Weebles Wobble.....

[eoma_p]

Taking a deep breath and looking back, the last five years have been a series of big stressors.  I made a list in February 2011, and that list has grown since then.  Starting in 2007, we've

• Struggled to pay private school tuition for three during the 2006-2007 school year
• Realized we couldn't afford to continue doing so
• Debated, fussed, and finally moved to a better school district in September 2007 from a house we'd lived in for fourteen years
• Rented a townhouse for a year and a half instead of the planned six months
• Sold a house near the bottom of the housing slump in March 2009
• Started a new job in March 2009
• Bought a house near the bottom of the housing slump in April 2009
• Dealt with the death of my mother in May 2009
• Dealt with the death of my father in October 2009
• Settled my father's estate in Texas, mostly from Maryland, including some extremely acrimonious dealings with one of my brothers
• Left a church we'd been involved in for over ten years
• Completely changed our religious views, Ed and I going in diametrically opposite directions from each other
• Facilitated moving Ed's mom from Oklahoma here in September 2010
• Had the basement gutted and renovated to create a suite for Ed's mom, while B slept in the living room and Ed's mom slept in B's room
• Dealt with R graduating from high school
• Dealt with A starting high school
• Dealt with two diagnoses of chronic conditions that can be helped some with medication but not cured
• Dealt with three hospitalizations for said conditions
• Changed jobs again in Oct 2011 to a new position with the same management
• Broken an ankle, requiring surgery and a fairly long convalescence
• Dealt with A deciding to leave high school and start working, with plans for getting a GED

I'm not looking for sympathy.  I'm actually patting myself on the back.  I've made it through a LOT, and I'm still doing okay.  I'm very wobbly, but not falling down.  In the midst of all this, I've managed to

• Learn to meditate
• Learn to lift weights
• Connect with a spiritual community I love and value where I'm loved and valued
• Learn to drum at an advanced beginner level
• Learn to cook healthier meals
• Learn to identify my personal boundaries
• Read several hundred books
• Begin implementing a garden plan, including planting several hundred new plants
• Be proactive about meeting with friends regularly -- lunches, dinners, and trips to keep in touch
• Complete dozens of craft projects
• Learn to bead
• Learn to make polymer clay beads, bracelets, canes and boxes
• Celebrate 26 years of marriage

I'm headed in the right direction and even if I fall on my face, that's a few feet further along.