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This week, both theme-wise and visually, is a follow up to last week's card, Arthritis. As I've been doing physical therapy on my hand, I've also been thinking a lot about the aging of my body in general. My foot has been hurting, where I broke my toe and had arthritis flare last summer. My joints in general feel stiff and tight, and I KNOW I should be doing weight-lifting. Frankly, I hate it, and it's hard to make myself do it.
As the same time, work is going through a weird time. We have a new bishop-elect, but she hasn't started yet. A couple of my coworkers have already found new jobs and it is very probable that more will follow. We had lunch with the bishop-elect, and to our relief, she said she isn't going to be making staff changes immediately. But I know changes are coming. I have to think about what I want (and will learn what is possible) with the knowledge that my 65th birthday is coming up next year. What about retirement? I have to research Social Security, which is extra complicated by the fact that my work situation could unexpectedly change, and I'm already drawing social security benefits. Figuring this all out, with factors outside my control, will be tricky. But I can't ignore the situation. My life is going to change, whether I like it or not, and that will be uncomfortable.
In the middle of thinking about all of this, I ran across a video by a motivational speaker that I'm been pondering ever since. He was saying that discomfort is something that you need to learn to tolerate and even embrace, because when you are uncomfortable, that is when you make the most life-satisfying changes.
I've been thinking about that, and I've realized it is true. I got a black belt in karate because I was willing to go to class and do a million slow kicks and sweat and work hard. I even got a concussion from sparring. At our final black belt exam, our instructor told us, "Think back to your first white belt class, and how many other people were there. Think of how many of them have fallen away for one reason or another. You are the few, the very few, who stuck it out. And you are the ones who will be getting a black belt today."
Writing a novel is like that, too. I am not one of the ones for whom writing is effortless. I have to tolerate discomfort of the uncertainty, the blundering about trying to figure out a plot, the hours spent in front of a keyboard. But I have two novels published, and I'm about to pass 40,000 words on my third.
I will have to ramp up the exercise program again. Do the mobility stuff, do the weight lifting stuff. I have to figure out what my work life will be like under all of these changes, and if that isn't meant to be, what my retirement will be like. It is ironic that as a species, we are wired to seek comfort. We want to be warm, and fed, and to cuddle with our mates and to have no troubles or worries. But that is not what is best for us.
Boats are safest anchored in sheltered harbors. But that is not what boats are for.
I initially thought to start the image with a bed of nails, but I couldn't find an image like that in the public domain, and so I decided to make it a bed of brambles instead.
Image description: Bottom of the card: dry, cracked earth overlaid with brambles with sharp thorns. Card center: a bronze statue of a woman lying on her side. Behind and above her is a lush flower garden.
Uncomfortable
Click on the links to see the 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
As the same time, work is going through a weird time. We have a new bishop-elect, but she hasn't started yet. A couple of my coworkers have already found new jobs and it is very probable that more will follow. We had lunch with the bishop-elect, and to our relief, she said she isn't going to be making staff changes immediately. But I know changes are coming. I have to think about what I want (and will learn what is possible) with the knowledge that my 65th birthday is coming up next year. What about retirement? I have to research Social Security, which is extra complicated by the fact that my work situation could unexpectedly change, and I'm already drawing social security benefits. Figuring this all out, with factors outside my control, will be tricky. But I can't ignore the situation. My life is going to change, whether I like it or not, and that will be uncomfortable.
In the middle of thinking about all of this, I ran across a video by a motivational speaker that I'm been pondering ever since. He was saying that discomfort is something that you need to learn to tolerate and even embrace, because when you are uncomfortable, that is when you make the most life-satisfying changes.
I've been thinking about that, and I've realized it is true. I got a black belt in karate because I was willing to go to class and do a million slow kicks and sweat and work hard. I even got a concussion from sparring. At our final black belt exam, our instructor told us, "Think back to your first white belt class, and how many other people were there. Think of how many of them have fallen away for one reason or another. You are the few, the very few, who stuck it out. And you are the ones who will be getting a black belt today."
Writing a novel is like that, too. I am not one of the ones for whom writing is effortless. I have to tolerate discomfort of the uncertainty, the blundering about trying to figure out a plot, the hours spent in front of a keyboard. But I have two novels published, and I'm about to pass 40,000 words on my third.
I will have to ramp up the exercise program again. Do the mobility stuff, do the weight lifting stuff. I have to figure out what my work life will be like under all of these changes, and if that isn't meant to be, what my retirement will be like. It is ironic that as a species, we are wired to seek comfort. We want to be warm, and fed, and to cuddle with our mates and to have no troubles or worries. But that is not what is best for us.
Boats are safest anchored in sheltered harbors. But that is not what boats are for.
I initially thought to start the image with a bed of nails, but I couldn't find an image like that in the public domain, and so I decided to make it a bed of brambles instead.
Image description: Bottom of the card: dry, cracked earth overlaid with brambles with sharp thorns. Card center: a bronze statue of a woman lying on her side. Behind and above her is a lush flower garden.
Click on the links to see the 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
