And then, unexpectedly...

[tedwords]

"The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right." Henry David Thoreau

Yesterday was one of those days where I knew I had an obligation and was not looking forward to it, but once I was there, turned out far better than expected and I actually learned something from the experience. Which, okay, that works!

As I have read in so many other entries, yesterday was an incredibly hot one in Eldredge, too, so that absolutely plays into why I didn't want to go anywhere. But also, it was a social event in general and...why is it three years into COVID everything that involves social obligation continues to be approached with dread? Maybe I have to start adjusting my attitudes a bit.

But also, it was the first time seeing Corb's family since the "incident" and I was so dreading it! I knew that his mother was going to make a big deal over it and I really don't want to have her continue to focus in on what happened and how I need to be careful and make everyone aware. I know what happened. I know what I need to do. I don't want to focus on my life on one negative and be all about that one negative when there is so much more that is positive to focus on.

So, when I arrived and the overwhelming flow of greetings started up ("How was the trip?" "Congrats on the promotion!" And yes, "How are you doing/feeling?") I decided to just grab the pull by the horns and let her know how I was feeling about things (at the appropriate time, of course). And to her credit, she was very understanding. 

And the day turned out to be most enjoyable! I do think that people are starting to reconnect after three years of weirdness and isolation, which is nice to see, although I do also see signs of pandemic-induced separation. For example, Corb's SIL Tina was very concerned as she had friends who were partying at the same time next door who used to visit her house often, but stopped at the start of the pandemic when we started isolating but they continued gathering and partying. I think that is going to be an ongoing problem into the future, and god knows we have lost a few friends because of it, for the same reason. Do we really need them as friends, though?

Another good thing that came out of it was a lovely conversation with a gent there whose wife is a self-published author. He was quite chatty to me and I am not always used to that with this crowd--he loves our "Shit I Make Corb watch" series, for example (This week's show was an awful Andy Rooney movie called "Summer Holiday.") And at the end, we started talking about the fact that three years ago, he had two strokes and heart problems and has been learning how to cope with that.

He was a good listener, which makes sense, as he is also a minister, but it was very interesting to me to a) keep hearing stories about people who have been through similar experiences and survived and thrived b) get some advice on how he is finding ways to change his life and c) learn how many similarities there are between someone who is a minister and media relations! 

His big piece of advice was: find a way to get some alone time every day, look at the world around you and see the beauty in what's there, and also, learn to accept and in some ways embrace the stresses that come into your life. Don't think of it as "oh my God, I have to get this done!" But be calmer and accept that it will get done and learn to work it into your day's work. In other words, find a way to make an attitude adjustment.

Okay, I'm ready.