{"id":9764,"date":"2015-01-09T19:40:09","date_gmt":"2015-01-10T00:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/?p=9764"},"modified":"2015-01-09T19:40:09","modified_gmt":"2015-01-10T00:40:09","slug":"stopping-while-youre-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2015\/01\/stopping-while-youre-ahead.html","title":{"rendered":"stopping while you’re ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"via<\/a>
via google<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My knees hurt. They join my poor arthritic hands (which look more like I remember my grandmother’s than my mother’s…). I’m cleaning up for family visiting this weekend, and I overdid. I do that a lot. And I suspect you do, as well.<\/p>\n

Here’s the deal: it’s counterproductive. Really. We think:\u00a0I can just finish this bit, then this bit, then…<\/em> And suddenly we’re exhausted, and cross, to boot. Maybe even yelling at our beloveds, or breaking something because we aren’t paying attention.<\/p>\n

Fatigue hits like that — it clouds our judgement, and aggravates whatever stress was already there. In my case, impatience w\/ my own mortality.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0used<\/em> to be able to do what I wanted. My body obeyed whatever odd (or unreasonable) requests I made of it. No longer. It’s called ‘aging.’ And it SUCKS. Well, until I consider the alternative! OF COURSE I want to be here for my family, my friends, that incredibly smart & funny grandson. To see what new poems I might come up with, what new birds there might be in the backyard… (There was either a Bewick’s or a house wren yesterday, even in the winter!) And that won’t happen if I don’t take care of myself.<\/p>\n

What do you push yourself at? Not the good kind of stretching-out-of-your-comfort-zone push, but the\u00a0I have to get this done! It has to be done THIS WAY, and NOW!\u00a0<\/em>push. Rein in that kind of push; it will only lead to grief.<\/p>\n

In my case, pulled muscles, tight hands, and a slightly busted up vacuum cleaner. Not to mention an abject apology to my poor beloved…<\/p>\n

Take my advice: pour a hot cuppa; sit down for a short break. All that work will be there. Trust me. And you’l be far better able to tackle it. Remember: moderation, grasshopper. Moderation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My knees hurt. They join my poor arthritic hands (which look more like I remember my grandmother’s than my mother’s…). I’m cleaning up for family visiting this weekend, and I overdid. I do that a lot. And I suspect you do, as well. Here’s the deal: it’s counterproductive. Really. We think:\u00a0I can just finish this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[931],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,1386],"class_list":["post-9764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moderation","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-moderation"],"yoast_head":"\nstopping while you're ahead - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My knees hurt. They join my poor arthritic hands (which look more like I remember my grandmother's than my mother's...). 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