A strange day …

It’s been a strange day. I’ve been doing some technical work on another site and there are things that I don’t easily understand. I’m struggling a bit, to be honest. So I was going round in circles and making no headway at all and feeling a bit despondent about the whole thing. No matter where I searched I couldn’t find any answers to the problems that seemed to sprout up one after the other.

This is not a good situation for someone who is writing about being truly amazing, oh no, not at all. I reviewed my to-do list and there were plenty of things I needed to do, no shortage of them at all, but I couldn’t really get anywhere because I was blocked till I could find a way out.

What to do?

First thing, stop worrying. That never helps. We convince ourselves that it achieves something but it never does. If a situation is really bad, I mean really bad, then it’s probably too late to be worrying anyway. There’s probably nothing much you can do by now so maybe you just have to accept that things have gone to hell. You’re in a bad situation and that’s all there is to it.

If things aren’t really that bad, then worrying isn’t called for. What’s needed is some clear thinking and some calmness. You need to settle your mind and try to think logically. There is a way out, you just have to find it. I decided there was something I could do.

For a start, there were some tedious but necessary jobs needed on that site I’ve been working on, so I spent some time tackling some of them. It’s something that had to be done anyway and it was a chance to take my mind off the main problem, so that was the way to go. Another thing I did was a bit of training. I spend a lot of time at the keyboard and I need to take any opportunity that comes my way to get up and do something physical.

I didn’t do much, just some pull ups and some press ups, but as you know if you read any of my stuff, there’s a hell of a lot you can do with just a few simple exercises. I also did some cleaning, both in the room where I work and in the house generally. I like to try to keep the place clean and I find it works as a bit of therapy as well as making me useful round the house. Once I’ve spent an hour or so doing some cleaning I feel like I can handle any problems that need sorting out. I know the solutions won’t suddenly jump out at me, but I also know I’ll get there in the end. I can handle most of what I need to do as regards web design, but I’m by no means an expert, so it’s not at all unusual for me to bump into obstacles along the way. I just have to find a way round them. Or through them, as the case may be.

It’s still a strange day.

I don’t feel at all in control of things at the moment. But you know what keeps me going best of all? I just have to consider that I’ve got it made! I’ve got a roof over my head, food on the table, and I could list dozens of other things I’m grateful for (but I won’t, you’ll be glad to hear … oh, maybe just a few then … I can type, I have an internet connection, I have some [limited] knowledge of using the computer, etc).

Millions of people all over the world don’t even have running water. They don’t have proper sanitation. They have barely enough to eat. They have no medical care. Any problems I have pale in comparison to theirs. It would be nothing short of shameful to consider I’m having a hard time when I have more than most people in the world. Compared to their lifestyle mine is luxurious beyond words. And I don’t forget that. I’m grateful for all the things we take for granted most of the time. I remind myself how lucky I am, how lucky most of us are actually. And realising how lucky I am keeps me grounded. I don’t start screaming and banging my head on the desk out of frustration. I just stay calm and take a deep breath.

Then, when I consider how things are, I might still say it’s been a bit of a strange day, but that’s all. I won’t bemoan all the problems I’ve come up against and I won’t let myself feel miserable. It would be an insult to all those people who are really struggling, and have to struggle every single day of their lives.

It’s an amazing day!

So there you are. It’s been a bit of a strange day. But it’s a fantastic day really, there’s so much in it, and about it, that is truly amazing that I just don’t have it in me to be miserable. I refuse to sink into the depths of despair over the minor problems I face. I just sit here and keep typing. And I find myself smiling at how lucky I really am.