- Evelyn James – The Parenting Coach
Perhaps I’m in denial. Every few years or so I convince myself that I’m not really allergic to avocados, I try it, then end the evening hugging the commode. At least the interval between these bouts of denial has become longer.
Recently I again tried to convince myself that I really wasn’t allergic to a pair of earrings. They’re cute, and dangly and with my new haircut they peek out from under my hair and really sparkle. With infants for the last 5 years (three in succession) I’ve refrained from wearing dangly earrings as infants grab and pull. Toddlers think they’re a handle to get Mommy’s attention.
But since we were going on a special outing, I thought I’d give it a try. As sure as the sun rises, I wound up with sore and inflamed earlobes again. What a phenomenal irritant it is to live with achey and oozing earlobes. At various points in the day when I really didn’t want to be thinking about my earlobes, there they’d be, itching and demanding attention.
What an incredibly silly thing to be paying attention to when I have three kids continually demanding attention, a husband graciously wanting attention but not being demanding, a house to maintain, a masters degree I’m working on, a career I’m launching, a business I’m starting, a level of health I’m trying to attain, a state of spirituality I’m seeking to live in, and so on, and so on, and so on. But no, there are my earlobes screaming “THINK OF ME”.
There are things like this in all our lives at some point or another. Is it a drawer that won’t shut? Is it a phone call you haven’t made? Is it a thank-you note left unwritten?
What is it that intrudes on your life and your progress?
It could be any one of a thousand things that keeps you from taking the next step in the direction you REALLY want to go. It’s the silly little things, like itching earlobes. Or the big things, like college degrees left unfinished. They don’t always make sense, but they have the effect of putting speed bumps on your freeway. What a choice — slow down or rip out your chassy. Well there’s another choice. Getting rid of the speed bumps all together.
Sometimes getting rid of the speed bump can be a very simple thing. Ten minutes of dedicated attention could resolve it completely. Others might take ten minutes a day, but they’re still just as doable.
Take a moment to think about how fun it would be to actually drive on the freeway at freeway speeds. Woo HOO! Kick that speedbump to the curb!!!
I know I’m throwing away those earrings. And it should be at least another five years before I eat avocados again.