This is What Matters

Last week—things came to a climax around here.  I felt as if everyone needed a piece of me and there wasn’t much of me left in that equation. Throw in a quick revisit of grief at the realization my Aunt’s birthday was almost upon us, and my Aunt is no longer with us.  I was being stretched in every direction humanly possible, all while trying to stay healthy as my children battled strep throat and adenoid viruses.  It came to a point where I had to just shut everything down, the computer, the cell and just walk away.

It is hard—I like people—genuinely love them—but I can’t be everything to everyone.  I have to have a firm grasp on my priorities at all times.  I’m usually pretty good when it comes to this—but I’ll be the first to admit that I get side tracked and once in awhile I allow myself to get sucked in.  Of course it is not an involuntary thing. I always get sucked in with the best of intentions, I love my friends and family and I want to be there for them—I want to be the one that offers the shoulder and the helping hand.  So you can imagine what it must take to push me to the edge—where I snap and just shut it all down.

Thankfully, that break was exactly what I needed!  It helped me to step back and realign my priorities.  It allowed me to deal with that brief bout of grief that showed up when I least expected it.  It also helped me realize two very important things: First, I have to always put myself and my family first, without them or more importantly me in the picture—none of this matters.  And second, I can only be a good friend when I am at my best.  If I am stretched in too many directions at once—then I am most ineffective and not giving the best of me to my friends and family.  Even if I need them—I have to be in a frame of mind to be able to convey that correctly, which means taking care of me.

So there you have it.  I’ve got a smile on my face and the computer is turned back on as is the cell phone.  Things are looking up—and it feels good to have my priorities in order once again!

Cheers,

Written for The Writers’ Post Thursday Blog Hop: Topic—Priorities.  If you want to meet up with other bloggers and join in on the weekly blog hop action—join us on Facebook!  NOT ON FACEBOOK??  NO problem, meet up with us on the Thursday Tab at One Stop Blog World!!

          

 

Stretchy guy image found on Google Images.  You can click the image to be taken back to the original source.