(Do you know who those hands belong to? Is it a plea for help? Is someone missing? If so, could it be you or me? Thank you Lynn Kelley for volunteering this picture via WANA Commons.)
In any event, everyone Clap Your Hands!
Some of you may have noticed that I didn’t blog over the summer. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. I succumbed to burn-out, an aftershock from all the turmoil that happened over the last couple of years. I couldn’t move. Days would go by and I literally could not move.
Was I depressed? No, not really. More like exhausted. Beyond exhausted.
When you are deluged by difficulties that are out of your control, when necessary, you will rise to the occasion, then afterwards you collapse. I think it has something to do with that old adage, what goes up must come down. And I crashed. It’s just that simple.
At first I thought I’d take a month off. That sounded reasonable. With so many of you at home with your children or gone away on vacation, I would go unnoticed. Then another month went by and then another. It got easier not to blog. I mean, who would really miss me?
But I was wrong.
I tried to connect on Facebook because it’s a great way to stay in touch. Then, in mid-August, I saw a post on my feed that mentioned a WANA classmate who was recovering from major surgery. Don’t ya just love that about Facebook? It gives us an opportunity to support and root for our family and friends. The WANAite was none other than Anthony Tuscano. And he apparently had a serious issue that required major surgery.
Ding, ding, ding, off went my radar. I, of all people, know about the recovery process from major surgery. So I left a cheerful “Get Well” message amongst many others. Well, don’t you know, dear Anthony leaves me this reply, “Karen, I’ve missed reading your blog; and I miss you!”
Moi?…Really?
I was taken aback by Anthony’s kind words knowing HE was the injured party. It was HE who no doubt suffered from major surgery. And he thought of me?
I clapped my hands.
At the beginning of September, I heard from another WANA classmate, Pat O’Dea Rosen. Do you see a trend here? Pat, it seems, has an art for direction. She, in her own gracious, complimentary manner, gave me a nudge. Why, this writer remembered the very first post I ever wrote. She, in a nutshell, told me that I had “set high standards and put too much pressure on myself.” Her comment actually mirrored something Jenny Hansen had said to me over a year ago.
Call me thick headed, but don’t you hate it when people are right? Did they nail me, or what? I have come to realize there is no hiding behind what you write. It’s there for all to see in black and white. But this was Pat’s way of telling me that I was missed.
I clapped my hands.
Then I thought about others who are struggling. Or those of you, who out of the kindness of your heart, come by and leave a comment on my blog. Do you know how much you’re missed? Yet, it is possible that many of us may feel like we are blogging out to the Universe and are never missed. Now, how sad would that be?
There’s been a lot going on over the past few months. Fires, tornadoes, floods, illness, yes, most of us are dealing with quite a number of challenging issues. Yet, we keep pressing on. Why not take a look around you. See who might be MIA and send them a message. You’d be surprised how little it takes to encourage another.
I leave you with this thought that came across my Facebook feed the other day…
“If you find someone who makes you smile, who checks on you often to see if you’re okay, who watches out for you and wants the very best for you, don’t let them go. Keep them close and don’t take them for granted. People like that are hard to find.” (Author unknown.)
So if you’re missed and you know it, Clap Your Hands!
Thank you so much for the encouragement Jenny, Pat and Anthony! Well all of you actually! 🙂
And we hope you have a speedy recovery Anthony!
So what do you think?
How did you enjoy your summer? Were you able to re-arrange your schedule and get some rest? Did you and your family get away on a much needed vacation? Were you affected by one of the crazy climatic disasters that have struck our globe? If so, I hope that you and your family are safe!
Thanks everyone for stopping by and for all your upbuilding comments!
Karen