Time to Reboot!

                          Sign I fell in love with on the wall of the crab shore at the beach.

I love computers when they work and work well. However, when they don’t I become easily frustrated, irritated, frazzled, and want to give them the boot, so that’s what I usually do . . . reboot!  Lately I've felt a lot like a computer that’s not working, and because of that I have become frustrated, irritated, and frazzled.  My mind is slow, my recall is poor, I’m on overload and wish I had a reboot button.

Sadly I stop functioning well when I go into overdrive.  My days have been really full recently, full of events, good and bad, that have come one on top of another, fast and furious.  There is no end in sight, it’s called life, and I am trying figure out how to reboot and reload and keep abreast of it all.

                                              Me, leaning on a firm foundation :)
Several things have helped me regain my grip.  First of all I realized I wasn't spending much time in prayer or the Bible.  For someone whose faith is central, that quickly takes a toll.  Quiet time conversing with the Lord, reading His Word and lifting cares, concerns, and loved ones up to Him quickly lightens my daily load.  It’s nice to remember I’m not alone in shouldering all that life brings to bear each day.  Verses like Psalm 62:1, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” , encourage me. Scripture may not mean much to a non-believer, but to me, it is a great comfort and starts my day with a promise of rest and strength for all the hours ahead of me. I’m a great advocate of meditation, it’s like hitting the “refresh” button.

                                         Me and Bob at the beach

Another thing that helped me get back on top of my game was some self-pampering.  A trip to the beach with my honey and some close friends, listening to waves and sea gulls, talking, laughing, eating, resting, and breaking my normal routine turned out to be the ultimate “reboot”.  I’m not one for running away from problems and concerns, but I am for shelving them temporarily when the load gets particularly heavy. The unexpected death of my brother-in-law was the straw that broke the camel’s back; I could hardly wait to feel the sand beneath my feet.   My energy level rose each day at the beach and I returned home renewed.  I highly recommend mini, restorative retreats.

Finally, to keep things from heating up, I’m trying to slow down and take things a day at a time and not look too far ahead.  Just like my computer needs to be turned off to cool down from time to time, I’m learning to turn my brain off from time to time, letting it cool down and reload.  Sometimes just throwing a load of laundry in so I can check something quick off the “to do” list, gives me a lift. Other times, I need something more substantial, like quality time with my kids, grand kids  husband or friends to refill my tank, I’m an extrovert and people are my pepper uppers.

Me and Aubree at the petting farm

                                              Me and my grand daughter Katie

The world is not going to stop turning, life is not going to slow down. Every moment is important, I definitely need to hit the  “save”  button from time to time so I won’t forget any memories or waste any time, but for now, rebooting was most important, and I’m back online.  

                                     Me and my dear Australian friend, Chris