Thank you for spending a few moments with this ever-curious Placid-Adventurer as I share my thoughts and explorations…. remember follow The Placid Adventurer page on Facebook.

  • Zen and the Lost Art of Time Management

    I haven’t written for a while. When I logged in and saw this prompt today, it felt fortuitous.

    Several months ago I started a new job, and it is demanding a great deal of my time. I had been unemployed for about 5 months, and accepted a position for less pay (I was able to negotiate more than I was initially offered, but there is still a substantial gap). I am a healthy and energetic “Boomer,” with workaholic tendencies, and an innate love of a good challenge; the job I accepted would, in itself, have fulfilled those needs, but this location has some other components that hinder an easy fix. As always, and especially in retail, labor costs are one of the most closely scrutinized elements. We all know how that impacts a salaried manager.

    For several years, I have worked at developing a morning Yoga ritual to improve my flexibility. I perceive that to be one of the most important things that we, as “Boomers,” can do to improve the outcomes of those occasional, and potentially life-changing falls. Many of us can recall when an elder family member was injured by a spill, and never truly recuperated. I saw that with my Mom. After the replacement of a broken hip, she never regained her vitality, and, shortly after; faced a litany of health problems that certainly contributed to, what we all considered, an early end. I have an Aunt, who also died of a pulmonary embolism shortly after a hip replacement. I may be paranoid, but I think Yoga, for flexibility, is a great way to hedge my bet!

    My problem has been the poverty of time. In my effort to be more effective in managing the challenges in my store; I keep “donating” my time to the effort. I’m not special; salaried managers have long succumbed to this practice. What I am thinking, however, is that I really need to incorporate that recently forsaken Yoga ritual back into my day. My job has lots of physical demands, and I embrace that. I am sure that it benefits my health. It cannot, however, provide that clarity of mind that I feel after as little as half an hour of Yoga practice. Tomorrow, I will restore that ritual into my morning routine. Hopefully, the centering process will more than compensate for the time expenditure. I have ALWAYS been easily distracted so it is certainly worth a try to see if strengthening my mental acuity, prior to beginning my day, helps me to be more efficient in both work and life. I will let you know how it goes.

    Daily writing prompt
    What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?
    View all responses

  • Taking the Low-Road

    I like to say that I was the party girl in a family filled with athletes, and there is certainly some truth to that! I was extremely rebellious by the time I reached high school, and was so contrary that by my senior year, I had taken up residence with family friends, just to keep the peace. At one point, my Dad was so concerned with my behavior that he sent me to a psychiatrist! about a A dozen visits later, she essentially told him to lower his standards. He expected “perfect,” and I was merely “perfectly normal!”

    You might wonder how a recap of my tumultuous past could answer today’s writing prompt: “What sacrifices have you made in life?” Well, decades after that professional assessment, I learned that my mom often talked to our doctor about my exploits. I’m pretty open, so that sharing did not upset me. In fact; it led to a memorable conversation in which my doctor told me that “I should be very proud, because I showed my siblings what NOT to do!” I am the oldest of four children, and the rest of them have made good personal and professional choices and have been very successful in their endeavors. I will, laughingly, accept some credit for that!

    There is another significant choice that I made; that I don’t brag about. When my first husband and I split up, he was in a better position to care for our young son. He worked regular hours, while I was embarking into my never-ending retail career. I made the socially controversial decision to let him raise our son. It was definitely the right decision. That young man, whom I entrusted with our son, rose to the occasion, and has been an incredible role model for over forty years. I believe the responsibility shaped him into the man he is today, and he did an amazing job in preparing our son for a successful future. Sadly, I have not been able to be as present in my son’s life as I would have liked, but he knows that I love him, and that I am proud of the man he has become.

    Despite my conviction that I did right by my oldest son; I have always felt stigmatized by the decision I made long ago. Sometimes I wonder if that inward shame propelled me into the abusive relationships, and the ensuing downward spirals. Despite my life experiences, I have always felt a strong sense of integrity, which can be both a blessing and a curse. As a chronic overthinker, there are times when it is hard to distinguish the right from the wrong. Thank goodness for those people in our lives who see through our tumultuous self-deception, and wade into the fray to drag us out! Bless them for consistently reminding us that we are survivors. It is often difficult to see that it that way, when we are busy owning every failure. Evidently, they seem to think I am successful too. Go figure!

    Daily writing prompt
    What sacrifices have you made in life?
    View all responses

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