Tag Archives: make it easy

A Bootstrap Morning

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An overcast April morning on this 13th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It’s 4 ℃. Most of the snow is gone from the yard. It is 15.2°C in the greenhouse. I’m feeling a bit like puddling on the floor. I don’t. This is one of those pulling myself up by the bootstraps morning. I picture myself whooshing up from the floor, standing stall and ready to tackle the day.

I chased the mop quickly across the kitchen floor, and dusted a few very dusty surfaces. The soup is souping in the Instant Pot. Now I am flexing my fingers on the keyboard. It doesn’t always make me feel better to journal. Sometimes I feel worse. But I suppose it’s better than holding it all inside. And so I continue to write my morning pages, write a post here, do my daily teacup drawings for the #100dayproject and try for a photo for April Love 2025. I’ve been succeeding most days. I don’t aim for perfection. I aim for easy and simple.

It is the showing up that is the challenge. I’ve adopted Regina Brett’s motto for many years now. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. If I don’t show up for my life, who will?                        

To My Younger Self

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I’m a week into the April Ultimate Blog Challenge. So far, so good but I’m hitting that sticking spot of what to write next. I’m also into April Love 2025 photo challenge on FB and Instagram. Yesterday’s word prompt, bucket list worked in getting me started. So I’ll see if the prompt, to my younger self works today as well.

It’s not easy to address myself. If I was to have a conversation with my younger self, I would tell her not to be so serious all the time. I would tell her that she is a child and this is her time to play, make mistakes and learn. I would tell her she’s not all that powerful, that not everything is her fault. She is not responsible for the world, everybody and everything in it.

It’s not easy to offer love and compassion to oneself. It’s even harder to forgive. I hold myself to a higher measuring stick than others. But if I could, I would tell my younger self I love her and am proud of all her efforts. I would tell her to take things as they come. Make it simple. Make it easy. It will all turn out.

The Spotlight is on My Father

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I’ve hit a snag on day 6 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Instead of getting down to business and writing, I started to delete my media library. One thing led to another. I couldn’t stop until it was emptied except for a few favourites. So I’m trying to stay calm and not scramble to find a few words. My advice to myself is stay with the program. Make it simple. Make it easy.

I’m taking Paul Taubman, our digital maestro’s idea of spotlighting a person in my life. So the spotlight is on my father. I took him out for coffee this afternoon. Since my mother passed in October, I’ve been trying to spend more time with him. It’s the first time he’s ever been alone. It’s a hard task at 93 years old. He had a few rough spells in the beginning, requiring a hospitalization. Now, it’s a few doctor’s visits once in awhile.

He’s doing remarkably well. He still lives in his own house and cooks for himself. We help him with groceries, housework and snow shovelling. We visit, take him on outings and meals sometimes. He plays Majong on his iPad, reads Chinese books I get from the library. He dresses and bathes himself. Uses cane/walker. He gets lonely for mom, of course. When he gets down, I remind him how remarkable he is, that he’s doing all these things. I remind him, too, that he is continent of everything, not peeing or pooping his pants. He laughs and things pass.

The Things I Used to Do

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A sunny April morning at 10 am but still dark when I woke at 6. I’m not bouncing out of bed yet. I am more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I am grateful for what I am and for what I have. I am still me. I have my spirit though it is a bit dampened. I have recovered my hearing. It, too, is a bit dampened. I can hear the running of the furnace and the flush of the toilet. I can carry on a converstion, listening and speaking, no longer relying on pen and paper.

Life is good. It is full of wonder and mystery. I try to bask in the warmth and light. I try not to ask too many whys to questions that have no answers. I am still healing. I do not want to lose any unnecessary energy. I try to dwell in moments of “remembered wellness.” I pray and ask for prayers. It all has helped me to be here today – tapping on the keyboard, finding my way back to the things I used to do. I’m doing it slowly, taking James Clear’s advice from his book Atomic Habits. I want to make things easy.

MAKE IT EASY

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Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.com

I’ve been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a very good read. I’m finding it very helpful in my mission of writing a post/day for the Ultimate Blog Challenge. If you don’t want to read the whole book, here’s a quick summary.

How to create a good habit:

  • The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.
  • The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive.
  • The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy.
  • The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying.

The 3rd law works for me. In the past, I haven’t always chose the easy route for anything. I always have to make everything complicated and hard. I’m exhausted by all that. It wasn’t very satisfying at all. Now I’m willing to try easy. Easy is attractive. In order to write a post, any post, I have to sit in front of my keyboard. That is quite obvious. It works! I sit and I tap. The letters, words and sentences come of their own accord. So far there’s no hard struggle. I should not talk too soon. I might jinx myself.

Making it easy works for other goals as well. I’ve tried it out. When I know what the goal is, I map out the simplest steps to do it. Then I follow through. It feels so easy and rewarding. Now that I’ve finished this post, I am making myself a cuppa.