The Therapeutic Benefits of Vacuuming

I sat down this morning to write a story to post and realized I might not have it in me.  The past week or so has been tough.  Our Akita, Bruno, ruptured his cruciate ligament in his left knee requiring surgery to repair, my son’s day care provider lost her husband this last weekend, temporarily closing the day care, meaning I will be taking care of my granddaughter a couple of days a week for the time being and my husband’s grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia.  All this on top of helping my mom as she struggles with chemo, and it side effects, for lung cancer and a cold, I am feeling a bit rung out.  It is said one way to handle extra stress is to focus on the positive things, get plenty of rest and exercise, but that can be hard to do when it feels like everything including the kitchen sink is being thrown at you.

After dropping Bruno off at the vet for his surgery I came home to our retriever, Bella and a quiet house, drank my second cup of coffee and decided what I really needed to do was clean the house.  It may sound a bit strange but I have found over the years that the simple act of straightening up, dusting and vacuuming can have a positive effect on my mood.  It’s the just do something approach to dealing with stress.  Doesn’t matter what just some simple household task that can be completed in a small amount of time. 

So I pulled the sheets off the bed, stuffed them in the washer and fired up the vacuum cleaner.  I lost myself in the steady humming noise of the vacuum cleaner motor as I pushed it back and forth across the carpet.  Soon the floor was clean of all the bits and pieces left behind by two large dogs, remnants of toys, chew bones and fur. 

I felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment and realized, yep, I can handle whatever comes my way by focusing on the positive, a clean floor, getting plenty of rest, a mental break from the thoughts swirling through my head as I zone out to the sound of the vacuum cleaner, and getting some exercise by pushing and pulling the vacuum as I walk around the living room.  Time to go play fetch with Bella and maybe get some writing done.    

Sometimes Life Is

Sometimes life is serene, just sailing along on a peaceful body of water, a refreshing breeze sending you skimming across the surface, the sun shining down caressing you as you relax letting the gentle wind carry you forward.

Sometimes life is a struggle, an upward climb on the side of the mountain, looming above you, no end in sight as you push forward, striving to place one foot in front of the other.

Sometimes life is an obstacle course with flat ground you race forward on in between the ten-foot wall you need to climb over and the mud pit you need to crawl through and the line of flames you need to run through, helping others as they in turn help you.

Sometimes life is a roller coaster ride, a slow, steady climb, a moment of suspension taking in the view and a wild out of control feeling of falling, swooping and tossing until the ride slows down and you come to rest at the landing and pause to catch your breath before leaping out and running around to jump back onto the ride for another go around.

Life is all of these things and more.  Life is to be lived and shared, its happy moments and its sad moments, its triumphs and its disappointments.

Live each day to its fullest potential!

Bad Luck

The sound was unmistakable.  A sharp, sudden pop followed by a yelp of pain and down he went.  His siblings stopped, turned around and watched to see if he would get up.  His left foot had landed in one of the many gopher holes dotting the pasture they were playing tag in, sending him sprawling and twisting his leg.

He groaned as the pain intensified when he tried to turn over.  His sisters knelt down beside him to reassure him while his brother ran to get help.  It was his bad luck to break his leg just before summer vacation.

Old Dogs, New Tricks

The clink of silverware on plates was a counterpoint to the ebb and flow of conversations in the dim lighting of what Sophie referred to as a “sophisticated eating establishment”.  Why Hank had selected this place was beyond her.  It wasn’t the kind of restaurant they usually patronized.

She placed the cloth napkin on her lap and smiled across the corner of the table at her husband.  He looked up from the menu in his hand and winked at her.

“Pretty fancy isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“I wanted to take you some place nice, some place you hadn’t been before.”

Keeping Warm

Winter cold descended on the land sending the family in doors to huddle close by the source of heat.  Flames flickering in merry dance mesmerized the watchers keeping the biting chill at bay.

Wind howling sought every crack to slip through bringing its icy breath inside to challenge the warmth emanating from the hearth.

“A game of chess?”  The father asked his young son, from deep within his chair.

“Yes.  I’ll set it up and this time I will beat you.”  The boy responded with a smile.

Soon they were engrossed in the strategy of the game, the cold forgotten.

A Day of Waiting

They lay gazing out the window by the door, watching the world outside, longing to run, to play in the woods and chase the neighbor’s cat.

For hours they kept vigil, raising heads and ears when some small critter scampered by, before settling back down to wait.

The day passed with shadows shifting from one side of the lawn to the other.  Still out of view, they picked up the sound of a familiar car and rose to their feet.  Noses pressed against the glass they voiced their excitement at the return of their owner.  The waiting was now over.