GET UNSTUCK IN LIFE SOONER THAN LATER

If you pay attention to your feelings you may find yourself stuck, then the goal is trying to get unstuck.

Can’t sleep, worried half to death, snacks in the middle of the night kind of stuck need attention.

Here’s what I do, and you can too:

If I wake up to worry, I listen to my breath and say, “breathing in” when I inhale, “breathing out” when I exhale.

I say it in my mind.

Not holding my breath, or counting, just acknowledging my sense of being.

Pretty groovy, right? Mindful, thoughtful, grateful for the air in my lungs, and out of my lungs.

Since it’s dark, and my wife is sleeping over there on the other side of the queen size bed, I keep it quiet.

I’m not sure I’ve shared my technique with her, but if she leaves a comment on this post we’ll know.

So there you are, there I am, breathing in and breathing out and taking note of each respiration.

In other words, I’m repeating the same thing over and over and over until my brain get bored.

And this is a good thing. This is when you find out who you are.

Who Are You Now

I’m not a UPS guy but I had a hat from my kids’ time in the truck.

It was my favorite hat. Then the real UPS guy showed up and we had a hoot.

I think it was a hoot. He may have been him thinking, ‘Great, another poser who couldn’t do this job if his life depended on it.’

Or not. He seemed like a good guy.

Am I worried about being a poser? Does it keep me up at night?

No, because I know I’m a poser, and I’m pretty good at it. Keep reading, please. I’m also an amateur literary beggar.

Could I do the UPS job? Could you? Let’s say yes and give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.

Breathing in, breathing out. Okay.

While your brain is occupied with breathing, and taking notice, other things crowd in.

All you need to do is acknowledge them and get back to “Breathing in, Breathing out,” until the next thing shows up to get unstuck.

The Next Thing

If you cook, and you should if you don’t, you can buy seasonings all set up.

Or make your own.

How will it taste? Is it better than the pre-mixed? Too spicy? Not spicy enough? Will it stain my teeth?

Breath in, breath out.

Follow a recipe to allay those concerns the first time.

The second time, add and adjust to your taste, not anyone else.

You’re the chef, buddy, it’s all you.

If it tastes right to you, it will taste right to others.

Do you know what this was made for? Me neither, but it looks like a chicken rub, or rib rub, or an eggplant rub.

Dinner plans?

Get Unstuck In The Kitchen

I don’t wake up worried about the clutter on the wall.

It’s more of a ‘signature’ thing to identify the space.

The chickens are another story.

We’ve got chicken statues on the cabinet tops looking down. Lots of them.

Ceramic chicken, wooden chicken, unglazed chicken, big chicken, little chicken.

And I like chicken, but how much is too much?

I buy and cook chicken from Safeway.

The other night my wife cooked one she bought at New Seasons.

“What’s this taste like?” I said.

“Chicken.”

“Then what’s the stuff I cook up taste like?”

“Not this chicken.”

My chicken is cheaper than her’s by maybe ten dollars.

Now I know why. I mean, I don’t know why, but it did have more flavor. Somehow.

The chickens on the cabinets agree.

Remodel To Get Unstuck

Who hasn’t gone into the tank worried about decorating trends?

After all the magazines and HGTV shows, you’re ready.

A wallpapered half-bath on the main floor shows style and class, unless you use the bathroom for what it’s made for. It’s not a lounge.

But DIY questions rise:

If you put a border on the wall paper, do you install it before or after the paper?

It’s very expensive paper, so an expert came in.

His advice was to put the border up, then the paper.

He did a great job. Before he left I asked his opinion on the interior paint job I’d done.

“Well David, before wallpaper made a comeback I learned to paint to stay in business.”

He said it with a nice smile. Not a condescending smile, but he could have. I looked where he looked and was sorry I’d asked.

He was a master craftsman giving no clue to get unstuck.

Family Time Gets Sticky

I imagine blended families with lots of grandkids are like a kitchen with lots of chicken statues.

Or a bathroom remodel that includes classic and modern takes on textures and colors.

What I know for sure is I wanted my kids to pick up whatever Grandpa was laying down.

Actually, I wanted to pick up a few insider tips on fatherhood myself, so I went to the source.

By then he had seven grandkids on his side, and more on his new wife’s side.

I’m a year older than he was on his last birthday and I’ve have one grandkid who embodies everything I’ve ever felt about kids, so we’re even on that one.

If you need to get unstuck, kids have the tools.

With them you can forget about the problems and concerns that float through your mind.

Breathe in, breathe out.

This is what floats through mine: will my grandkids remember me better than my kids remember their grandpa?

When my dad remarried, he joined a family that needed uplifting.

He was the right man for the job, given he’d raised three sons and a young daughter who lived with momma and her new husband. Hey Glenn.

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The bigger question is, “Will my kids remember me?”

I took to the dad role with a vengeance, the sort of attitude that shows up for parent / teacher conferences, ball games, birthdays, wrestling tournaments.

Nurturing a marriage to show how to stay married is one thing I hope they remember me for.

I’ve selfishly dedicated time for that, for better or worse, in sickness and health.

That’s what I signed up for.

What have you signed up for?

Leave a comment for a poser blogger on boomerpdx and I’ll post it.

Comments may be edited for clarity, so make it good.

Who knows, you might get unstuck just thinking about it.

If that happens, here’s a toast to you with the good Swill.