The older I get, the more I am forced to admit I need help. This is hardly a shock but it's the wide variety and level on which said help is needed that I find staggering. I need help from my husband, Google, caffeine, chocolate, profanity and alcohol just to get through one lousy week, nevermind life in general. We've let earth know we're both looking for work in the hopes that it will stir up some leads. What's funny is that I am not aware of asking for a lot of help from people over the years. That doesn't mean I haven't gotten a lot of help. It just means that recently I've been so introspective I've had my head up my ass.
It appears that I've always been this way. There's an old therapist joke that goes 'If it's not one thing, it's your mother.' I grew up in an environment which did not allow me to feel safe/relax. I will not get into the gory details but suffice it to say that I am an introvert from way back. Thrown in a stiff amount of stubborn and you've got a recipe for an independent streak a mile wide. The problem begins when the brain ignores the body. It's the equivalent of your mouth writing checks that your ass can't cash. I am currently working on a poem about this very subject.
I have had to be beaten over the head with my own physical limitations recently and it looks like my ego got the worst of it. In fact, it's still recovering from the assault after a whole year. The stubbornness refuses to permit much in the way of actual changes. The body does the same things the brain has always insisted on, there's just a lot more bitching and sound effects involved. When it comes to asking for help, the mouth would have an easier time spitting out pinecones. Did I mention the ego is still recovering?
Where does stubborn meet gratitude? I am still functioning, after all, even if it's tougher in patches. I figure I've already past the point where it literally is all downhill from here. Hopefully, some shred of wisdom has accumulated enough for me to be able to see I need help, ask for it, and God forbid, be grateful it's there.
Postscript: This was orinally written a few months ago. We are both working now in albeit not that great jobs. They are jobs, nonetheless, and the checks clear. We also still have our health and good friends. For the record, we are lucky to have our friends and we know it!
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