The post-summer vacation time is tough for me. I could have stayed on vacation much longer. It is obvious that I will have no problem in adjusting to retirement when (if) that day comes.
We are in the long, dog days of summer. I love it. Yes, it is hot. It is humid. There are bugs. There is a lot to do around here that just is not getting done.
But the grass is green. The flowers are at their best. The sun has been out nearly every day. There are thunderstorms at night. It’s great.
Husband’s two cows have had their calves. He is thrilled that he has two heifers (females). This means that he will likely be able to breed them and then his herd will continue to grow. He is turning into a cattle baron. I think he may be starting to want to move to a farm to have them right outside our door. He hasn’t said that, but I can sense it building in him. The calves are very cute, I’ll give him that. I can’t see me as a farm wife, though. Well, maybe………?
Work is very slow this week, then kicks into high gear the rest of the month. That seems odd to me. Usually August is a very slow month. It makes me enjoy it even less-if that is possible.
My mom gave me a bunch of magazines that she’s finished reading. One of the magazines that she really enjoys is Oprah”s “O“. The current issue has a huge section about listening to your intuition as a method of making the right decisions in your life. This whole issue has made me think about what my gut is telling me about my life.
So, I did a google search to see what else is out there about using your intuition to guide life decisions. Apparently, this is a big new area for self-help reading. There were 1.7 million entries that came up under my search. So-the new self-help advice is that you don’t need any of this advice, you can do it by listening to your own advice. Or at least the advice of your gut.
To be honest, I haven’t read any of the other articles which came up in the search. But I find it fascinating that so many people are trying to decide what to do with their lives. I guess that I didn’t realize that I am one of millions of people struggling with decisions about my life. Other folks seem to just move forward, I seem to just stay stuck where I am. I have not been happy with my job for many, many years. I have applied for other jobs, but have gone nowhere. I am frustrated with my weight, but have been stymied by other health issues. I am frustrated with other parts of my life, but have responsibilities which must be met.
And what does my intuition say about all of this?
I’m stuck for the time being. That’s what it says.
So, I am trying to just enjoy what I can, do what is possible and hope for the best.
I’m going to get a cold glass of iced tea now.
Just My Life 
The gut never lies. I call intuition the short form of knowing, the kind we did before we were left-brain ladened with excess verbal capacity. By the long form, we have to talk to ourselves to describe a situation, find the words to analyze it, and then frame the options before choosing one. It’s as bad as arguing with another human!
Unfortunately, I’m too left-brained for my own good. How many times has it said to me (with proper punctuation), “Really, you should have gone with your first hunch, girl.”?
We’re very stuck these days, too…in where we live, in how we exercise, in what we spend our money on and in who we spend our time with. It’s that kind of era in America and sometimes I get so restless I could scream! And so it goes.
By: Nance on July 27, 2011
at 2:25 pm
Oh, my husband could win a prize for analyzing things….big things, small things. Life decisions just never get made if it is analyzed too much. Sometimes you just have to jump off the cliff, as I tell him. Mostly there is a soft landing, and not too many bruises. But the thrill going down is amazing. Unfortunately, we haven’t jumped in a long, long time.
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:29 pm
I’m having a cold glass of iced tea now, too. We just gave up and put on the air-conditioning. It seems like spring and fall are the best times to get things done…
I’ve always been one to follow my intuition, perhaps because I can’t seem to ignore it. But sometimes my intuition tells me that it is wise to bide my time and put up with some things – nothing lasts forever anyhow, even if it seems like it will never end.
I’m also frustrated with my weight and all our health problems and lifestyle pressures… Blogging seems to be an outlet for me – it’s nice to find others thinking about the same sorts of things, connecting in ways not always possible with folks we happen to know locally…
By: Barbara Rodgers on July 27, 2011
at 2:46 pm
Blogging has become a great release for me, too. I do end up spending way too much time on the computer, but I love the writing. It is never going to win prizes, but I feel as though I have a way to express the feelings.
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:30 pm
I tend to go with my gut too! It works better than logic, What frustrates me is that it doesn’t always have answers.
By: Kay Dennison on July 27, 2011
at 3:03 pm
Sometimes the gut is easier to read after the fact for me. I let logic get in the way, and don’t realize what it was telling me until after the logic fails.
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:31 pm
*hugs* I find it’s the “responsibility” thing that always keeps me from doing what I want or need to do, What I”m having to learn (the hard way it seems) is that sometimes the responsibilities I perceive really are just those things I’ve somehow convinced myself I should be responsible for when I really don’t need to.
Yes, I follow my intuition more than a lot of people do, but I’m also learning to let go. Am I really responsible for trying to get others to do their jobs? (No) Is it my responsibility to make sure hubby remembers all the appointments he’s made or whether or not he’s moved his car? (No) And so on.
What I am responsible for is to make sure my needs are met. If I get too stressed, I crash somehow (get sick, overtired, burned out) and I shouldn’t have to get to that point, I’m responsible to learn to say “No” when I really don’t have the time to do extra stuff for others that isn’t necessary. I’m responsible for taking some meditation or tub time so I can relax a little.
This is the lesson I’m currently working on. Because no amount of intuitive thought will do it for me. Sure, recognizing that I need some down time once in a while is great, but I need to do more than realize what I need … I need to take the time to do it. 😉
By: dragonfae on July 28, 2011
at 1:57 am
Not too long ago, I was lamenting to someone that I raised my son to be so responsible that he wouldn’t succumb to my encouragement to do something irresponsible. I realized that my parents raised me that way, too. Some people could walk away from the responsibilities that I have, but I can’t. I will say that I have let go of many of the little things which used to bog me down. The house does not often get cleaned. The meals are often cooked by husband. It seems as though I took all of that on while the kids were here, and now I don’t have the energy for it.
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:34 pm
I can relate. I’ve also done a lot of thinking about what I should be doing with my life. Intuition is nice, but logic often wins out for me. (For example, I’d love to quit my job and focus on writing full-time – take the chance on becoming an author. Logic says, “Uh-uh. You’ve got to work the 9 to 5 job that has the retirement and health benefits.” Logic wins…family needs medical coverage :))
I hope you are able to follow your intuition whereever it may lead.
By: jannatwrites on July 28, 2011
at 11:49 pm
There are sometimes, though, when logic and intuition can combine to make things work for both sides. For instance, a job with benefits that would involve writing, or would allow more time for writhing, or in a place where you would feel more inclined to write…….I know, not easy. So far, I haven’t been able to figure it all out. Then there is the complication that husband also has this intuition that needs to/should be taken into account if I am determined to remain married. 🙂
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:37 pm
As long as your intuition leads you to meet me on Sunday for lunch I say go for it! However, if your intuition tells you to stay home and work on your yard instead, you MUST ignore it!
Looking forward to chatting in person. Yeah, those questions of life, meaning. A year ago I decided it was time to take some risks. I changed jobs, starting exercising and eating better, stopped blogging with some people, continued blogging with the good people. I don’t know what it is that finally pushed me to say, enough, but I think that push comes from a unique place for each of us and although people like to say, I did it so you can do, I don’t think it works that way. It doesn’t matter that other people can do whatever, that’s nice for them, but not helpful to us. IMO.
By: Yael on July 29, 2011
at 4:19 pm
LOL!!!
See you soon. I am looking forward to it!
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:38 pm
I often carefully weigh the pros and cons, and then ignore that and go with my gut. I can’t say it exactly works for me, but it’s my method and I’m sticking with it.
And I love these sultry summer days, too.
By: secret agent woman on July 29, 2011
at 7:11 pm
So, does your gut do anything different after the pros and cons have been weighed than it would have if you had not weighed things out? I mean, is the gut something that kicks in after or before you are considering all aspects of the issue? Do you know what I mean?
I am sad to see August hit, because I know that fall is just around the corner with winter at its heels.
By: chlost on July 29, 2011
at 8:40 pm