Buffers

People sometimes say that I am strong because I seem to cope quite well with my life. I am not strong. I have buffers.

Buffers mitigate the shock or damage caused by incompatible or antagonistic forces. They are a cushion against undesirable stresses and various other ghastly aspects in daily living.

I caused myself undue anxiety several years ago by foregoing my “morning time” in an effort to manage my time better. Talk about two steps backwards and one step forward! What a waste of effort that was!

These days, I seldom do anything before at least having a brief look at my garden, my first cup of coffee, and a bit of reading and sitting. I do this even on extremely busy days. I used to think that this was some weird way of postponing the inevitability of taking care of my disabled partner’s ablutions. What joy to discover that this is not the case.

The basic principle is this: if I have not gotten myself together, how on earth can I put anything else together? First things first. Me first. If I put myself first, the rest follows more smoothly. It throws up the occasional bright pumpkin moment during the day too.

©2017 Allison Wright