My son, who posts my blogs to the web, often criticizes my rambling way of writing. But I don’t change because it is authentically me. Then I remind him of all the criticism Hemmingway got while he was alive, and he scoffs.
In this blog my son may have a valid point. It is a windy tale but hang in there; the self-help tip in these next paragraphs is worth the read. Here we go:
From every UIYB guest interview, I learn something. This past week’s show was no exception and what I learned I quickly put to good use.
It all began when, on Saturday, my husband, Grady, and grandson, Marshall, left for their annual ski trip with my ex-husband, daughter Meghan’s birth father and Marshall’s other grandfather. Secretly, I was looking forward to the lone time. I vowed not to cook or clean the whole week and to watch only girly movies on TV. But it didn’t take long before the treasured alone time began to sabotage my thoughts: “the devil waits in the desert.” Self-doubt reared its ugly head, and my inner voice began repeating trivial thoughts of negativity.
Guest Inspiration
This is when I remembered my last guest on Up In Your Business, the weight loss influencers Bridget Shinn and her daughter, Hilary Downy. In this interview, Bridget gave advice for manifesting something you want to change, free yourself of, or attract, by writing it down 55 times for 55 days, or 33 times for 33 days.
I decide it was time to try this writing mantra on myself. I picked three subjects to write about, one on forgiveness, one on sorrow, and one on change. Then, I spent the weekend handwriting them over and over while drinking sodas, eating junk food out of a bag, and feverishly working not one, but two jigsaw puzzles.
Somewhere in this haze of self-indulgence, the memory of teachers making misbehaving boys in school sit and write over and over, “I will be a good boy today” came to mind. At first thought, this seems like an old fashioned, trivial punishment. But teachers, who I esteem, love to hire, and think are angels from heaven, once again prove themselves worthy of my praise. Before manifestation was even a popular word, teachers seem to know the power of rote learning and positive thinking.
Finally, and not too soon, the weekend came to an end and routine reared its beautiful head, again. On Monday, my mantra of praise writing was, “Thank you for my work, thank you for my work, thank you for my work.”
