Tag Archives: overwhelm

Swimming

 

 

Hello Dear Readers,

Like the beautiful colored trout in a Colorado stream, I’ve been a bit “under water” (groan) for the last few weeks and thus no blog.  In addition to the opportunities and change in routine in the heat of summer, there have been major transitions in our small family and in the lives of many I have the privilege to interact and “do life” with.  The biggest change came with the death of our brother-in-law a month ago.  Family gathered as they do to love and support one another and a season begins as we learn to live in our lives without our loved one.

 

The summer so far has been a reminder of the importance of time well spent with the dying as well as the living; of renewed relationship contacts with old as well as new friends; of reminders that new seasons require adjustments in thinking and release of long held habits and shedding of things we no longer need or even want.

So, I’m still a bit overwhelmed and  a little lost with  a few things that require my attention, but watching our visiting grand-nephew swim yesterday, while sitting in the shade and just being in the moment, reminded  again, that new seasons bring new … opportunities to respond to our situations.

I’ll be back in mid-August on a regular weekly basis to share more Words and Images.

Until then, the best to you and yours,

IBK

 

 

Posted in Seasons Also tagged , , |

Mit der Wahl, Kommt die Qual

©IBKimage2013

 

German was my native language and after my family immigrated to the U.S. when I was almost six, I’m happy to say that my wise mother continued to encourage me to keep learning and speaking German.  One of the delights of being bi-lingual is that there are certain words and phrases that so precisely describe a thing or situation in one language, and yet it’s not always easy to convey the same thought when trying to translate from one to the other.  So with today’s blog title being in German, we’ll discuss a phrase that does capture the same thought quite well in both languages.

The English translation is this:  With the choice (Wahl) comes the agony,pain (Qual).  You may not understand German but you understand this concept.  With the hundreds of choices we can, must, and do make everyday, there is an increasing agony of mind and spirit numbing overwhelm.  I no longer subscribe to “getting organized” (and I was once a professional organizer) but rather I’m desperately trying to reduce the options orgy, so that I have more clarity about how to live my life and with whom and with very little stuff. (My apologies to those of you who have to  slog through hundreds of e-mails and other electronic data at work, some daily!)

One of my mentors and wise friend had this to say about overwhelm:  “You can only manage so many choices, relationships, or you start to emotionally hemorrhage…” I would add spiritually and relationally to that too.  Today’s image come’s pretty close to describing the jungle of choices I’m currently lost in. Ironically, the “grey jungle” was a soft sculpture for sale in an upscale housewares decorator shop. 🙂

IBK

IBK

 

 

Posted in Aging, Courage, Letting Go Also tagged , , |