Sometimes what we say can make a world of difference
I talk about this and more as a guest on the Influence Women bi-monthly journal.
So yesterday we drove out to an apple orchard with the quest of checking something off my Things To Do in Autumn list. Which inspired me to make an apple pie. Which got me excited about making pies in general. So I decided to go all in overboard and declared Sunday, “pie day.”
This included an apple pie, a salted caramel apple pie and a chicken pot pie–all from scratch, because that’s what sane people do on one of the last nice days in IL before the frozen tundra settles upon us. Why two apple pies? A strategic person might freeze one for later, but I instead promised one to our neighbor. Because I need the applause of others to validate ridiculous decisions on how my time is spent.
Nine hours later, (yes 9) I’m exhausted and have gotten sloppy. Which includes a poor judgement call to taste caramel that was boiling moments before, resulting in third degree burns on my lips and thumb. (Use a spoon? That’s ridiculous.)
Life lesson learned: Too much is never a good thing, even with pie.
Last night was been difficult. And the truth is, I’m still struggling.
Not just with the fact my phone has been stolen but realizing the degree to which I became completely unhinged upon learning it was taken. My hands were shaking, I couldn’t focus or think. I called my husband sobbing, asking him to help me use the “Find My iPhone” utility I had installed somewhere but had no idea how to actually use. (The irony of that last part is just hilarious)
I had literally fallen in love with that thing.
As I crawled into bed, exhausted and still an emotional wreck, I needed to give myself a hard slap in the form of a reality check.
My husband still loves me and is safe.
My kids are healthy and still safe.
The world has, in fact, not come to an end.
I’m embarrassed to admit how horrifically out of balance my priorities had become. Yes, it is a cool phone but it’s still just a phone. And as much as I hated my Blackberry, it’s still capable of performing basic functions it’ll do until we can afford another iPhone.
I’d love to start a support group for those of us who’ve either lost or had our phones taken. Perhaps some sort of 12-step recovery program to help get our lives back on track. (And former Blackberry users would get extra therapy since we’ve been exposed to the knowledge phones can actually do more than dial and receive email)
Feel free to share coping strategies…