It never fails that when you've had a great week, the one that follows will throw you a few curve balls. I returned from Haiti absolutely high on life. My relationship with the Lord was renewed. I felt energized by what we'd accomplished. I'd taken a week off from my cell phone, ipad, music, tv, movies, to do lists, and even my planner! I had journaled and prepared to return with a new outlook on life and determination to handle life with positivity and zeal.
Having done this I should have known that my first week back in Tampa would be a dosie! And let me tell you, it was! I came home feeling great and realized I had 2 days worth of cleaning to get the house back in order. I got right to work and stayed up til nearly 2am cleaning the guest bathroom, scrubbing floors, cleaning out the fridge, sweeping the garage, etc.
I was still feeling pretty good Sunday morning as I woke up to continue my warpath to cleanliness when I started to feel sick. I plowed through my errands, grocery shopping, cooking, etc waiting until that night to acknowledge that something wasn't right...I was getting worse.
I woke up Monday morning with a long list of things that needed my attention at home and work with renovations, an event fast approaching, and a having been out-of-pocket for a week and to top it off I had the head cold from you-know-where. I held fast to my determination to spend the first part of my days with the Lord with 6:15am feeling brutal with my stuffy head...but each day of the week I got a little worse (until Thursday).
Wednesday night I had a fiasco of a hair experience that took 4 hours and still didn't get the exact results we'd hoped. I was discouraged, feeling like I'd been hit by a bus full of Haitian cold bugs, and ready to crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head when I found a note from my painter with several things that need done, bought, changed, etc that I hadn't planned on and weren't in the budget. Talk about kicking a girl when she's down.
This is the part of the week when I would normally melt to the newly cleaned kitchen floor and cry alligator tears into my diet coke. But thankfully, Haiti must really have changed me. I took a few deep breaths, went upstairs, threw on my robe, and debreifed. I'm thinking big picture as much as possible these days. This house WILL get done and the ideas and suggestions he (the painter) gave me? They're actually great! I just needed to stop pity partying my week, rid myself of some of the snot clocking my brain, and take a few seconds to realize that what I want is a great looking house and I'm going to get that...and I PLANNED for some unexpected expenses so the money is there, why not celebrate it?
I worked my tail off and paid cash for 15 gallons of paint, 2 gallons of primer, 2 weeks of paying a painter, 2 granite counterstops and install, a plummer, 2 new sinks, new bathroom accessories, 2 new faucets, and the beginnings of a guest bedroom of furniture in 4 months! This is big. This is great. This is something to be proud of, right? So no pouting when a glitch or two happens. None.
I climbed in bed early with a couple of musenex and called it a night with a quick prayer that I would handle Thursday better. I woke up, spent time with the Lord and headed to work. I texted my Mom in NC (she was helping one sister for 2 days and then the other) and said 'call me for a pow wow?' She is a huge blessing. She's had more than a few houses in our years of moving and she's an expert on practically everything to do with home ownership so she encouraged me that the advice the painter had given me was great advice and go with it. She also generously and excitedly offered to buy me a nice mirror for my guest bath (where I discovered upon my return from Haiti that the mirror is no longer attached to the wall).
When your week seems to be headed down the crapper, sometimes you have to take a deep breath, put your life back in perspective, and face the challenges with a good attitude. I can't remember the last time I was as sick as I was my first week back from Haiti and tackling a home renovation in the midst of it with event chaos to boot was ambitious...but when it's over, my house will be beautiful and the dust will settle in time for me to really enjoy my company this summer.
And so I offer a few friendly reminders...
Love,
B
2 comments:
Freak out and call mom! Yes!
nice post:)
freak out and call mom, this is what i usually do :)))
like you blog :)
maybe we can follow each other :)
xx
http://theothersideofwonderland.blogspot.com
and... keep calm :)
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