purpose, of direction?”  Yoinks!  Thing is, we are not retired but are working, so I do not  have the luxury of an open Life canvas.  So!  What I will try to do is paint my canvas within its confines – that is, working night shift seven days a week.

Staying mentally stimulated will be easier once my virtual assistant job resumes.  Right now I am in a holding pattern awaiting the next task on the project.  This lull has given me the opportunity to prepare and submit our 2014 taxes and to redesign my Reiki web site.  I have had the domain for at least a decade and even though I am not teaching at the current moment, I still maintain the domain.  One never knows what the future holds, and I do not want to relinquish the domain name.  The web builder software has been upgraded and my old site would at some point in the near future be inaccessible, so this needed to be done.  There may be some more fine tuning, but it is pretty much there.  Not thrilled with the prospect of a revamp (I really liked my previous design), I have to admit the new version has a more updated look . . . a more “going with the times” look.  Figuring I was on a “tech geek roll,” I did some tweaking of this blog.  You’ll notice it now includes a blog roll of sites I follow.  Our weekend chess sessions also help in this regard for both Dave and I, and we enjoy matching wits over the chessboard.  I do read and am currently returning to some of the books I kept from my fairly extensive library way back when . . . ones that feed my spirituality and give me pause to think and contemplate.

Remaining spiritually awakened is, I believe, a habit of remaining mindful and taking the time for meditation and other practices.  A deep spirituality is still very much part of my being, but I neglect it too often.  Like relationships, it needs nurturing.  This was a bit easier in surroundings which gifted me with the beauty of Mother Nature and her creatures, but I’ll work with what I’ve got.  Ha!

Focusing on the positive is a choice, so my intention (you remember that word, eh?) will be to choose to recognize the many positive aspects and blessings in my life and surroundings.  Sticking to the topics of our environment and situation, here’s a few:

• A steady paycheck that is adequate for our needs with a bit left over.
• We have our privacy and quiet, especially on weekends:  We’re not sandwiched between other RVs in a campground.  We can open our curtains without the possibility of curious eyes peeking in.  I can play my music as loud as I want (on weekends) when cleaning house, etc.. 
• We have our washer and dryer on-site.
• There are no drama queens in our workforce; no drama to the job and really no stress.
• We have an office suite and restroom/shower facilities for our use.
• The skies are more open here.
• We are not micromanaged; actually, we’re not “managed” at all.  We just do our job.
• Our RV home is under less stress in this more temperate climate.
• There’s no road salt to wash off the truck after snowy winters.
• Dave doesn’t have to get snow off our roof or change out propane bottles every 24 hours during Winter.
• We don’t have to be concerned with slipping on ice.
• The distance to get our propane tanks refilled is much closer.
• We are finding the cost of living (so far) is a bit lower (on some items).
• I don’t have to wear snow boots with cleats three months out of the year.

Continuing to nurture friendships is both easy and dicey.  Exchanging emails or yapping on the phone is easy with friends.  They’re friends, right, so it’s easy-peasy.  Living a nocturnal existence makes it a bit tricky at times, because most people live a “normal” schedule and are sleeping when it’s my “afternoon/evening.”  Still, there are weekly, every couple of weeks and monthly phone chats with longstanding friends.  Laughing, sharing and simply hearing their voices does my soul a world of good.  There’s the girlfriend of decades playing Words with Friends with me; we exchange messages now and then which doesn’t seem like much, but it is a daily connection.  There are all the folks on Facebook with whom I interact frequently.  “Are those real friends?” you may ask.  Well, yes, actually, they are.  There’s my godmother, the cousin I hadn’t been in touch with for decades, people I have been with in person over the years and those who have become friends and pals through sharing mutual interests, philosophies and activities via social media.  There is you, Awesome Reader of my ramblings, and those whose blogs I follow.  It’s pretty cool how one gets to know folks by reading each other’s blogs and commenting back and forth.  Long and short (probably too long) is that friendships require nurturing to keep them fresh.  This is a true labor of love and the rewards are . . . well, priceless.

Integrating physical activity is probably the kicker item in the list.  The everyday routine opportunities for physical work (mowing, gardening, walking, even shoveling snow) are simply not available here as they were in New Jersey.  It’s time to get a routine going for the bike on the stationary trainer, to dig out that Tai Chi DVD and, of course, continue my wall push-ups.

Getting off the property for fun and rejuvenation is something I do need to strive for a bit more, as we are very isolated here and have virtually no contact with others.  I confess, however, that after running two or three errands during the week, I am content to just stay put.  Yeah, I know, I need to get my hiney in the truck, crank up my tunes to “blow out the windows” volume and go for a drive.  I’m thinking 50 miles down the interstate, turn around and come back.  Well, okay, given the time constraints of our work schedule, I’ll settle for 30 miles.  Well, maybe 40.  I could do 40.  

So there you have it.  Challenges and a plan.  An intention, if you will.  I can do this.  May not be easy every day, but that’s why it’s called a challenge.

Today’s quote below speaks to me on a spiritual level somehow . . .

“To clothe a man falsely is only to distress his spirit . . . “

- Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux, 1868-1937

365 Days of Walking the Red Road

Thanks for stopping by!

I am a Warrior

The above bracelet is a Toby and Max design