Pep Talk
On Perspective
Hi, Friend.
I’m here with a little pep talk, in case you need one. I don’t know about you, but my weekend was a real mixed bag. If I had to give it a grade card, it would look something like this.
Dinner with dear friends I’ve known since I was 12: A
Car accident with an uninsured driver on the way to my son’s soccer game: F
Birthday gathering in the neighbors’ backyard with cocktails and cake: A
Planning zoom with Danusha Laméris for our upcoming craft class: A
The funny thing is, my weekend’s average grade is a B, but that’s not how it felt. It felt like a bunch of solid A’s and one big fat F, and that big fat F couldn’t drag down the A’s. Realizing this made me think of this note-to-self from Keep Moving: The Journal.
It’s so easy, isn’t it—to let the one big fat F overshadow all of the A’s? One bad thing happens, and the whole day is ruined. I was determined not to let that happen. Was I upset? Yes. Was I stressed out about the damage and about what we would do with our only car in the shop? Yes. But I knew I had to keep it in perspective not only for me but for my kids, who were with me, watching and listening.
Before I got out of my car to talk to the driver who broadsided us, I took a deep breath and told my son and daughter, “I’m not going to yell at this woman.” (Yes, I was talking as much to myself as I was to them: Maggie, stay calm.) The last thing I said to the driver, before getting back into my car, was that I was glad she was okay, and glad we were okay, too. I was more grateful for that than I was angry about the inconvenience.
So, I had a mostly A weekend with an F dropped in the center of it, like a dark cloud surrounded by a lot of sunshine and blue sky. That 20% storm is temporary.
I walked to one appointment today—under beautiful sunny skies—and later I’ll walk to meet friends for dinner. My kids both walk to school each day. My events and meetings are all virtual this week. I know we can manage rides to soccer practices and games, because we have such a supportive village of friends and neighbors. I’m grateful.
I hope your week ahead is all sunshine, because I want that for us all, but if it’s not, I hope you take a deep breath and see the storm for what it is. It’s not the weather. It’ll pass.
Love,
Maggie
I needed that talk. My dad died in August. And my mom is now in the ICU. I’m trying to keep perspective but it does get overwhelming. The good part is my spouse, sister & friends have been great. And I feel blessed for that. Much love 💗
Maggie: you have no idea how much I need this right now. Though I think you do know, which is why you’re being so vulnerable and gracious with all of us.
I just received an email from our local writing nonprofit (for whom I am planning to teach a four-week class on poetic forms) telling me that I have one sign up so far and I need four more by Friday or the class will be canceled. I’m taking this pretty hard, even if there’s still four days. I can only imagine no one really gives a damn about sonnets and I’m taking it personally. Which I know is irrational but it’s where I’m at. I felt like this class was my first chance to show myself this MFA was worth it. Considering I got turned down by a different nonprofit last week for a teaching gig I was banking on this.
Anyway, I get to facilitate my weekly meditation group tonight and see all the friends I’ve made there over the last decade. It’s still summery here in Western MT, at least today. I’m cat sitting and the cat is just a dear. There’s good in the world. Thank you for the pep talk ♥️