Life is Messy and That's OK

Our newspaper advice columnist recently entitled a post "Life is Messy and That's OK!" I thought that was a great concept and decided to steal it for my own purposes. My interpretation is that Shit Happens and that's OK. We fail and that's ok. We lose stuff, we get angry, we go to open the tub of sour cream and find it's full of mould, and that's ok.

Blechhhh!

Expecting that everything is always going to go smoothly is an anxiety-inducing philosophy which ends up making us feel like losers. Let it go...have a laugh at your own expense. It's OKAY!!

I know those anxious feelings intimately. As a Special Education teacher who would often take her students out and about in the school and the surrounding neighbourhood. I drove myself absolutely crazy trying to prepare in advance for every possible contingency. What if Johnny has a tantrum? What if someone gets hit in the head by the baseball? What if they laugh at the wrong moment while attending the school play? What about the allergies, the inappropriate language, the cajillion million questions they ask staff at the grocery store. I could write a list longer than both my arms and legs and still wouldn't be able to prevent every little (or large) mishap!! No wonder I took medication for anxiety!!

Well...repeat after me:    LIFE IS MESSY AND THAT'S OK!

Sometimes family members don't get along and there's nothing you can do about it; sometimes you have a fender bender and then a month later you have another one! Sometimes the electricity goes out and you lose a bunch of food. Sometimes you eat your face off and gain 10 lbs. Oh, I could go on and on but you get the point.

Self care is the resolution of a lot of people here in the blog world. I think it should be #1 on everyone's list. Yeah, we do stupid stuff, sometimes we could make better choices. But we aren't perfect and we're actually really nice, intelligent people! I didn't make any resolutions but my WORD(s) for 2018 is going to be this phrase. When I'm feeling anxious, if things don't work out the way I planned, as they are wont to do, if I do my best and it isn't enough I will tell myself "life is messy and that's ok." 

(Then I'll have a drink or two :)...or a bubble bath, a walk in the woods,  do some yoga, pick up a Starbucks special drink, I'll hug somebody (preferably someone I know), play with my cats, order a pizza, meditate, exercise, or write a list of all of my great qualities! Be nice to me! I'm OKAY! Lighten up, watch something funny on Netflix, reach out to someone else, relax and read a book!

I got this mess covered!