The word “retirement” never really resonated with me but here I am, winding down my writing life. It’s a big step. Since I don’t do stress well, I feel compelled to eliminate those things — worries… frustrations… decisions — that tighten my gut and keep me awake at night. To this end, I want fewer obligations, less to do, and less to think about. Or, as graphic artists put it, more white space.
Quite frankly, It’s taken me a lifetime to clearly see the bottom line — good health is like gold, and good health depends on a really good immune system. Basically, it whittles down to sleeping better, eating better, getting regular exercise, and reducing those things that keep your adrenaline running full steam.
A doc once told me that if I wanted to heal faster, get more sleep. After several bouts of bronchitis I wanted antibiotics, but this was a virus that had to heal on its own. Getting more sleep sounded like a no-brainer at the time. Ha, what a laugh that was!
I’ve been blogging now for 19 years, 488 bits of what I like to think is wisdom. (my name IS Wiseman after all) Blogging was a new concept then so my first attempt was to email Comfort Clues to a small mailing list of everyone I knew at the time. A tiny bit of advice or observation that would only take minutes to read. Below was my maiden voyage into cyberspace… 57 words!
March 12, 2005
#1 Letter vs email
“Try to occasionally break away from quickie email notes. Your heartfelt words will linger longer on someone’s desk than on their desktop. And to some, your sentiment will mean more when real time and ink are involved. Warming someone’s heart is, after all, worth the price of a stamp. Surprisingly, even computer geeks appreciate real stationery sometimes.”
The length gradually increased when the word “blogging” become official, and I changed the name to Life Tweaks. The name Weeding out the Crap eventually evolved because, really, that’s what it’s all about anyhow.
In many ways I feel relieved because writing a blog isn’t all about putting words together in a pleasing way. That’s just the fun part. The other part is how you show up online, inserting certain words in certain places to make sure it gets read. The 600 words you read takes wrangling and this techie part often leaves me with a headache. Sooo, I do feel some relief in letting it all go.
In the end, the most valuable assets a person can have is the ability to stay calm in the face of…. whatever, and to see the humor in the worst of situations. The antidote for me to being frustrated, stressed out, anxious, angry, irritated or worried is C-A-L-M. My habit has always been to over-react to situations so, clearly, I have work to do!
My first book A Patchwork of Comforts came out in 2004, my second Emerging From the Heartache of Loss, in 2014. When I first had the idea for writing a book about how people calmed themselves down, I asked a mailing list of about 200 what their favorite comfort was. My children were the first to reply. Christy’s favorite de-stressor was Learning, Jesse found comfort in Doing Nothing. They were unexpected responses from young adults still in their 20’s, but now I realize they already knew what was important even at that young age.
For those of you who have intended to read Emerging, now might be a good time. Amazon is offering it for $9.52 at the moment and I don’t know how long this deal will last.
What’s next for me is a good question. One thing I know for sure is that change is a good thing, so it’s time to open up my time and my mind. Draining my brain of wordplay is bound to free up space so great ideas can float through! Oh yes, there will definitely be gaps to fill!
This all fits into my master plan to simplify life down to what really matters most. Thank you all for your interest, both in my bog and my books.
Our lives are meant be enjoyed, not merely tolerated!