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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Control (01/30/06)
JANUARY 7:
“Doctor, I’m about to loose my mind! Everyone is driving me crazy! My husband lost his good sense! My children lost theirs right behind him. Then, my boss and all of my colleagues took an overdose of stupid pills. The dog thinks I’m his maid. The lady next door thinks I’m to rake the leaves that fell off of my tree into her yard, on a daily basis. I keep telling the clerks who bag my groceries not to put the canned goods on top of the bread and the milk on top of the eggs. And to top that all off…”

“Annie, you got issues girl, but not more than anyone else. You have to get a grip on things. I’m prescribing a small sabbatical. Get away for a while. Go some place where it’s quiet and relaxing. A retreat will do you some good.”

“But where am I going to find the time to…”

“You are going to have to make some time or else you’re going to blow your lid. Once you get to that point, there’s no turning back. You are about to explode and that’s not a good thing. If you don’t do it now, I honestly feel sorry for your family, your boss, your dog and the baggers at the grocery store. Get away and afterwards, you can come back, refreshed with a new attitude and new perspective. All right?”

“Yeah, I suppose you have a point. I never looked at it that way. Thank you doctor. I will definitely take your advice. If I don’t take control of my life now, everyone else will later.”

JANUARY 8:
I made reservations to stay at a little log cabin in the mountains, packed a bag, loaded the car and told my family that the doctor prescribed for me to get away immediately or something horrible was going to happen to my health. So, I exaggerated a little, but it was still the truth. Since I made it sound like a life and death situation, which it was, I got into my car and drove to my two hour destination. The drive alone was relaxing.

There are no phones, no television and no distractions! I purposely left my cell phone on the kitchen countertop where everyone could see it, so they can’t call. I do have a back up and will check in with them in a day or two to make sure they haven’t killed each other yet. Well, maybe I won’t!

JANUARY 9:
Sitting on the deck overlooking Chinese maple, pine and oak trees I sip on my hot herbal tea, wrapped in a wool blanket. It’s amazing what a little getaway can do for your sanity. I needed solitary confinement to get a grip on my life. Everything began spiraling out of control for quite some time now, until it became normal. I thought I could handle the multitasking that I was once able to do with my eyes closed. But now, with a husband, three children, a fifteen year management career and recently my father-in-law moved in with us so that he wouldn’t live alone, has been more than a notion. Everything has become way too overwhelming for me. I can’t handle the stress anymore. This break is what I needed. Bad!

JANUARY 22
Two weeks later, I drive back home and everyone was more than happy to see me. I had a lot of time to think, pray and reflect on my life.

JANUARY 23
I try not to sweat the small stuff anymore and made a little meditation nook in a corner of my bedroom today. I placed elements that would help me to relax, pray and give God thanks for helping me to deal with these daily challenges. My little oasis consists of a tabletop fountain, a vanilla scented candle and a small container with assorted indoor plants on my nightstand.

Oh God, there’s a chorus of knocks at my bedroom door! I knew their routine, but they don’t know I knew their routine. So I hit them with a guilt trip: “Mommy’s got to take a break now or mommy will have to go away again. Do you really want daddy to cook for you?” At that point, the kids, the dog and a cat I didn’t know we had, made an about face and closed my door for one uninterrupted hour.
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This article has been read 1316 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Delores McCarter
02/06/06
Excellent! You nailed this assignment. This would be a great story for a Christian Women's magazine, especially for Christian Mothers. Great job!
janet rubin
02/08/06
This is nice. I love some of the humor in here. There are some real problems with sentence stucture and tense. With some editing, this will be great.
The Tornyn
02/10/06
I was captivated with everyline. I really enjoyed reading this...I was, however left a little cold with the last paragraph. All in all Great job!
Nina Phillips
02/10/06
Creative journaling with a bit of humor. I had a sense of the stress in the first section, and more relaxed voice of the writer in the end. Nice work I felt. God bless ya, littlelight
Suzanne R
02/10/06
Lovely! You mixed both the serious with the light very well.
Beth Muehlhausen
02/12/06
Liked the day-by-day calendar format! Some verb tense issues could be corrected, and I'm not sure about the wording of this sentence which seems awkward: "But now, with a husband, three children, a fifteen year management career and recently my father-in-law moved in with us so that he wouldn’t live alone, has been more than a notion." Also, I'm left wondering if the admonition to the kids is serious (which seems sort of threatening) or more teasing/bantering?!? Your point is well taken - we all need to manage circumstances or they will manage us. :-)