Saturday, January 7, 2012

Inertia

The Husband and I had a slight disagreement the other night about the meaning of the word inertia. In trying to think of the right example, what I could have said was Me! Just look at me!

There are days when I feel like I am hardly here at all; like I might suddenly wake up mid-sentence and think, oh, here I am. Where have I been?

I am a creature of habit and routine. Once that routine is disturbed, it is incredibly difficult to get back to it. And until I do, I find myself floundering, wandering around in a mental fog that allows me just enough clarity to get things done. What needs to be done, anyway.

Children are the enemy of predictability, and while they thrive on routine, they rarely accept it willingly. This is when we do homework, then we have supper, then baths, then bed. But there is always a project, or a meltdown, or an event, or a spill or fight or just one more minute, that throws the simplest of evenings off kilter.

Then there are the things that I need to do for my own sanity, that seem to get moved to the bottom of the list. At first it was valid reasons, then apathy, and it has moved into a kind of inertia. Unable to move forward, unwilling to stay still, unsure what to do.

My children, it seems, get it from me.

It seems unlikely that I will wake up one morning, with a renewed resolve and boundless energy. And so I will sit down, pen in hand, and do what I do best: plan. I will plan my day with as much attention as I do the kids', with the hope that I will thrive on my self imposed routine as much as they do. It will require discipline and work and dedication, all things that, if I had them, I wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with.

I have a friend that always says, 'It's not a problem, it's an opportunity to do good.' In this instance it's incredibly true. Every day is a new beginning, a new opportunity. My very best is the best I can do.

7 comments:

  1. Inertia is another way of saying resistance to change.

    It is from the latin "LAZY". Honest. look it up. I did.

    I personally find that making lists doesnt help. I have so much inertia that by the time I do the list, I am too tired to do anything else. Try selling the kids. With the money, hire a maid. Or do like me, run away to Mexico...The kids havent really noticed that I have been gone for the last two years.....

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  2. I have been living in a state of Inertia for the past 8 years, 7 months and 15 days. I have my good days, my bad days and my terrible days. I believe all you can do is the best you can do, and that's just what I do! Luckily I have the love of my family and friends to keep me on the up side of the life most of the time. And so do you baby!

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  3. Kelly you certainly have the knack for capturing an every day or personal thing and breaking it open with your words. I can relate to being so focused on the details and routines of everyone else in the house, including the fish that I have no energy left and I remain inert!

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  4. I utterly feel your pain on this one...and, in addition, I tend to waste a ridiculous amount of the energy I do have on berating myself.

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  5. I don't suppose eveningson's advice to run away to Mexico is particularly practical (although excellent in theory) but he does have a point...inertia is resistance to change.

    Hopefully, you're on your way to getting your groove back.

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  6. The flip side of inertia is that bodies in motion tend to stay in motion. This is what I tell myself. Now to go find someone to light a fire under my arse.

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  7. Eveningson- Running away is movement, at least.
    Mom - Love you.
    Michelle - Fish are horrible pets, anyway.
    Masked Mom - Oh, my. Me too.
    Thanks, Jane. Lucky for me I am too busy to stay funked for long. ;)
    SS - Send them my way when you're done, okay?

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