Change Your Attitude

Posted December 9, 2015 by Prairie Wife - 6 comments

These last few weeks…they’ve been a little rougher than usual. Some of it is surely do to Holiday stress and, I can feel the winter blues sneaking up on me a bit earlier than usual. The Cowboy and the Cowkids all had a cold that started a bit before Thanksgiving and resulted in less sleep than usual. LittleMissH was getting molars along with her cold and I started the weaning process…this resulted in a baby that needed a lot more snuggles than usual! Not much was getting done in the cooking and cleaning department. Just when the Cowkids healed up I came down with the cold. The result was an exhausted Prairie Wife with no voice and a bad attitude.

I felt weary of body and spirit and though I tried to stay my normal upbeat self it just wasn’t happening. The Cowboy ended up being home every night and so I wallowed…and wallowed some more…for three whole days I wallowed. I e-mailed the Cowkids teachers and let them know I wouldn’t be volunteering this month. I let The Cowboy take over cooking dinner and tried not to feel guilty as I hid in the basement in front of the TV while he took care of homework duty and bath night. Once the older Cowkids were at school I snuggled LittleMissH and Cowboy C and we watched hours of DisneyJr. I went days without showering or changing out of sweats. The fact that we were going on week two of no heat (supposedly we will have it by this Wednesday) was just the icing on the poop cake…

Then it was Thursday. The busiest day on my calendar every week but, this one was even busier than usual. I had a hair appointment, plans to do some Christmas shopping, Cowgirl G had ballet and then that evening was her first reconciliation. I had to get up and shower and let’s face it, nothing makes you feel better than getting your hair done. I rushed around after my hair appointment and got everything on my to-do list for the day done…and yet I still felt that need to put my head down and cry. I still felt so damn weary…

We had dinner as a family and then headed to church for Cowgirl G’s First Reconciliation. For those of you that don’t know what this is, here is a very brief overview. We go and meet with a priest and share with him our sins. He counsels us and then gives us penance (a way to show you are truly sorry through extra prayers or changes in your life). Then you pray together for God’s forgiveness. Without getting into too much Catholic doctrine, the priest IS NOT forgiving our sins, he is simply counseling us and praying with us.

Cowgirl G was super nervous. After all, it’s really hard to look someone you admire in the eye and tell them all the ways you’ve failed yourself and God, she even cried a few tears. But, watching her happily bounce away from the priest, and then devoutly kneel and pray…well it was amazing. I decided to go up and confess a few sins of my own. I knew that I had been doubting God’s path for me these last few weeks. I’d been spending my energy finding all the things that were wrong, or could go wrong with my life.

What happens in reconciliation, stays in reconciliation but, I have to tell you one thing that my priest said. It changed everything for me. I sat down with him and let loose all my fears and anger, self pity, and angst. When I was done, he held my hand looked me square in the eye and said “Change your attitude!”

Call it a very nice slap upside the head, call it the cold hard truth…call it tough love…but it was exactly what I needed to hear.

I knelt down and said my prayers and walked out of church with my good old Prairie Wife Grit and Grace back where it belonged. I immediately held my family close and focused on what I could do to make things better for myself and them. I cleaned the house, made cookies, and celebrated the holiday season with friends. On Sunday I spent an hour and a half making a wonderful meal for my family and a visiting CowGranny.

This week some big things are happening (community service projects, a segment on our local news channel, and a craft fair) but rather than feel overwhelmed I’m taking time to prepare and be excited!
It’s amazing what those three little words did for me, and that’s why I’m sharing them with you. Who knows who it will help?

What helps you keep moving forward when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

6 thoughts on "Change Your Attitude"

Karen says:

December 9, 2015 at 7:04 am

‘If you can’t change what you’re looking at,
change how you look at it”—a greeting card phrase that saves me daily!

Reply
1. Prairie Wife says:
  
  December 11, 2015 at 8:09 am
  
  What a perfect quote, thanks for sharing it!
  
  Reply
Bennie says:

December 9, 2015 at 8:51 am

Like you I have days/weeks where I feel down and menopause doesn’t help. I’m on some meds for anxiety/depression which have helped but when I see all those commercials on TV (for meds i’m not on) with the side-effects that causes even more worry.

I’ve also been trying to change my attitude and look for the positives in life. Some days it is easier than others though. I find too much time off (like around the holidays) causes me to think too much. I’m single and an only child so as my parents are in their 80’s I ponder too much about the future. Luckily I do have a great group of friends and cousins in the area but still, that future keeps me wondering of the ‘what ifs?’.

Not sure what the answer is but I try to do little things like buy 3 bananas for $1 each week and give to a few regular homeless people I see on the streets. They usually thank me and give me a smile. I try to remind myself how lucky i am, etc.

Hang in there, this too shall pass or, go see a Dr. like I did for some meds for a little while until you even out. I’m waiting for the Big M to finally pass. Grrrrrr

Reply
1. Bennie says:
  
  December 9, 2015 at 8:52 am
  
  Sorry if that was long. 😉
  
  Reply
  1. Prairie Wife says:
    
    December 11, 2015 at 8:06 am
    
    don’t even apologize 😉
    
    Reply
2. Prairie Wife says:
  
  December 11, 2015 at 8:08 am
  
  The side effects or some of those meds are crazy (but I hear it’s only a small percentage that experience them). Friends that surround you with joy are key to getting through the tough times, I’m so pleased you have that. 🙂
  
  Reply