Coping Craftiness

How many times in the past year have you felt unable to cope?....Unable to deal with the mundane details of everyday life? If you're anything like me, it's been plenty. Sometimes I feel so harried and distressed by thinking of all those seemingly useless details that I just want to close the door to my bedroom, put my face in the pillow and scream until my lungs burn, lol.

Could I ever look at it in a different way? Well, sure I could, but how realistic is that? While I'm writing out bills or coaxing my son to sleep it's super hard to remember that what I'm doing is essential to my life. And yet, just as essential to my life are the mundane details, so is the realization that what I'm doing is "rising to the occasion". If I look at it in that way, I have a better understanding and I am a little more willing to proceed with my tasks with a smile rather than a scowl.

Realizing you are superb in "rising to the occasion" is much like finding a gem, you want to savor it, keep it in a safe and easily accessible place so that you can always be reminded you have it. Longfellow believed that situations that call forth our coping abilities are "celestial benedictions" in evil disguises, sent not to deflate our souls, but to fulfill them.

"Most women are geniuses at rising to the occasion. But we've never realized how extraordinary this talent really is, because it's second nature by now. We've never given credit where credit is due, because we've never given coping much thought. But if women who cope wellran everything, Nirvana wouldn't only be the name of a grunge band.

We become more adept at rising to the occasion each time we see ourselves doing it. Every time we cope well with whatever life throws our way, it's another deposit of confidence, creativity, and courage in our self esteem account. So congratulate yourself each night for handling the unexpected with finesse. Well done.

Today, when you need to rise to the occasion, do it with style. Do it with a knowing smile. Confound them. Astound yourself. Make it look easy, and it will become so."

**Excerpt taken from Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, by Sarah Ban Breathnach**

Acknowledge the goddess within that rises up and accomplishes everything that she does. Every time you load and unload the washer and dryer, have confidence that it takes an exceptional woman to do everything you do and still take the time to make sure her family has clean clothes. Every time you tuck your children in at night, be comforted in the fact that even though you're hanging on by your fingernails, you're there, ensuring their security and letting them know how very much they are treasured.

Pat yourself on the back, reward the lovely lady you are. Only then can you truly be there for everyone else, only then can you truly put into the world what you are meant to. With a satisfied soul, the happiness spreads, becomes contagious. Honor yourself, your heart, spirit and everything you are, every day. Trust that you create Everyday Magic just by being who you are and "rising to the occasion".

*Previously published in Primitive Times Magazine