trouble with macaroni

The following is a conversation I had at work today:

Them:  “Mrs. Z is doing well eating on her own, but she did have some trouble with her macaroni last night.”

Me:  “Well, we all have trouble with our macaroni once in a while.”

 After that conversation, I started thinking about “trouble with macaroni” as a metaphor for how we occasionally struggle with the simple things in life.  You know those days when you can’t seem to get out of your own way?  You wake up in the morning and every action feels like a chore.  You can’t decide whether or not to eat, what to eat, what to wear, to make coffee at home or to stop and get it on the way to work.  You feel like you’re going in circles and getting nothing accomplished fast, so by the time you step out the door, you’re ready for a nap.  What causes these complications in simplicity?  What is it that gets in our way?  Please indulge me as I share a few of my theories on that.

One thing that can cause this trouble is an interruption in our regular routine.  Now, I’ve always thought of myself as a flexible, go-with-the-flow kind of person and I don’t get too stressed by things changing around me, but after moving several times in the past 5 years, I’ve come to see how important a routine is to my daily success.  Each time I moved I had to come up with a new routine that worked with my new floor plan.  Without a solid routine in place, I had a great deal of difficulty getting out of the house on time each morning.  I found some places were easier to navigate than others;  it depended on where the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen were in relation to each other.  Once I grew accustomed to the new environment, I was able to get back into a routine that enabled me to feel at home and, therefore, get things done more easily and feel in sync with life.

Another thing that may cause “troubles with macaroni” is a lack of good, deep, restful sleep.  When you are over-tired, everything seems like a problem; even the simplest of things can seem insurmountable and lead you to a place of frustration.  Other things such as being burnt out, being sick, or neglecting your self-care can feel similar to having a lack of sleep.  It is when we tend to make mountains out of molehills and a catastrophe is always looming nearby.  This is not a pleasant place to be, for us or anyone around us.  When we are there, we make life more complicated, and thus struggle even more.  Good self-care is paramount to warding off any “troubles with macaroni”.

The last thing I want to mention is the tendency we have to listen to our mind and become involved in the endless chatter that takes place in that realm.  Most days, we are not aware of the ramblings of our mind.  We don’t notice that we are lost in an illusion that has become our reality.  When we are able to step away and listen to our natural voice, our intuition, we see that the answers are usually quite simple and, consequently, easy to find.  There are no “troubles with macaroni” in that place.  It’s impossible.  Meditation is one way for you to get to know that reality and the effect it has on your life.  Over time, with practice, meditation can help quiet the chatter and alleviate any troubles it may be causing.  It’s much easier to deal with “macaroni” when you are fully present and able to give all your attention to the issue at hand.

I hope this lesson in “macaroni trouble” has been helpful to you and given you a new perspective on struggling with the simple things in life.  Sometimes a little humor can help you through those moments too.  I know it certainly can’t hurt.

As always…yours in transformation,

Wordlywoman