Beginning to End- Adjust

If there's one thing participation in the A-Z Challenge does to a person it's making the fact words don't have the meaning you thought they did abundantly clear. I was searching for my letter A day word to explain how my theme won't be a true theme because if I stick to one theme I may or may not finish the challenge. I am all over the place in just about everything I do and while that seems chaotic and crazy to others it's my norm, it's what works for me but trying to find a word beginning with the letter A that holds just the right meaning didn't work out and became a challenge in and of itself so I decided to go a different route.

That being said, my word today (minus a theme) is, ADJUST.

Every empty nester out there knows how it is to have to adjust to the nest being empty. I've talked about it here so many times and the chats with friends near and far about it have been even more numerous because that's exactly what having an empty nest is- a time to adjust. We have to adjust ourselves to a new era, one without kids running around the house making messes and yelling and arguing and laughing and sharing and all the things our kids do as they grow and flourish under our watchful eyes. Even those of us who try to prepare ourselves for the emptying of the nest have to adjust to the quiet and the time we suddenly have on our hands. Some of us decide to enter the workforce or change our career paths, some try redecorating/renovating our homes, some try organizing the tons of accumulated items left untouched over the course of raising the kids, some join clubs, some pick up hobbies, some take time to focus on themselves and improve their health and fitness...regardless of what we choose to do to help us we do have to make a choice as we adjust to a new phase.

Throughout our lives we adjust to different phases- we adjust from childhood to adolescence to adulthood to middle age to old age. We adjust to life without loved ones as their time comes to go ahead to the next life. We adjust to new situations, new events, new places, new people who come and go.

We find ourselves adjusting to big and small things in our lives and sometimes we ease into the next situation or the new thing or person and other times we fight the adjustment period tooth and nail.

I find the little adjustments to be the most annoying and difficult to handle and I have to wonder if that little fact is related to my not being as grateful as I need to be. I'll admit I do not love being inconvenienced or interrupted and I can give specific examples and the reasons behind them but that's just making excuses so we'll move on. Is self-awareness something to adjust to? Yep. And adjusting to that self-awareness is not easy because wouldn't we all prefer to see someone without those petty traits when we look in the mirror?

I actually believe the problem is not adjusting. Yes, it can be difficult but it is doable. The problem pops up when we can't find a way to adjust due to depression or hanging onto the sadness once it becomes like a comfort zone because we do find comfort in those feelings even though it's not healthy or because we're too embarrassed or don't want to ask for help. The thing I've learned is, go ahead and ask because more likely than not someone else is feeling that same way.

Of course, the times when adjustment is a piece of cake are my favorites. Like becoming a grandparent. Y'all had to know that was coming, right? Haha!

I have to say that other than becoming a parent to each of my four daughters, becoming a grandparent is the best thing EVER! And the adjustment was a breeze. Even when they come for days at a time without their mommies. Yep, that happened this past weekend but that's a post for a different day. I will leave y'all with a sneak peek--

Can. You. Even?

Until tomorrow...because it's going to take the rest of today to figure out my B word. (B word...heehee)

AND---

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