It's all about TEAMWORK

I'm going to confess right up front- this will not be a pretty blog post. 

I'm having one of those days—a pity day, perhaps, but I'm so frustrated that I feel like throwing in the towel, ditching all the technology and people. Curling up in a chair and reading—not just for today but forever—is tempting! I told you it wasn't going to be pretty!

OK, I feel better having written my frustrations out and then deleted it! 

I feel that there is too much of everything in this world, and people are trying to do it all, watch it all, or do it all, and let's face it—we CANNOT!!! For example, I came across a disturbing post on Instagram yesterday. 

I've met the person who posted, but I don't know her that well. She is a wonderful lady who posts about her life on her farm. I do not expect to see regular posts from her, and I see her posts occasionally, but I don't dwell on how often she posts. But from this particular post, it sounds like people do. She said that she is not a content creator and finds it challenging to keep up with social media - she was almost in tears. 

This is a problem. How many other people out there are in this same boat? They spend so much time creating content to get those likes or views that they ignore the things they love. Then, they get a plaque or some other recognition. Why are they spending their entire lives living to create content? For the little bit of photography that I do, styling photos can be a tremendous amount of work. Doing videos is even worse! 

How many people have multiple social platforms? I do not - I refuse to bow down and let other people's lives dictate how I spend my time or view the world. I have my own struggles. 

Everyone wants a piece of the pie and to claim their 15 (or more) minutes of fame, but at what cost? And at what cost do we follow along? I'm so tired of it that, as I mentioned, I don't post any longer (not that I posted much), but I'm trying to unfollow so many. I don't need more of anything in my life!

I search for information if needed, but I do not watch anyone religiously. Where's the "fun" learning if you always watch and learn from someone else? What happened to the "fun" of figuring it out ourselves? OH GOD—that's why I'm stressed! Let me clarify that I'm not stressed from learning; I'm stressed because my device is not working properly. Is it me, or is it the machine? 

Oops, that's another sentence I wrote and deleted. Yes, there are things I want to tell certain people about how they make me feel, and I should direct that to them, not in a blog post! So I wrote it and then deleted it! 

Let's put it this way -- I cannot wait for my three-month hiatus this summer. I want to get away from Zoom calls, emails, and requests. I want to leave it all behind. I may even figure out how to set an "out of office" on my email and shut it down for three months! I know how to do it, so don't be surprised! People who walk the Camino become obsessed with it. I don't think it's the walking or the location. I think it's the ability to leave everything they know behind without worrying about their daily life. 

So, how can we create that lifestyle here at home? SIMPLIFY --- stop taking (and giving) so many classes, trying to do it all, trying to make and read content online, go back to what YOU LIKE to do, and have fun with that. 

As I said, today has been extremely frustrating so far, so I'll go back to the basics, see what happens, and work my way up from there. Perhaps someone is trying to teach me a lesson—to slow down, to enjoy life!

It doesn't help that I've injured my shoulder and am in constant pain, which doesn't do much to one's morale. Now DH and I are a matched pair—his right shoulder and my left. Let's just say I'm too old to climb trees and leave it at that! 

Anyway -- we all have that kind of day, and I'll get through - I'm strong enough to do that, but it's easy to see how those with less stamina can get bogged down, and I can't imagine dealing with this daily. Hopefully, the machine issue will be resolved by tomorrow. The shoulder is another story!

But let's find something happier to talk about—the EXIT Game Advent Calendar! So we unlocked door 12, and we'll solve that puzzle tonight. What is hilarious is how we solve the puzzles. Last night, we opened up the clues, and there's this diagram that looks like Pac-Man. Two other cards and some diagrams are in the box (room). 

The EXIT Game

I was going to spend time deciphering the drawings in the room. Dh says that so far, we haven't needed what's in the rooms. OK, so then he reads the information and tells me that he solved the puzzle the night before and that it's my turn. I kind of freeze, and then, in a flash, the answer or the methodology comes to me. So, while he's puzzling over the cards, I'm figuring out the numbers. 

Then he looked at me and offered his idea, and I was excited to show him. So I punched in the numbers, and voila -- it worked. But if he had not said, don't worry about the box, I might still be there. I think we would struggle individually, but collectively, we make a good team. SHARING IDEAS -- it's all about sharing ideas!!! 

That's what I want my classes to be—sharing ideas, but so often, I feel that I'm the only one sharing! I know that's not true, but it sure feels like it on some days—until I start asking questions. 

I desperately need to go through my sock drawer and eliminate the ones with holes. I know I get attached to them, and yes, I'll wear the holey ones! So, I made a start yesterday and pulled out a brand-new pair of socks. They're pretty wild colors. I didn't even notice there was a left and a right until I had them on. They look like alien faces! 

My new socks

Looking closely at the green area, you will see an orange letter - left and right! 

I haven't been walking as diligently as I have in the past, which might have something to do with my mood. I admit I'm irritated by many things, and most of those things are small, and it's starting to show in my interaction with others. So I better get my butt back out and walk! I'm not behind on my Virtual Challenges, but I must get outside and walk to blow off that steam! 

I stopped at the dollar store yesterday to look for two things various people mentioned. I found precut parchment shapes, but only rounds and loaf liners, not the cookie sheet ones. I don't need them as I can create the same thing from the boxes of my own parchment paper. 

Pre-cut parchment shapes

I found cotton rope in the craft section. I do not need any more of it, as I have oodles of it here. 

Cotton rope

I also found this: Seriously? That looks like the real thing and look at the price. The brand name is Calvin. 

A weeding tool

I did not buy this as I now have so many scrappers and weeding tools, but I love that there is only one of each. It's simple, and well, you can't beat the price. 

This is a huge problem; how can the dollar store sell something like this? How does $3 cover the material cost, the design cost, the packaging cost, and the shipping cost? And then how do the other brands compete? Paying only $3 becomes an item that we don't care so much about and can easily replace, adding to our throwaway society. 

I think dollar stores have contributed significantly to our society's waste. Because things don't cost much, no one cares about them and throws them away after one use. That's bad. The other day, someone mentioned something (making a photocopy) I shouldn't do because it wasn't environmentally friendly.  I do ALL my errands on foot, I don't buy packaged food, I recycle like mad. HEY—let's just say we are saving the planet each in our own way! And there are days when I see how others treat the planet, and you think - seriously?? A photocopy or two is NOTHING compared to the waste in the corporate world or in some people's houses! 

By the way, I checked the label on the car's side door and saw the vehicle is manufactured in the US. I did further research, and NO CARS are being made in New Zealand, so while I liked all the other information the guy gave me at the Toyota dealership, I think that information was incorrect. 

So, while I have nothing official to do today, I have loads of work. I'm going to allow a certain amount of time to figure out my issue, and then I'm going to walk away from it unless I can get it to work. There is some computer work I can do and then I have many other things that I need to tackle. 

Here's hoping the day goes better than the last four days. And who knows, I may be walking miles and miles today to blow off steam! 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!