Focus and Distraction: Managing Mine

Focus and Distraction:  do those words feel familiar?  Oh yes, I purposely used the word "feel", because I
have been dealing with this today, yesterday, the day before, etc., etcetera.  I feel sure you understand, and I realized it is making me more fatigued than I need to be.  The neat thing is that God answered prayer for me today;  and in the doing of following His path for me, I am finding direction.

One of the things that has been bothering me is having five blogs and two Facebook pages.  For someone that has ME/CFS among other illnesses that sounds plain crazy.  And maybe, I was feeling a little guilty:  it's the perfectionist thing kicking in.  I can't spread myself around that much.


I was wondering how I got myself into this, and I remembered that I was called.

Today, God helped me to see that by answering a prayer for me.  (He tells us in the Bible to bring all our cares and anxieties to Him.)  This afternoon, the answer was in the things I read, and I it was also brought to me by a member on one of my Facebook pages.  I am thankful God cleared up my lack of focus and the distractions with which I've been dealing;  moreover, I am absolutely amazed at how the picture of what I'm supposed to be doing is clearing up.  I feel as if I have been looking through a fogged window, and I now I can see the landscape before me.

I feel relief.  With all that is in me, I am thankful to God.

Secondly, I have been wondering if I should combine blogs, go to Wordpress, get my own domain and combine blogs.  I have that answer for now.  And it goes along with the the acronym, KIS:  keep it simple.

1. It costs money to get your own domain -- can't do that one yet.
2. I am already here, and you know I am here.
3. Blogger is easy to use.
4. Why expend energy on changing something that works.
5. I can share the information for and from Chronic Fatigue and Creative Decluttering here. (Why does this feel like one of those "duh" moments?  After all, having enough energy to clean is something with which people with chronic illnesses struggle.)

I am not going to delete the other blogs, but I am not going to struggle with what to do with them anymore -- at least, not until I am led to do something different, if that ever happens.  This is my plan:

• The two main blogs are Learning to Balance Life Changes and Living Better With An Invisible Illness.  
• Learning to Balance Life Changes will continue to be about information on Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS; dealing with our health, our psychological balance, and our physical issues; and at times I am going to mention how spiritual issues affect our life (because that is who I am).  Also, I plan to incorporate more about the decluttering of our house, our lives, our bodies, as it comes.  Why?  Because these are issues with which many people deal -- not just those with chronic illness.
• Living Better With An Invisible Illness has become a mixture of a devotional blog, a book and blog review, as well as, sharing how art journaling can be a healing tool.
• Deborah Lynne's Inspirations is going to be mostly creative things that I share on Pinterest -- DIY, up-cycling  art, etcetera.  I haven' t had much time to do that lately, because I have been floundering.
• Saying Bye to Clutter is my photo journal for decluttering.  I don't post everyday.  I accumulate pictures, then I post.  This is a fun thing for me, and I am interested to see how I feel after having posted 365 days of clutter gone.  The inspiration to keep doing it is useful too.  
• Take Comfort has been a blog of short devotions, that I began to minister to those that cannot concentrate on long Bible studies and devotionals.  Occasionally, I will do a short Bible Study to add to the collection, but lately, my devotional writing has taken a trip to Living Better With an Invisible Illness.  For right now, I think I am supposed to do it that way.   

For now, that is it.  I will be reworking my links and pages during the next few days.  But right now, I need to give my derriere a rest.  I have been sitting too long.  Also, I have some decluttering to do.  I wonder if I could convince my husband hamburgers are a good idea tonight.  I forgot to defrost something for supper.

I love you all.  If this is too long, I am so sorry.  I have become very conscious about that lately, especially since I have been reading many blogs.  My brain can only seem to take in so much; but also, I don't think our eyes were meant to stare at a computer screen for hours at a time.  See you later.

Finding a Way to Survive the Holidays

What is special about this tree?  Not the perfect placement
of ornaments or the symmetry of the branches.  The special
thing about this tree is my grandchildren helped Grandpa
put it up and they opened the Christmas boxes and placed
the ornaments on the tree for Grandma.  It was a joy watching
them have such fun, hearing them ooh and ahh over the
ornaments,  and not worrying about whether the tree was
decorated like I would do it.  Sure, I changed a few around
after they left and I added more.  But seeing this picture
reminds me of the joy and love we have for one another.

Is there anybody else out there having a love-hate relationship with the holiday season?    Please understand, when I say hate, it is not the holidays themselves that bring that word into my vocabulary;  because I have always loved everything about them--the true meaning of being thankful to God for blessings great and small, for the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus being born for the sake of mankind, and celebrating with friends and family.  

I suppose it is the changes in my life that have made each year more of a struggle.  Maybe, it is because I am reminded that I cannot do things the way I used to do them.  Sometimes, I wonder how I ever prepared the great feasts for my family, sang in the choir, volunteered in the community,  baked cookies and pies, wrapped presents, and not only cared for my family--but I played with them too.  Any time I could think of a way to make a special day and meal, so they would feel loved and we would spend time together I found a way.  How often I have thanked God for the creative mind He gave me, because it has been so helpful in my life.

Actually, last night I felt like something was eating at me, but I didn't quite know what.  I tried to write and there was a barrier there;  but now, I know the barrier was my feeling of inadequacy.  And I felt guilty, because I have sat  in my recliner so much the past two weeks.  In fact, after I finished working on the new background and header for this blog, I felt almost like I was waking up from a dream.  I am sure that is from a mixture of the brain going to another place during the creative process;  moreover, my routine has been decimated from being sick.

I would like to have my house at least halfway shipshape before Christmas.  It doesn't have to be perfect, only almost perfect -- just kidding.  However, I can only do what I can do, and I am not going to let myself get in a tizzy over what I cannot control.  I cannot help being fatigued:  that's a major part of the illness of FM and CFIDS.   I have to take care of myself first, or I cannot take care of anyone else.  Is there anybody reading this, who has already had the struggle of which I write?  Are you already wanting to do the fun things like decorating that take so much energy, but you dread being more tired or giving out entirely?  

My advice is to be careful to do only what you can do, because it is the spirit of the season that is important, not making our houses look like a magazine page.  I am hoping to listen to my own advice, as well, because I would love avoiding the January Doldrums, which is what will happen if I overdo.  

Therefore, I have a proposal, which may work for some of us -- I will write a day to day account of how to do some of the enjoyable holiday things without going into meltdown. Today is a new day and I am always ready to find a way to do things better with less energy, or at least save some for later.  So get ready for a new series for those of us that haven't finished all our Christmas cleaning, shopping, baking, wrapping, and decorating.  Intertwined will be honest accounts of how things are really going in my life.  Our bodies often are nervous, panic-ridden, and in pain under pressure;  however, the goal is to enjoy a season filled with peace and joy, regardless of our circumstances.  If you can find the time, perhaps you can go to my Facebook page, Balancing Life Changes / Living Better With Chronic Illness.  I am setting a goal for myself to have one useful idea added to it each day to make our holidays easier to deal with, no matter what your age, your faith, or your circumstances are.