When the Bear gets you!

Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you!

Today I feel like I have been gotten – used to scrub the woodland floor and then dunked in the creek.  It has been a long day.

So I think about what it is within us that we draw on when we are dragging…  How we get ourselves (and sometimes our family and friends) through.

Today, my strength came from laughing and from routine.  

Laughing – I was so fuzzy and tired this morning I reached for my toothpowder (do not use toothpaste because of allergies, have toothpowder of salt, soda, and herbs – tastes nasty, but does the job) and grabbed the bottle of water conditioner for my fish tank.  Put that on my toothbrush instead of toothpowder.  Thankfully, I realized my mistake before I put the stuff in my mouth!  The humor of the mix-up (and the irony that the water conditioner might just taste better than the tooth powder) have provided laughter power for getting through the day.

The other source of strength was the routine.  I get up.  I check email and facebook.  And then, I do my work.  Today’s work – already scheduled – was counseling 3 clients, calling tomorrow’s clients to confirm, taking my son to his appointment, and in 45 minutes – online supervision.  There is less energy, I think, in making it through, than there is in creating a whole new day out of 24 hours of unscheduled time.  Today required me to show up and to be able to listen.  I took lots of notes, responded, and counseled.  It was quiet and linear.  I was tired, but I was present.  And that was enough.

So, now I think about the day and about how it is we find the strength to carry on – no matter what the bear has been doing….

Laura