How Much is That Dogma in the Window?

To blog or not to blog? It’s a choice every morning. So far, I have eagerly chosen YES…I’m loving writing again…sharing with my friends…and meeting new friends along the way. And I hope it will always remain a labor of love…love of me…love of you…love of writing…and yes…love of Bertha!

But…I know me…and I know what starts out as a good idea…often turns into a rigid standard that’s hard for me to accomplish…and I become the zombie robot…getting up before most of you even get to bed…saying…I have to write the blog…I have to write the blog…(Think the old Duncan Donut commercial and you’ll get the picture.)

I did it with riding my bicycle…it started as a good way to burn some extra calories…I loved the sense of freedom of pedaling down the road with the butterflies…feeling the wind on my face…but it quickly became a solo competition to ride ‘er’…further, harder, faster, longer. What had once been enjoyable excursions soon became grueling workouts that left me exhausted…without the sense of pleasure derived from the butterflies and wind.

On days that I had other obligations and couldn’t ride…I felt guilty…like I’d broken a rule or something. It was not until my body demanded that I stop altogether…that I realized how obsessed I had become.

I’ve been listening to a series of inspirational CDs on the drive to work for several years…I started it because I loved the message…the drive to work is about 30 minutes…it was a great time to listen…then one day I forgot to switch from radio to CD…probably because I liked the song that was playing…or maybe I was distracted…when I realized that I was almost at work…and was listening to the radio…I felt guilty…that’s right…guilty…like I was supposed to be listening to the CD…

Bertha says I’ve done it with so many things that there isn’t room in cyberspace to list them all…I don’t think it’s that bad…but…I agree that has been my tendency…she says it’s turning coulds into shoulds…and I guess that’s as good a way of saying it as any…

I do know that I’m making an effort to be kinder to myself this year…and that means creating less shoulds. So does that mean that I should create less shoulds? Don’t worry…Bertha will get that straightened out…she’s already fetching her soapbox…so I’ll try to sneak out before she notices I'm gone…

I do want to include a link for the inspiration of today’s title…for those of you who are too young to remember…How Much is That Doggie in the Window…