Looks like AWTM realized something this past week. So did I. I realized that sometimes you've just got to clear your head.
Last week was challenging, to say the least. It started off just fine, but by Tuesday, everything that could go wrong was beginning to go wrong. Everything I touched seem to crumble under my feet, and the trend continued until bedtime Friday evening.
It's really rather remarkable how much damage I was able to do in only five days:
- I had to back out of two commitments because a meeting that has changed more times than my hair color changed yet again (not cool)
- I scheduled phone conferences on Thursday only to realize that one of the calls was supposed to be MST, yet I had it on the schedule for EST, so I spent a great deal of time trying to fix that mess (ditz)
- I set two impossible deadlines to meet (by the hair of my chin)
- I volunteered for something I shouldn't have (Just say no!)
- Someone I hired to do something didn't do it (unprofessional)
- I had four different conversations with four different people/groups about four different issues and I seemed unable to say anything right, which took a lot of time and energy to try and fix (hoof-in-mouth disease)
- I was scolded by someone (By the way, I'm hoping he'll return that part of my tail end he chewed off at some point. Well, not ALL of it)
- I dropped the ball on an item (shameful)
- Speaking of dropping the ball.... I did it again. I scheduled SBTR shows in March for Tuesdays instead of Thursdays and had to apologize profusely to our first guest of the month and other guests we have booked (still sorting this one out - the saga continues...)
- My husband had an equally stressful week (though his tail end is still firmly in tact, thankfully)
- Busy as I was, I felt unproductive (chasing tail. Well, partial-tail. Perhaps paddling upstream would be a better analogy, given the circumstances...)
I tried to will myself some of airforcewife's trademark humor, but truth be told, I just couldn't find it. In the big scheme of things, I realize that these events by themselves are really quite minor, but when combined, they left me feeling like the woman in King Kong's fist. Furthermore, most of the above was self-inflicted, so whining is not an option. But I didn't really stop to look at the bright side, or the humorous side. I was caught up in "When it rains, it pours" mode.
Saturday morning, I asked my husband if he'd like to go to dinner and see a move. I didn't even know what was playing but I knew that we had to get out and I had to clear my head. Big-time. Would you believe we had not been to a movie theater since Blackhawk Down was playing? It was a horrible experience and we had boycotted the movie theater by the time all was said and done. The movie was playing post-9/11, when everyone was on edge. Not long after the movie had begun, screams rang out in the theater. People jumped out of their seats and many, like me, were looking for the closest exit sign. It wasn't a terrorist attack, but with nerves so raw at that time, that's what most of us assumed. Turns out, someone in the audience was having a medical emergency. After paramedics removed him, we all settled back in to watch the rest of the film, but it just wasn't an enjoyable experience.
So, we broke the ban on movie theaters and went to see Vantage Point. For two hours, I focused only on the movie and my husband. I was enjoying it. Occasionally, we would exchange thoughts about the movie, or just turn to one another and smile. BLISS..... We came home from the movie and I didn't reach for my laptop, something I would normally do. We continued the bliss by settling in and watching a couple of shows I had recorded on the DVR. Although, I suppose some would argue that watching City Confidential isn't all that relaxing (but I'm hooked)....
I still can't believe how one trip to the movie theater with my husband had the ability to clear my head and rejuvenate my spirit. I wondered to myself why I hadn't done this when my husband was deployed. It was such a powerful stress reliever. A movie requires all of your attention and allows you to block the other stuff out. Sometimes, we just need to get away for a while. Even a short while. We need an escape. What do you do to clear your head when your spouse is away?
I have high hopes for this week, but if things go badly, you can find me at the movie theater.
