Author: boxcarmike

Finding Gratitude In Everything And Giving Thanks

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Hey, Y’all!

Last week began wonderfully. I roasted a turkey on Sunday that my friend had dropped off. I was genuinely grateful for the opportunity to roast the turkey. We made a deal: if I roasted it, we would split it, which was a fantastic arrangement.

My new home health aide started on Monday. He has proven to be an incredible help. However, by the end of the week, he fell ill, and I started feeling unwell on Friday night.

By Saturday night, I was on the mend, and I devoted the rest of the weekend to resting, aside from catching up on missed calls and texts.

Let me be clear—the turkey was not the cause of our illness; there may have been black mold discovered in the plumbing of my shower during cleaning. Fortunately, we both recovered from our symptoms.

While it can be challenging to find gratitude during sickness, I recognize its importance.

This past Monday, I had the medical team and driver, and they were exceptional. My lung screening came back all clear, with no suspicious spots. I appreciate their support, no matter my mood.

My home health aide is truly a blessing, ensuring my home is thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom. I woke up to find Asian beetle bugs trying to invade my door, and my driver took charge first thing this morning, knocking them off so they would not stick to us or get inside my apartment.

On Monday afternoon, my aide was able to take down two nests and remove spider webs around the door and windows. He meticulously cleaned the kitchen, including counters, cabinets, and appliances. He emptied everything from under the sink and cleaned around the pipes, spraying the perimeter to prevent pests. This support has been vital in helping me stay grounded and off my feet.

On Tuesday, he helped me start the laundry and complete the washing and drying. He returned the laundry and assisted me with hanging and folding it while I finished putting everything away. He also cleaned the top and sides of my table.

On Wednesday, a friend brought the necessary medicine for my Home Health Nurse to take care of my wounds, and I seized the opportunity to help my friend drive his car to a shop and be outside of my apartment. We enjoyed a productive visit.

Upon returning, my nurse was already there, and my friend assisted me inside with my late lunch. My nurse completed the wound care, and my home health aide arrived halfway through.

Throughout this week, I have outlined the significant accomplishments made. It is evident how I would have been on my feet otherwise, and I would not have been able to maintain the same level of thoroughness without his help.

This is different from my whole experience since first having a home health aide in my home. The other part is too, I have changed the way I interact with people and have learned how to make reasonable compromises with fewer expectations. Such a diligent worker impresses me!

I am slowly learning to assertively say what I am fussy about.

I also want to note that quite possibly the reason for so many infections in the past when I was allowed to take showers, is because of the black mold.

While this blog post may appear dull to readers, it plays a crucial role in the journey. Embracing the boring and mundane moments is vital for growth and understanding along the way.

I am learning more lessons in this journey and also by sharing it, I have the opportunity to acknowledge each step of the process. For all of what I learned thus far, I am grateful. It has truly been one day at a time.

James 1:17 (ESV)

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Thank you for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

I Am Determined To Be Back On Top

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Hey, Y’all!

I am determined to get back on top of everything. In my last blog post, I mentioned that I must roll with the changes, or at least, it was implied if I did not specifically say it outright. Little did I know that changes would follow the very next day. My home health aide quit unexpectedly. It was for the best.

It was a substantial change because I was doing my best to accept and accommodate her needs besides expressing my own. I wished her well and nothing but goodness in her future adventures. I am also relieved. This may be the first time I ever accepted a change in the right way.

On Monday afternoon, a new helper will be introduced to me as well as a new assistant office manager for the agency that helps me with my home health needs. I am looking forward to meeting the new people. I am hoping this change helps benefit the changes that I need to take responsibility for in my own life.

My writing is important to me, but I have just been drifting and staying in a depressed state these past few months. With each setback in gaining a total of four wounds, I have accepted them. However, I cannot deny they have affected my emotional well-being.

It affects my well-being because new wounds make me feel I am losing a battle for healing. What caused the new wounds was fluid build-up, as well as tunneling that happens from wounds, already present traveling to present dead skin. This is over ten years’ worth of decay.

This is now taking debridement as well as soaking and dressing in compression wraps to treat the wounds. The good news is as the wounds form, we are aggressively treating the wounds, so they are short-lived.

Today, I woke up at 4:17 am and enjoyed a continental breakfast at home. Getting up early has allowed me to have more personal time, as the new helper has a different schedule. I am grateful for the change, as the previous schedule was exhausting. I am hoping this will now be a routine.

The previous schedule took away my time with friends as well as diminishing both my afternoon and evening time.

I feel hopeful right now. I am now ready for a new day!

The changes I am making begin with taking responsibility just for myself. I am also hoping for better communication and to start addressing any problems as soon as they crop up and not let anything fester into resentments. I also know that not everything will always go my way. This is where acceptance enters the picture.

However, reasonable requests for cleaning, preparing meals, and errands that are nearby should not be a problem. I also can let go of taking responsibility for receipts and turning in expense reports to the office. This will take the stress off of me.

Being prepared by having daily tasks posted for my helper to do will go a long way with communication and also meet my needs. I will also have a written outline of my expectations for Monday. This is taking responsibility for communicating and advocating for my personal care needs.

This is the difference between being assertive and passive. Meaning what I say, and not saying it mean. This is not negotiating or asking questions, rather I am stating my needs so they can be met properly.

Having all of this in place will help me move forward with my emotional and spiritual growth. Having a new helper will also take time for me to be off my feet and allow physical healing. This will enable me to comply with my medical team. It is also within the bounds of being compliant with the home health agency.

In the past, I have vocally been aggressive and or passive rather than assertive. Being passive or aggressive does not accomplish anything. It escalates resentments already present. Being assertive promotes clear communication and squashes any resentment.

My hope in accomplishing all of this will stop other things, other people, and myself from wasting my time. This in turn will help me write more consistently.

I am ready for a positive outlook now and climb out of the mud and mire. I am grateful for all of you reading this and for all of those in my tribe. It is time to press forward now.

Philippians 3:12-14 (ESV)

“12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Thanks for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

Its Changes In Latitudes Changes in Attitudes

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Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

Hey, Y’all!

Life is full of changes and challenges. As the great Jimmy Buffett once said: “It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same. With all of our running and all of our cunning, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”

Let us embrace the changes, maintain a positive attitude, and find humor. In the past month or so, it seems like one curveball after another keeps coming at me. As I have talked with others, this is their consensus as well. I had no idea I would be in my late fifties learning how to effectively deal with these curveballs. In the past, my answer would have been that nothing can be done about them. Today, it is all about taking each day at a time.

My health issue curveballs have been dealing wounds as always. I am hoping to continue dealing with these at home with the home health nurse and visit the wound clinic on an outpatient basis.

We make plans and set goals without knowing what challenges lie ahead. There is no way to plan for everything, so we do our best to cope.

In my life, it has been all about health issues. This includes physical and mental health issues. I am a firm believer that you cannot heal the physical without also addressing the emotional health as well. It does not stop there; it also encompasses spiritual health as well.

Change does not happen overnight in most cases. In my world, miracles and cures are mostly of the educational variety. It works this way so I can learn. The other thing related to healing is forgiveness. Learning to accept forgiveness and to forgive others.

Being forgiven let me understand there was no way I could ever make right what was forgiven. Forgiving others in return frees me.

I would be remiss if I did not include the importance my therapy and recovery have played a part in trying to be healthy today.

You would think in twenty years I would have retained the knowledge and importance of having a routine. This is the best advice ever given to me. My best friend for over twenty years now shared this with me when he asked me a question. What is your routine? My answer was I do not know. He shared this, get one. Twenty years later he still says you know when I stick to my routine, I do a whole lot better.

In therapy, there are questions my therapist asks me or tries to do every week if I am cooperative. I finally understand that I also need to ask myself these questions.

  1. How are you?
  2. What are you feeling?
  3. Have you eaten today?
  4. Are you taking your medications?
  5. How is your sleep schedule?
  6. What did you do this week?
  7. Did you go anywhere or do anything fun besides doctor’s appointments?

I take my vitals every day without fail. The same is true about my medications. Very rarely do I miss either of those two things.

My grandma used to say, if you make your bed first thing when you get up you will get a routine going.

Boxcar Mike says, give others the latitude they need and none of the attitude.

One of the things I told my worker today is that we all must practice self-care. If we take care of ourselves today, we can be stronger tomorrow.

3 John 1:2 (ESV)

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

I hope to share more soon.

Thanks for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

Taking Opportunities Believe Pray And Wait

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Hey, Y’all!

It is always a wonderful day when I can take the time to make a blog post entry.

As usual, I feel strapped for time. I want to take the opportunities I can. I have missed opportunities as well. I feel bad about those missed opportunities. There are times when I cannot make up for missed opportunities.

I must do better, is all I can say to myself.

I have made progress despite taking steps backward. I am learning that there are opportunities I get to take today. Spiritually, there is the opportunity to pray for others. There are people I pray for; I get to pray with them; there are people, I pray for their needs alone.

I had hoped to finish this in early August. It is Now September 3rd, 2024.

I needed my local support team and thankfully each one has been there in whatever way I needed them. I am thankful for each one. I could not have made it without a local support team.

In recent events, I have encountered another infection. Thankfully, I am on a strong antibiotic but doing well thanks to my medical team.

I am learning along the way and finally understand how the longer it takes to heal wounds the more chances for more wounds. The reason is that years of damage cause further deterioration of good skin tissue. I hope I retain this comprehension as it is the first time I acknowledge it.

I am thankful for:

  1. I am thankful for a new carpet extractor to clean my carpet.
  2. I am thankful for the meals and food given to me.
  3. I am thankful for the daily phone calls.
  4. I am thankful for my medical team.
  5. I am thankful for restful sleep.
  6. I am thankful for healing for a family member and their medical team.
  7. I am thankful for the reminders.
  8. I am thankful for celebrating twenty years of sobriety and clean time.
  9. I am thankful for the ones who have stuck by through thick and thin through my recovery.
  10. I am thankful for what my grandma used to say, “Michael, the sun will rise again tomorrow.”

In waiting and praying I do not have to fall apart today. I learned that I could keep busy and do what I can. I can ask questions, seek advice, and allow change to happen.

Sometimes to obtain the information I seek is to repeat what I was told from the beginning. While repeating this information, you deduct your fears and irrational thoughts and stick to the facts. You keep praying, waiting, and believing the best is happening.

There is always more learning and doing right where I am.

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Thank you for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

I Feel Like I am On A Time Clock

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Hey Y’all!

I feel like I am on a time clock racing to get everything done. My writing is important to me. Though my writing has been nonexistent lately, I am trying again. I wish to do better and just show myself doing better.

I am doing stretches and walking. I am doing my pumps and a workout with the chores. I have chores in the mornings. My helper gets here late afternoon, usually, the heaviest thing she must do is the laundry and trash.

Physically, my wounds looked worse on Monday. My head has just gone mad with thoughts about that. Thankfully, they looked much better yesterday when the nurse was here. We shall see what they look like tomorrow and Monday.

I have not forgotten about working on the grief, loss, resentments, causes, and my part where it affects me. I must work toward forgiveness to free myself. I am collaborating with my therapist, the professional I mentioned in the last entry. I must find my way out of the emotional mess.

I am praying for help to be the best version of myself to be the best friend I can be and to give of myself the best I can.

I have been on the other side of seeing nothing wrong and wondering why everything is out of order. I have done stupid things and won stupid prizes. We cannot see; until we are willing to see. It takes work, meditation, prayer, and willingness to change.

There is no answer to the why until we do the work of HOW. That is Honesty, Open-Mindedness, and Willingness. We get down to causes and effects, and admission of our part. The one common denominator in everything that happens is me.

You learn by living it out. I fall apart when I am not spiritually fit. This is why I need my support system and simple reminders. Unfortunately, it takes what I consider devastating news before I call for the lifeline.

 “GOOD judgment, a careful sense of timing, courage, and prudence- are the qualities needed *(taken from the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous) these and one spiritual we should have, “sensible, tactful, considerate and humble.” *(Taken from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous).

Every time I find myself in a spot, I must change. When we start seeing the changes in ourselves, we get excited. However, it is grunting work in the beginning. It can be an upheaval getting to the root. But it is so worth it. There will always be bumps in the road, when I hit one, I must get through it.

The truth is, I lose control when I hit those bumps. I am determined to be better.

  1. I am thankful for the ability to learn.
  2. I am thankful for the patience of others.
  3. I am thankful for answers when I seek them.
  4. I am thankful for the chance to write and share with others.
  5. I am thankful for the ability to see and understand.
  6. I am thankful for my choices.
  7. I am thankful I can turn around anytime.
  8. I am thankful God is forgiving.
  9. I am thankful for a song that just came on to remind me of happier times.
  10. I am thankful for my courage.

(1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV)

 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Thanks for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

It Is Okay To Not Be Okay

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Photo by Skyler Ewing on Pexels.com

Hey Y’all,

I came back to writing finally.

I am dealing with a lot of physical, emotional, and spiritual subjects as usual for all of us. We all have a lot to deal with daily. I want to say, I am willing to face it all. It is just a day at a time. Right?

Sunday, I felt touched by a short video I watched. I am botching it by summarizing what it said. Yesterday needed you today, we need you, and tomorrow we will need you, please do not quit. Do not give up. So many people care about you and love you. You are loved and needed.

Just because we do not talk deeply with everyone, does not mean we are not a hope for someone else. It also does not mean the same people who are not deep with us, are not giving us hope. Sometimes things suck.

The only way to get through the hard things in life is to face them We walk through those things, feel the feelings, and work through them. Taking the necessary steps is hard. No one said it would be easy or painless.

I have been dealing with chronic physical issues. I am also facing the fact that I need to deal with grief and loss. I am dealing with emotional and spiritual issues too. All of it has emotional and spiritual aspects. It all comes down to fear and anger. Anger because I am not in charge or better yet, in control.

Face everything and recover. We should look at it this way instead.

Face

Everything

And

Recover

Do you see, facing everything and recovering reveals fear? I have learned this in the past, but I need reminders. There is also a fact of me maybe facing things before, but finding even old things come back up because of not being perfect, I only dealt with them as far as I could understand it at the time.

Just because you work on things once or a thousand times, does not mean there is not more work to do.

I recently told someone that as much as I am sarcastic with I am also sarcastic with God and they told me they argued with God! This is someone whom I consider of a handful of people, I see, as the most devout  Christian I know.

At that moment, I admitted to myself that it was freeing because I had been mad at God for not granting me my wishes. Sarcasm is a form of anger. I am not okay because: I want to say I am doing great. I have no resentments; I am at peace with everything.

I am not okay because I am angry with God that He has allowed the death of precious loved ones, and that negative things keep happening.

In the meantime, I am dealing with these issues with a professional. I am also using the twelve-step program. It will work because God is not going anywhere. I have work to do and much to prepare for.

The biggest help is that 99% of my fears will not even happen.

I have a great support system. I must use my words instead of keeping everything bottled up.

God can manage all my emotions. He is not going to fall apart because I am mad at Him. It is going to be okay.

The most important thing I can do for myself is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Freezing and fleeing keep the problems hanging over my head. It becomes heavy baggage that stops me from receiving anything good because; everything is a complaint and nothing is good enough.

That said, I need to find those things for which I am thankful for:

  1. I am thankful for the support when I need it.
  2. I am thankful for the words to write.
  3. I am thankful for an unexpected visit.
  4. I am thankful for reminders and knowing how to take care of myself; even, in this time of waiting and seeing.
  5. I am thankful for Communion, forgiveness, and the ability to forgive.
  6. I am thankful for provisions.
  7. I am thankful for lymphedema pumps.
  8. I am thankful I can walk.
  9. I am thankful for my nurse’s supplies
  10. I am thankful I can pay my bills.

Thank you for reading!

This has been another blogpost entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

Still Working On Goals Happy May Day!

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Hey, Y’all!

Here we are at 1:54 am. I cannot believe I am up this late. I went to bed tired, and I was sure I would fall asleep. Instead, I am right here writing to you all. There has been a week or so lapse in entering any blog entries because it has been putting in the work on my base goals.

I am fighting tiredness and feeling sick off and on.

I am happy I have my calendars filled out and ready to go for the month. Having the calendars completed and the ability to make my lists each day helps me feel more organized and goes a long way in being initiative-taking each day. I am realizing I have work to do on the inside of myself to be more assertive in the right way in situations.

There are emotions I am fighting that have led to depression that I must overcome.

I tell myself that it all will be better tomorrow. It may take more than tomorrow to feel better. Even during the times, I say I give up; I have not given up. I still get back up.

It sucks at times because a group may be going through our life lessons at the same time. For me, it is always hopeful I have not burned new bridges that have taken years to build. I also hope I am not disappearing from older friendships.

The calendars and lists: they tell me where I am so I can figure out where I am going. I want to excel at a faster rate than what it is taking and that is where the emotions and doubt come in. It is where I fight myself because I want to be better.

Inside my head, I scream you must do better! I am impatient with myself.

I keep holding on to a friend’s words he said to me about eight or nine years ago. “It will not always be this way.” I am angry at the slowness in myself. It seems and looks like others can just change overnight. The truth is I know it took them longer as well.

It all goes back to cautioning myself to not compare ourselves with one another.

We never know where another person is at their starting point of change. We do not know the work everyone else had to do to get where they are. We do not know what sacrifices each of us has made to do better or to get better.

To make a real change in this life gets to the core of our being. We run the gamut of emotions from screaming, crying, laughing, and silence. We must keep hanging on for one more day. I will get through these twenty-four hours just as I have all the past days.

  1. I am thankful to have courage.
  2. I am thankful for my portion.
  3. I am thankful for smiles.
  4. I am thankful for hope.
  5. I am thankful that change does happen.
  6. I am thankful for life lessons.
  7. I am thankful for others helping me figure out what I cannot figure out alone.

Acts 17:28 ESV

28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.

Thanks for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

We See What We Cannot Control But What About What We Can

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By Mel Robbins 2024

Hey, Y’all!

I did take an unplanned two-day break.

I am glad to be back again to share with you more that I have gleaned from Mel Robbins’ Make It Happen Workbook. I just finished watching training video two of “Make It Happen.” It has given me more to be excited about moving forward by thinking about the steps needed to complete my goals.

I think one of the things that helps is getting the obstacles of fear, excuses, and overthinking listed. You lessen the power of the obstacle by naming the obstacle. Working on the goal of fifteen to thirty minutes, each day consistently, for six weeks, is establishing your agreement to overcome the obstacle.  

I would say the next thing is to not give up and keep doing what is working and you will find you are different from being the person you were when first deciding what exactly it is you wanted to change in your life.

I am going by Mel Robbins’s teaching on this subject. However, I also learned when I was first in recovery it takes somewhere between twenty-one and twenty-eight days to make a habit and this is a scientific fact. Who knew this fact would come into play again, as I think about the goals I want to accomplish in the next six months?

The other thing she has added to the workbook is a place to record what I do each day to work towards each goal. This is a real help in being and staying consistent and showing the work I have done. It will be proof that I can change and will have changed.

The final thought in this workbook is if you all down and fail you get back up and go at it again.

I wanted to get more work done today because I felt guilty for the past two days of not doing anything about writing or working on the workbook. But each day has its limits and it is just as important to work within the parameters of each day and not get burned out.

I am looking forward to making it a priority for the men’s meeting on Tuesdays and doing my recovery meeting on Thursdays. These are things that have worked in the past and only added to my recovery, and personal, and spiritual growth.

Things I am Thankful For:

  1. The rides to and from the wound clinic.
  2. My nurse team.
  3. Having a real supper.
  4. Working towards changing myself today.
  5. I get the opportunity to be happy with myself.
  6. A nap I took today.
  7. My daily phone calls with a friend or two.

My Strengths:

  1. Determination to do what is necessary.
  2. Looking  at the positives of today
  3. Moving forward.
  4. Adapting to changes for a day.
  5. Not forgetting those who help me along the way.
  6. Sharing what I have learned.
  7. Practicing grace for others.

Thank you for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

Focusing On The Fuel Tank For Each Area Of My Life II

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Hey, Y’all!

I apologize for the fact of failing to write about the different areas of my life. The fuel gauge that I am using as suggested by Mel Robbins, gives me a picture of where I am in each area of my life. I must know where I am before I know which way to go next.

  I- Health and Wellness

  1. Morning Routine
  2. Evening Routine
  3. Physical Health
  4. Mental Health

 II- Career, Money, School

  1. Career
  2. Money
  3. School
  4. Work/Life Balance

III- Relationships, Love, Friendships

  1. Friendships
  2. Family Relationships
  3. Love
  4. Making New Connections

IV- Happiness

  1. Happiness
  2. Hobbies
  3. Fun
  4. State Of Your Home

V- Purpose, Spirituality, and Meaning

  1. Purpose
  2. Spirituality
  3. Meaning
  4. Fulfillment

In each area of each section is a fuel gauge in which you find your location.

Empty- Depleted

1/4 – Meh

1/2 – Fine

3/4 – Good

Full- Energized

The next action is answering: Why do you feel this way? (Feelings)

Are there any behaviors or attitudes that contribute to why you feel this way? (Truth Finding-Facts) Only you know the truth.

It is important to be honest with ourselves. It is also important not to beat yourself up because that does not accomplish anything.

We cannot change what could be wrong if we do not know what it is and where we are.

As far as my journey is concerned in most areas, I do feel I am at ¼ of a tank on the fuel gauge. In some of the areas, I found myself feeling completely depleted or empty.

If I plan on reaching any goals, this fact-finding truth is valuable to me to make changes and reenergize myself.

Can this be any more related to recovery, as far as the HOW?

Honesty

Open-Minded

Willing

I have told friends I want to make more time and do better at being a friend. To live up to that, I know I am going to need better time-management skills.

I want to change and do better in all the areas of my life, there again Rome was not built in a day. I also cannot use that as an excuse to hardly do anything to change either. There is always room for improvement.

It is exciting to learn new things! The difference becomes when we use the newfound knowledge to crush the paralyzing fear we often face when questioning ourselves. I want things different from what they have been.

I know I can make things happen. It will take putting in the time and work while being honest. Working through the difficult stuff honestly, is what is going to make me free. I do not have to think of the hard work as hopeless. The more I work through, the more hopeful I will become for making 2024 my best year.

Things I like:

  1. Getting through the tough work.
  2. Breakfast for supper.
  3. Stand-up Comedians.
  4. Saying what I mean, meaning what I say, not saying it mean.
  5. Check Marking the Checklist.

Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)

10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Thank you for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!

Focusing On The Fuel Tank For Each Area Of My Life

/ boxcarmike / Leave a comment

Hey, Y’all!

I worked on the workbook again this morning. It is important to do the work. At the same time, I must live in the now, and the chores do not do themselves. I have been getting six or seven loads of laundry done, the last is in the dryer. I mention this because I had planned to complete a considerable number of tasks.

Plans do not always go the way you have them set in your head. Improvising becomes a necessary tool for the alternative. I did so with gritted teeth I must admit. When things do not go my way, I can spit rusty nails with the best of them.

Writing today’s blog entry is calming for me.

In watching the full training video this morning, I learned we each have immense potential. The potential we have is useless without action. We get excited, and we might feel motivated, but until we do something, it is just our heads in the clouds dreaming.

About an hour before someone was supposed to show up, I had to decide how to still make this day work regardless of their issues. Other people’s issues are not my issues. Now, I could sit here all day long thinking about how I might do the laundry. I still have a choice and I wanted to get up and make that laundry happen instead of thinking about it all day.

Having the potential to do the laundry was not going to be enough. Getting up and doing the laundry did get it done. It is the same way with goals. We can have the potential to set goals and even carry them out. However, until we start moving to make the goals happen, nothing is going to change even six months from now.

Now, as for the chores I wanted done, I have only been able to do part of my list so it might be wise to lower my expectations. The reason is that I am only one person. When I planned out the chores it was for two people working together. One man cut my power in half when he gave me the information, I would be doing the chores alone. I must be reasonable; it is all part of improvising.

We always get examples in lessons when we need them. I did not know I was going to get the chance to live this example out in my life. Yet here we are.

Those of you reading this, get this lesson, I am sure.

Things I am thankful for:

  1. I am thankful for clean laundry.
  2. I am thankful for exercise.
  3. I am thankful I can walk.
  4. I am thankful for practical lessons.
  5. I am thankful for rest.
  6. I am thankful for automatic washers.
  7. I am thankful for the heated dryers.

Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

13. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Thank you for reading!

This has been another blog post entry by Boxcar Mike, over and out!

God Bless Y’all, Everybody!