It’s time for the last Link Party of 2018 with Sheryl at “A Chronic Voice”! This months prompts are:
December Link Party Prompts
Great prompts, Sheryl!! and thank you to everyone who participated. I really enjoyed reading your answers. Happy Link Party Everyone!!
De-Stressing & Simplifying
I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to stop volunteering for a local food program that I helped get started in my local school district. I’ve been agonizing over this for weeks now. I helped with the Thanksgiving food pantry last month, and still haven’t recovered from it. I know it’s time to do it, but I feel sad about it as well.
What helped me make up my mind was Maya Northen Augelli’s Link Party prompt about Simplifying. She said the following:
“So in terms of simplifying, Iām focusing on two aspects: 1. Looking at what in my life still serves me, and what has run its course….
…not everything that served you at one point will continue to for eternity.
2. Iām looking to simplify my inner life.”
As far as simplifying “my inner life,” I have some emotions to work through regarding discontinuing volunteering for this organization. I think this is our fifth school year. It’s been a major part of my life since I had to quit working.
I also have to work through emotions, and thought patterns relating to family dynamics as my kids are all grown. For example, I’m struggling with wanting to “fix” their problems, but I can’t. I’m not responsible for them any more. They are adults. Listening without “helping” is sooo hard!
The last item I want to work on to help me de-stress, is doing the exercises in Linda Graham’s book Resilience: Powerful Practices for Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty , and Even Disaster.
Savouring
I put up a few Christmas decorations earlier this month. I’m savouring the colored lights in the evening on my little ceramic Christmas tree, and on the two strings of colored lights I draped around the windows. I enjoy the way they glisten on my porcelain nativity set.
Last weekend carolers came down my street, and I cracked my window open so I could hear them singing and laughing. It was so pleasant.
Resting
As 2018 winds down, I’m really struggling with emotional, and physical exhaustion. It’s way past time to listen to my body, and slow down. Unfortunately, my fibromyalgia is flaring, and I’ve got costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage of the ribcage). So pain is interfering with sleep quite a bit, and the steroids I was given don’t help!
The hardest part of resting for me right now is getting my brain to slow down. It seems to be in high gear with anxiety.
Finalizing
Usually I wait until after Christmas to wrap up the year’s business. However, pain is preventing me from doing my usual Christmas preparations, so I’m working on paperwork stuff. Last year, I picked the phrase “Live Loved” for 2018. I still have no idea what to use for 2019.
The planner I use. I am not an affiliate.
I’ve got a new planner already, and need to get it set up before the end of the month. I just love its bright, cheery cover and insides. I also need to do filing (yuck), and work on the next month’s budget (double yuck).
There were some really good things that happened this year: I sold my house, and moved into an apartment. I released 38 pounds of weight. I had a lovely time in Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania this past July.
But you know what? There were many unpleasant things too. I think that the most important concept to finalize at the end of the year for me, is to LET GO of the past, and step expectantly into each new day. Is a new theme revealing itself? Only time will tell.
Wrap Up of Link Party
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas!! May you savour it’s delights. Rest frequently. Keep it super simple (KISS)! And don’t forget to relax! LOL!!
Please share this with friends and family, and if you’d like email notification of new posts plus access to my Subscriber-Only Library, please leave your email address below. Till next time, Kathy
Hi Kathy! I’m late, but I made it here before the new year is upon us. Thank you, first of all, for stopping by My Several Worlds. I’ve been following you on IG for some time now, and I’ve stopped by here a few times, but I’ve never left a comment. I’ll be sure to do more commenting in 2019.
I also wanted to say that I know how you are feeling with having to give up volunteering. I’ve been volunteering with the same organization for over five years and I have loved it, but it was really affecting my health. This year, I finally decided to let it go, but it has been such a difficult decision to make. I think we draw a lot of value and self-worth from volunteer work, and when that ends, my question is ‘What happens next?’ I guess I’m scared of the answer. Hopefully it means that I will rest more and not feel that I need to be at organizational events anymore, but there is another side of me that wonders what I’m going to do with all that free time! I’m thinking rest is best. š
Wishing you all the best for 2019.
It was so good to hear from you, Carrie!! It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in having to let go of volunteer work. I’m thinking that rest is what I need as well.
Hi, thanks for your blog post. Reading a bit of your story has been interesting, and I think I recently read your post on The Mudroom. Hope your brain has been able to slow down!
Thank you for coming by and visiting, Katherine. I am feeling better. Thanks for asking.
Thanks for sharing your December with us, Kathy! Letting go is definitely a big one, no matter where we are in life, or the situation š For kids, I think it’s also different based on culture (for example here, parents still interfere in their children’s affairs no matter the age lol). I wish you a low-stress, wonderful season with your loved ones!
Thanks for hosting the Link Party, Sheryl! Merry Christmas!!
Thank you so very much, Maya, for your loving and wise comment. You put my feelings into words perfectly about feeling like losing a piece of myself to stop doing something I loved. I also needed to hear what you said about “gratefully” letting it go. I hope you have a wonderful holiday also!!
Thank you for your kind words about my Linkup post, and I’m glad it was able to help. I think that the Let Go idea you mention is huge. And I love the phrase “step expectantly into each new day”. I too have held on to some things that I’ve been part of for so long because once they were a huge part of my life, and it almost feels like letting a piece of me go to stop doing them. But sometimes, we need say, “this really served me well for that time. I’m grateful for what it offered me/the opportunity it gave me.” And, letting it go gratefully clears room for something new that you might like to do that might serve us better now, or, in many cases, for something important like taking care of our health. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!