Give In, Not Up

Most of us (unless you live in a cocoon) experience a day every now and again that leaves us feeling dizzy. It’s like we’re a game board spinner and life has flicked us hard, around and around.

We should just chalk it up to a “bad day” and give in. But we don’t. And how do we handle a day when we’ve reach our limit?

We act out with extreme behaviors. We whine and complain. We cry. We hit the gym hard. We abuse our bodies. We lash out at the spouse, the kids, co-workers; even the poor dog is not immune to our tirade. There are excuses and compromises — we’re stubborn you guys, and not willing to quit when things get tough. On a good day that’s admirable.

But today shit happened; we’re not ourselves and we know it.  The body is listless. The brain is fudge. Our patience has tried and failed. We’re in deep, and it’s not even noon. We may wonder is it too early to pour a drink or binge watch “House of Cards”? Yes, it is.

At some point we face the fact that no matter what we touch, it turns to crap. Knowing that, why can’t we keep our hands away? We rationalize that there’s no time to waste; there’s too much stuff on the list. We KNOW the world will stop revolving if we leave our post. If we don’t do it, who will?

Nobody. Because there isn’t anyone who can do what you do. That’s the good news and the bad news.

We’re so hard on ourselves. What is frustrating to some is down right scary as hell to others. Why? Giving in sounds a lot like quitting. It’s NOT. This is hard for awesome control freaks to grasp.

At this moment the only sane cell left in my head starts laughing at its own absurdity. I begin to recite out loud, “and this too shall pass” over and over. Then I make an agreement with myself: cut your losses, put down the list, have faith that the world will carry on just fine without you for a few hours. With love, I grant myself permission to give in to the day before any more damage is done.

I’m not giving up all together. There’s a serious game of Chutes and Ladders going on here and I’ve got control of the spinner.

BE F-G AWESOME AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio