Missing something

I have just gotten home from one of the Power Squadron classes that I'm taking.  I have to say that I'll be glad when I won't be taking classes in the evening.  These two classes are enjoyable, but I will be glad when I can get back to going to more meetings and not be on the road so late at night. 

I feel as if I have drifted a bit apart from my meetings.  I miss my home group.  I also have to finish up a service commitment with the Tuesday night group that meets about 45 minutes from me before I can go back to the new Tuesday night group that is much closer. 

I seem to stay busy every day with something. In fact, I am actually busy with many things.  Tomorrow C. and I are going out in the john boat to fish.  It promises to be another beautiful day.  And after fishing, I will head over to make the 7 PM meeting.

I seem to be going through a period in which I am feeling a bit burned out.  I'm sure that this will pass.  But at the moment,  I seem to not have much to write about.  I am feeling that much of what I wanted to say has been written already.  Maybe this is my version of writer's slump.

I also don't seem to have as much time to catch up on what you are writing and that bothers me.  I think that the give and take with this blog thing is what keeps it going.  I read what you write, make a comment, and then you read what I write and make a comment.   It's not a given but just seems like a good way to stay connected. I am feeling less and less inclined to be connected lately.  This will likely pass and energy will be regained. 

Maybe it's time for me to put First Things First and not try to keep up.  I think that if I spend too much time reading and writing, I won't be getting other things that seem necessary completed.  Hence, the burnout.  So if I'm not around here every day or commenting to you as frequently as I used to,  it isn't that I don't care but that I'm getting sidetracked by life.  Maybe that isn't a bad thing. 

A Thursday question

I feel like this needs to be Friday.  I am really tired.  Once again, I have had too many late nights--mostly due to meetings, although last night was a dinner out and some lively conversation instead of rowing.  Tonight I am taking my wife out to a nice place downtown for a pre-birthday dinner.  Her natal day is Sunday so we will have dinner with her parents that evening.  But tonight is our dinner together at a special restaurant.  Hopefully, I'll be able to stay awake through the main course!

I had a good conversation this morning with my sponsor who stays busy in his retirement.  I seem to never stop and was complaining that in retirement one can decide when (or whether) to get up, shower, and leave the house.  But when my alarm rings at 5: 15 AM, I can hit the snooze button a couple of times, after which I'd better get up and get going. The work world calls!

And then there is the time spent on recovery "work". I think that in truth my recovery work takes a lot of time.  I spend 5 hours a week minimum with sponsees, another 3-4 hours a week in meetings, not counting the driving time to and from.  But I consider that this time is the most well spent of my week.  What I'm thinking about are the time sinks that add up during a week.  It’s that sucking sound I hear--of the sands of time, the ticking clock, and the blurting alarm in the morning.  So here's the question:

What was this week’s biggest time sink for you?

For me, it has to be reading and commenting on blogs.  Even with speed reading, it still takes several hours a week to get through the blogs that I like to read and make comments. Even if someone doesn't comment on mine, I like to read theirs. But it definitely takes time.  Oh, and sleeping is another time sink-- but a necessary one!

First Things First

One thing at a time.

That's all we have to do. Not two things at once, but one thing done in peace.

One task at a time. One feeling at a time. One day at a time. One problem at a time. One step at a time.

One pleasure at a time.

Relax. Let go of urgency. Begin calmly now. Take one thing at a time.

See how everything works out?
from Language of Letting Go

Nothing much is weighing me down today, even though there is a lot that I have to get done. I have a bunch of proposals to review, a meeting with a post-doctoral student this afternoon, and other assorted things that I need to take care of before the end of the day. I'll do the best that I can and prioritize these by doing "first things first".

I'm still going to go to my noon meeting. And I'm going to meet with a sponsee after work today. Those are a priority for me. It's part of my emotional and spiritual rehabilitation program. It's being mindful of "first things first".

I enjoy working with this sponsee. He is sincere and takes the program seriously. He has a lot of things on his plate but is managing to juggle them all by keeping "first things first".

I'm going to head home after the sponsee meeting and spend some time with my wife and the dogs. We fix dinner together and talk a bit about the day. Even though she is home now and I'm at work, we call each other a couple of times a day. We keep our feelings for each other first now.

At any point in the day, I can decide to make something a priority. In every situation there is one thing that is more important, then one that is next in line and so on. I know that I can't do everything at once or be all things to all people. I like that I don't feel guilty about that anymore ("screw guilt").

I think that by focusing on myself by keeping "first things first", my spiritual and emotional health, and the things that I need to do all fall into a kind of order. I'm thus in a better position to proceed with living a life of contentment without all the chaos. How about getting rid of some chaos in your life today?