Conquering a Nightmare Fifteen Minutes at a Time

I'm crawling out from my mountain of paperwork for a moment. Wasn't my husband supposed to buried, not me? Well, I'm the buried one under the incredible mound. I may not be able to control the ever-expanding list of things a grieving spouse is supposed to do instead of being allowed to mourn in peace, but I can control how I handle it.

 

For me, this means tackling them 15 minutes at a time. If you're an adult with any backbone, you can handle the most onerous, disgusting task for 15 minutes. Even I can dial the phone and be patient for a mere 15 minutes. I can manage to box up my poor darling's belongings for charity for 15 minutes, even if it's the longest 15 minutes of my life. I can fill out a form for 15 minutes, then give myself permission to sob or do something pleasant for another 15. In this manner, I can accomplish a task in manageable bites, while still rewarding myself for doing the chores.

 

It's hard. I won't lie. However, like so many things in life, it's ignorance that leads to fear. Sometimes it's not such a bad task after all.

 

My prayer for 2011 is a thin body and a fat bank account. Please God, don't reverse them like you did in 2010.

Lena Austin

http://www.LenaAustin.com

http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com