One week ago, before I left the house about 7:30am to begin my dog walking rounds, I snapped this photo and posted on Facebook with the caption "New Day."
I'd been having computer issues for several days and had been working pretty much every day in pet care during the month of August, including overnights in a condo far enough from home with a dog needing enough on-site attention, that getting to my own house to spend time was prohibitive. All of this, especially having missed meetings and lost work time because of the computer issue, had built up my stress level.
Last Tuesday morning I was looking forward to a couple nice slow walks with some really great dogs to start a beautiful cloudless day!
Then, between walks, as I drove from the north to the south end of town, I found myself in a long line of traffic, resulting from three streets in the vicinity being closed to construction and school and university going back into session for the year. The light ahead turned red, and vehicles stopped, stopped, stopped like dominos. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud "POP" and smelled chemicals. My car was filled with them, and my glasses had been thrown off my face. I jumped out, shocked and, yes, injured. I'd been in an accident, and my airbag had deployed.
An instant can change a life. Thankfully I am still walking, but there is some healing to be done. And I need a new vehicle. In the meantime, here was this post that proclaimed a "new day." But that new day did not turn out to be what I'd expected or planned.
When my roommate, who has known me for nearly 2 decades, returned home from his walk, I was there, getting back to the business of preparing for the local farmers market and calling the insurance company. He yelled at me for getting in an accident. If I weren't always so preoccupied by doing this or that for someone else, especially the professional organization board expectations that were a continual headache...
He did apologize later, but I got the message. If you know him, feel free to tell him he was right. I can handle that!
As a result, I am no longer talking about, but actively taking steps to scale back the demands on my life and to focus in on what I love and do well- including snapping photos of lovely flowers! I have already turned down new pet sitting clients with the knowledge this may jeopardize my ability to pay the rent for a while- but will allow me to devote more time to my shamanic practice- and to getting safely to and from the 4-legged, finned and feathery clients I have now. I have scaled back my role on the board of the professional organization and will step entirely off the farmers market board at the end of this season and relish the opportunity to be a volunteer, and let someone else meet the challenges and reap the rewards of leading that organization. And I have more in the works.
We read stories like this all the time, right? And nod and promise to be better to ourselves. I have been absolutely horrible at actually doing it. So, now it's out there. I am committed. As a shamanic practitioner, I need to be in nature more often than when walking a dog or watering my plants. As a death doula I need to be making my own preparations better while still helping others with theirs.
It's a new day! Enjoy!
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