Venting on my blog is not something I like to do.  But I thought I’d switch it up for a change and tell you about my one day in the life of first world problems. Events I refer to as my Seinfeld Saturday. Remember that show was supposed to be much ado about nothing.  But it was really about something in the way it presented humorous renderings of daily insignificance that we North Americans experience and complain about.  No wonder it was so successful and it’s still relevant because every single episode was about mundane setbacks we can all relate to.

Before I begin I want to mention that a few weeks ago a tragic accident happened to someone I know who was involved in a head on car collision.  She did not survive. I haven’t been in much of a mood to write.  Life is precarious.  It’s a gift and when something like this happens out of the blue it really makes you evaluate what is important and what is not.  But we manage to move on however we can – taking in all the good, the bad and the uncertain. 

So as I’m reliving a very ordinary day, make no mistake that I’m also grateful for being alive to not only share it, but to poke fun at it too – like Seinfeld would.

Picking up my top from the same cleaners that I always go to resulted in a much higher bill for the same top which was there only two months prior. I found my old bill and noticed a $10 increase. I know; I know, the excuse of inflation, higher gas prices, yada, yada. However when I go to the cleaners I don’t expect to be taken to the cleaners!

Next was going to see my alterationist – a very skilled one at that.  I had a lining replaced in a fancy little jacket that belonged to my mom.  Her name was inscribed in the lining.  I asked that the name be cut out but sewn back for sentimental reasons.  Picked it up, got home and looked inside to see the name sewn upside down. Perhaps a metaphor for the topsy-turvy upended times we live in. When I called the alterationist to let her know, she explained that she was too busy so asked her husband to sew it on for her. Of course I had to take it back and get her to re-do it, which she did. But not happily. And extra wasted time for me.

Then I tried to register a business because I was granted the name I requested. However, in British Columbia you have to go through a “one-stop” business registry system (actually called “one-stop”) that makes you go through several non one-stop steps. Again; first world problem.  Still, I don’t understand why so much time is wasted on these unnecessary extra steps.  I’ll spare you the details.

My dog needing grooming but since we were on a two month wait list for the local groomer I decided to take her to a dog store with a DIY service.  I bathed, blow dried and thinned out Layla’s coat there. I may have used too much conditioner because Layla had so much static after blow drying that her fur was sticking straight up.  She looked like Rod Stewart. So we showed up at the regular groomer right after. Even though busy with other dogs, someone who works there decided to spend a few moments with Layla to straighten out the situation.

Later in the day, looking back on the day, I laughed over how many little things upset me.  Life’s little problems.

It’s a new week with a whole new set of adventures _{and little problems}.  I wish you a wonderful week.  See you back here soon.

2022 here we go! I like the numbers.  They appear more balanced.

Summing up the year so far…

The theme of this year is letting go. Letting go of what cannot be controlled. For starters; to stop putting pressure on myself and on others to do more, be more and maybe just BE is in itself, a bit of a challenge. Expectations have changed big time. Energy wasting explanations too – like letting go of a need to explain when there is really no need to explain.

We’ve all experienced many unforeseen events and changes in the past almost two years and this year will be no different because change is constant and we have to deal with the good along with the bad. It’s only the uncertainty that is puzzling and seems to be trying everyone’s patience. 

This year kicked off with a kick in the chest of a few less people in my life – two amazing women I know have passed.  Even some friendships have changed.  Some have lessened, some have strengthened and one has unexplainably disappeared from my life. Nothing is as it was, and yet everything is as it should be (except finding out about the untimely passing of my friend Ruth). Just trying to accept things as they are is a test to human nature along with a testament to strength.

Humans are disappointing.  We can watch all the blood, graphic violence & soft porn on every day TV shows, but we have to watch our personal opinions on social media.

As the symbolism behind the number 2022 suggests: set priorities in life and use your energy and time on them exclusively. Avoid thinking about unimportant things as this will only waste your time and take away energy that can be used in a much more useful way. Only draw in honest people to your life. Don’t dismiss the importance of lessons from the past. If you are aware of your eventual mistakes, you will know things to avoid in the future. Fear can only block you from achieving what you want, so ignore it. Be fierce, confident, and trust your instinct. For example, our own beliefs and idealizing people that are obviously not good for us can teach us not to ignore what our instinct is telling us. If you trust your gut, that means you believe in yourself.  So believe in yourself!

Alison Bechdel in “The Secret to Superhuman Strength” writes:

“Peel it back far enough and beneath every obsession, every compulsion, every peculiarity of being, every creative act and every destructive act, there is the kernel of some universal human struggle or longing — usually for love or for control, the twin faces of the elemental human heartache: we are born to die, and in the meantime life is one great uncertainty throughout which we are fundamentally alone, no matter the people and possessions we surround ourselves with.

How these universals manifest, however, is to a large extent a product of the time and place into which chance has deposited us.”

In “Superhuman Strength” you can feel that Bechdel knows that she doesn’t have that much control. But perfection is not the point, which is the point. Control is an illusion; the secret is to let go. – part of New York Times book review.

Wherever we go, we take ourselves with us – Walt Whitman.

You can follow the right path or you can take a rocky road – which is okay if it’s ice cream.