I had an entirely different post planned but then Russia invaded Ukraine and the governor in Texas wants to investigate parents of trans kids as child abusers and the world is imploding.
This is terrifying. I don’t understand it.
Why are we still doing this to ourselves? Why are people so greedy, so selfish, so unwilling to see other humans as fucking HUMAN???
I know this blog post won’t change anything but right is right and wrong is wrong. Staying silent seems complicit to me and I want to use the little platform I have to do something—anything.
Stand with Ukraine.
Protect trans kids.
Treat other humans with decency and respect (and do the same for Mother Earth too—don’t treat our planet like it’s disposable).
We only have one life to live. Don’t spend it being a shitty person.
Sometimes, the universe sends me exactly what I need when I least expect it.
This year, I decided I wanted to take more control over my life. I wanted to better understand what I did each day and maximize my time–COVID showed me life is short, and I want to make the most of each day I live. So, in true Virgo fashion…
I bought a fancy planner. 🙂
This planner is built like a brick house, but so sleek and chic I don’t mind how much it weighs. It’s got a spot for everything: my daily schedule, a to-do list, even a spot to write down what’s for dinner every night! In addition to all that, there is a little quotation at the top of each page. I admit I didn’t really pay much attention to this section–too focused filling in all the other stuff–but Monday’s entry gave me pause:
“I fling my past behind me like a robe…I have outgrown it.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Oof. What a punch in the gut.
I consistently berate myself over things I did/said in the past. My inner saboteur loves to mollywop me with reminders of cringeworthy statements and inappropriate behavior, particularly when I’m anxious or depressed. Doesn’t matter if it happened in 2nd grade–that nasty inner voice has a sharp tongue and a long memory.
On Monday, I was stressed and anxious. I’d had a rough couple of weeks at work and my nerves were one adverse event away from snapping. These factors created a prime situation for negative self-talk and I almost gave into it. But this quote made me stop and ask myself, “How does beating myself up over last week help me this week?”
Short story: It…doesn’t.
So I shook it off and went to work. I disregarded any silly comment or errant mistake from the last week. I moved forward.
And so should you.
Beating yourself up over things that happened “back in the day” doesn’t help current you. Shame and criticism are not effective motivators, especially over something that happened a long time ago. Learn from your mistakes, grow from them, but don’t let them control you.
You never know if you’ll get a tomorrow, so treat yourself with care and compassion today.
deepcurvesahead 