Taking a Detour

So often when I set out on a journey be it short or long I like it to be direct. My preferred route is straight to where I need to be, except for the necessary stop for coffee. I don't like to take the dirt road short cut which ends up being the long way. I don't like to stop to chat, I just want to get there.

When I see detour signs I know that the direct route that I like will take a little longer and every once in awhile I see things I might not otherwise see.

It can be this way in life too. Things may not always go exactly like we think it should. Life may not be taking that direct route in the fast lane. Maybe life has taken you on a detour down a dirt road short cut where you will see beautiful things that you would not have seen any other way.

For me, the detour has been physically painful but I would not change a thing. I have learned that even in the deepest grief there is quiet beauty. I have found a love that I cannot even express and I have learned that there is exquisite beauty in the ordinary things of each day if we only open our eyes to see.

Coming Out of the Storm

by Kim S.

Living Half Way

After we face the biggest challenges in our lives whether it is a divorce, the death of a loved one or the loss of a job we begin to live half heartedly. We don't want to put ourselves out there to risk being hurt again. We are drained of courage and energy and it is much easier to just live half way...

Half way living has some very interesting features. You start saying no to life. You feel a general dissatisfaction with your life and how things are going in general. You think life is just impossible and nothing new will every happen and you don't have the energy to embrace it even if it did.

To feel this way after a terrible loss is not uncommon but as time goes on we are not even aware that this half way living has continued. Perhaps you have said.."Life will never be the same," and this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Beware of the statements you say to yourself especially after a financial loss or a job loss. Statements using words like "control myself" or closing up after a traumatic event can happen and years can go by living half heartedly and without passion and you may not even remember why.

Open yourself up just for little while and take a look around, you will be amazed at what you have been missing.

When Things Don't Go Your Way

How do you feel when things don't go your way or the way you had planned? Do you get angry or feel sad and frustrated? You are human so you probably feel a bit of all these emotions when things don't go as planned. It's usually a good idea when you are planning an outdoor get together to have a backup plan in case of rain. Suppose a few extra guests show up at your cocktail party, you always have extra appetizers on hand right? You even hide an extra bag of candy for emergency last minute Halloween trick-or-treaters.

Teaching our children to have back up plans too is a great way to relieve stress. Have them make an extra copy of that all important homework assignment. Have them lay out their clothes the night before a big day. Purchase a day planner for your student (I bought a nice one for my daughter, she loves it and uses it religiously) and encourage them to plan the upcoming week, the assignment that are due, any appointments they might have, sports events, even fun events should be included. If you have high school students, giving them a professional looking planner will encourage them to take it with them, use it and keep track of it. If your child has a day planner they can cancel and reschedule appointments and homework assignments at a moments notice. You know your child best and will be able to help them discover all kinds of ways to have a back up plan for when things don't go your way!