Serenity and Anniversaries

On Monday I celebrated my 34th wedding anniversary, usually unless it falls on a weekend we celebrate it separately since we are rarely in the same place.  This year my husband took the day off to celebrate with me.  But unfortunately fates were against us and on Saturday he came down with a awful head-cold.

So the question of the day - how to maintain an aura of serenity when life disappoints you?

The answer - you go with the flow.  Instead of spending the day wandering around town and local museums with dinner at restaurant in town, we spent the day relaxing at home, a quick shopping trip at a local warehouse store and went out for dinner at a local sushi place.  When you're married for 34 years you learn to just go with the flow, sometimes.

Over the past couple of years I have changed my thinking about anniversaries.  For a long time I kept hoping that I would be surprised and that I would be swept off my feet with some large romantic gesture, but that isn't what marriage is really about, that's what dating is about.  Marriage is commitment, give and take, arguments, misunderstandings, forgiveness and respect.  Love is always a part of it but over-the-top romance is not always a necessity.

I read a lot of romance novels and each one is over-the-top filled with romantic situations and they are wonderful to read, but I often wonder if these books are written by people who are looking for romance in the wrong places.

If the person you married was once upon a time very romantic when you dated, why shouldn't things change.  Would you really want it to stay the same as when you were dating?

So the answer to the question how to maintain serenity when life disappoints - the best way is to acknowledge the disappointment, take a deep breath, realize that change happens and that life moves forward.

Romance isn't dead, it's simply different, it's under the surface and shown in small ways by husbands and wives or partners.  I find my serenity in this knowledge and by accepting it there is no disappointment.

Move on, Move forward, Find Serenity!

Finding Serenity When You are Exhausted.

So for the past year or so I have been having sleeping issues and no I do not have sleep apnea, but I do have issues with shutting off my brain.

I have tried really dark rooms, no noise, soft meditation music, reading boring books, etc, but still my mind won't shut down, then someone suggested that I have my hormone levels checked and sure enough there was a discrepancy, which has now been fixed with a simple cream that I put on morning and evening and for the most part I am now falling asleep relatively quick.

Last night I didn't put on the cream and I had a very rough night so today I am exhausted and exhaustion seems to make it difficult to locate my serenity, but I followed my plan for the day and this evening connected with friends and family.  This is the way to ensure the ability to find my serenity at the end of the day.

I have learned to take deep breathes, learned to enjoy small things in life.  A friend who's a great professional chef once told me that dinner should always be enjoyed even if it's just a bowl of soup and a roll.  He told me to set a place at the table, put on music, pour a glass of wine, grab a book and sit down at the table and dine - no matter what I'm eating.  I have never forgotten that advise and no matter what in the evening I dine.  It's the beginning of the process of finding serenity at the end of my day.

My mistake last night was not following my plan, instead I ate late and left on the tv so I could watch the hockey game and while I love hockey I should have known better, then I didn't spread on my cream or refill the humidifier, so I slept poorly.  Tonight I followed my plan and yes writing on my blog is part of my plan. So I truly believe that tonight I will have a great night's sleep.

I would love to hear from people who are reading my blog.  Send me a comment with how you find your serenity.

Have a great night's sleep, enjoy your meals - dine don't just eat and do your best to find serenity in all that surrounds you each and every day!