The Day Without a Computer

Our son Joe and his girlfriend live in L.A. Through the computer we get to "see" them every week, usually on Sundays. I not only enjoy that, I LIVE for that. It closes the close to 3000 mile gap. They're in our dining room and we're in their living room "visiting." It's great!


The last couple of weeks though, they've been able to see us, but we haven't been able to see them. We can hear them, but we can't see them. Joe is pretty knowledgeable about the workings of computers. He thinks that our computer is just getting too old to support the newer version of Google.

My husband is a very thorough person. He studies things from all angles and exhausts all possibilities before he makes important decisions. No knee-jerk reactions. So after talking to Joe on Sunday, he talked to the I.T. guys where he works. They wanted to take a look at our computer for him to see if there was anything they could do. So he said he'd bring it in the next day, Tuesday, November 13th. That's a day that will be etched in my memory forever. I was off work that day. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a computer junkie. I check my e-mails and Facebook at least 3 times a day, usually more like 5 or 6 times.

So... I wasn't at work to use my computer that day AND there was no computer at home. What was I going to do? How was I going to survive? How would my "friends" survive without my comments and "likes"? Things weren't right. My world was upside down. It was like I was living in an alternate universe. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Here's the amazing thing: I survived. I actually had a very nice day. I caught up on some things around the house, visited with a friend, had lunch with another friend, made some phone calls, made dinner. It was a productive, relaxing and enjoyable day. I found out that life goes on even without a computer. I'm glad to know that BUT I have to say, I'm THRILLED to have my computer back. Not only is it back, but the problem is temporarily fixed. We'll eventually have to update our computer, but at least for now, we can see Joe and Helen again.

Order has been restored to my world.

Love, Paula

Reminder

I know I've written about this before, but circumstances have come up in my life as a reminder to me, so I'm taking this opportunity to remind you also. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST!!!!! It's not a selfish act, it's a necessary act.

I've had several people in my life - friends, family, acquaintances - who have needed and asked for my help which I gladly give them. Lately though it seems like there are A LOT at the same time. In my post of 10/29/12 about the most important relationship, I talk about taking care of yourself first. I speak of "feeding" yourself on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels and how VERY important that is. I even share with you some ways to accomplish that.

Guess who didn't listen to her own wisdom? That's right, yours truly. And guess who is now suffering the consequences? Right again, me. When so many people asked for my help at the same time I just ran, ran, ran. I didn't exercise, I didn't eat properly, I didn't take time to meditate and pray, I didn't read and relax. I'm kind of depleted... exhausted actually. Now I HAVE to take care of myself. I have to recharge.

I have two Reiki appointments today which will help charge me up. I have a massage scheduled this week. I have a book I want to dive into and I've set aside some time for meditative walks.

The old saying "Do as I say, not as I do" comes to mind. I always thought that was so unfair. But in some cases, it's loving. I'm asking you now to do as I say, not as I did to save you from exhaustion. I'd like you to learn from my mistakes so you don't have to make them yourself.

LOVE YOURSELF FIRST and TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST. Trust me, it's the most loving thing you can do for the people you care about. Then, and only then will you have the strength and energy to help others without depleting yourself.

Love, Paula

Make A Difference

This video came to me via e-mail. It embodies many recurring topics I write about like love, compassion, being the best you can be. It impressed me so much that I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
Love, Paula

( Click on the picture above or here for video. )

Sandy

Hurricane Sandy has given me cause to reflect. I'm a firm believer that worry and fear are wasted energy. Quotes like "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles. It empties today of it's strength" and "Stop thinking of what could go wrong and start thinking of what could go right" really resonate with me. They just make so much sense.
So when we were warned that Sandy was coming and we should prepare "just in case," I was conflicted. It seemed like it was fear-based. It was making people worry - scaring people into stocking up on food, water, batteries, supplies. Encouraging people to get their gas tanks filled and have a plan in case there was an extended period without electricity. Have a full charge on cell phones. Make sure ALL clothes were washed. And on and on.

So, as a person who chooses not to live in fear and worry, you can understand my conflict. Did I want to heed the warnings and be prepared "just in case"? Or did I want to be positive and not believe anything bad would happen? For me it was a fine line between preparing and worrying.

My decision was to prepare without worry and fear. Because I WAS prepared, I didn't HAVE to worry. And none of the preparations were wasted. I have a full tank of gas. That's good. My clothes are clean and I have a full charge on all my electronics. That's not a bad thing either. The food and water will be consumed. It's all good. I think I managed to walk that fine line without going over the edge. It was an interesting exercise for me personally.

We were very fortunate where I live. Things weren't nearly as bad as they were predicting for our area. There was some wind damage and sporadic power outages, but over all Sandy wasn't a big deal for us. My love and prayers go out to all the people who weren't as fortunate. Please join me. They'll need our love, prayers and help for a long time to come.

Love, Paula