Thursday, July 7, 2011

Ouch!




Last week I had surgery to remove a soft tissue mass from my baby toe. It had been there for about a year but I'd ignored it, figuring it'd shrink and eventually go away.  But it didn't.  Instead, it grew. As it did, it became increasingly painful and eventually affected how I functioned. 

When the doctor removed the mass and sewed up the wound, he wrapped it in gauze and applied medicine to keep it clean so the healing could continue. And I had to wear this funky shoe for a couple weeks.  Once enough time passed, the doctor took it off; now I'm back to wearing regular shoes. 

It reminds me of other things in my life that aren't right, but I ignore them, figuring they'll get better or go away on their own. Sometimes that works, but other times, I have to take action. Fixing it takes time, and, depending on what it is, there may be scars left, like the one on my toe.  But the wound is gone.

Time management is one thing I've struggled with for years. I make a list of tasks to complete and set an amount of time for each thing, but sticking to it isn't easy for me. How about you? Is there anything in your life you'd rather ignore, hoping it'll just go away like the mass on my toe?  I hope I'm not the only who wrestles with these things. I'd love to hear what works for you.  





























3 comments:

Vonda Skelton said...

I've found that I have to turn off email! If it's on, even if the sound is turned off, I'm constantly aware of it...and must stop frequently to check it. After all, what if someone needs an answer right this minute???

Carol Anne Wright Swett said...

Ellen, I've had to decide what is feels important vs what is needed. Especially if I have a big event coming up. I look at what I can do that has to happen for the event to go off as needed. Then, I MAKE myself let go of the other stuff. The world won't fall apart. Given my Type A tendencies, it is easy for me to believe if I don't get everything done, I'm just a loser. SO, that process of letting go has come really hard for me...but it is coming!

Ellen Andersen said...

Vonda, you're absolutely right. E-mail, though a wonderful way of communicating with people can be very distracting and easily get me off track. Carol, discerning between the urgent and the important is a good way to keep myself focused on one thing at a time.....I'll have to work on that one.