Sunday, August 9, 2009

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Recovery is teaching me patience. LOTS of patience. Every so often in my life I get yet another patience lesson. I have a hunch I'll keep getting them all my life. It's good for me to keep (re)learning patience. Heavenly Father knows what He's doing. Here are some things I'm learning:

I need to enjoy whatever time is right in front of me, even when I'm feeling bored and/or antsy to do something.

I SOOOOO overbook my time usually! If I stay focused on just one or two "to do" items in a day, life is a lot less frenzied.

Walk slowly. I overdid Monday and paid for it most of the rest of the week. Surgery recovery is teaching me that I've spent way too much of my life overdoing and then ignoring the consequences of overdoing. Gotta stop doing that.

There's a fine line between pushing myself to get stronger and overpushing. I've struggled with this line my whole life, so I guess it's about time to learn this lesson, huh?

Celebrate small victories: watering plants on my own (with a not all the way filled watering can), emptying the dishwasher, walking to the mailbox, folding laundry

Notice blessings along the way. I've had time to write thank you notes, time to prepare for seminary, time to just plain SIT.

Why does it take something as drastic as surgery to help me see this? There must be less drastic ways, right?

5 comments:

The Conductor said...

I really admire how you're looking for the good in all this, Sheila. I agree -- patience is one of those things we just keep learning over and over again.

Please tell me there ARE less-drastic ways to learn it. I don't want to go through surgery!!!

Fletch said...

Nice list of lessons learned.

It was fun talking to you on the phone. Good luck with your continued recovery (and lesson-learning experience)!

literaqueen said...

Probably other people are less hard-headed than me, Amy, so I'm sure you don't have to go through surgery to learn patience. (Besides, you have kids to help with that . . .)

Olive Kite said...

There is an entry dedicated to you at: OliveKite.blogspot.com

The entry is entitled: We love art . . .

Happy viewing!

I wish you a speedy recovery.

literaqueen said...

LOVE this entry, Olive! Other readers: go check it out!