I have been off my program for the last couple of weeks.  My dad has had a major stroke and been moved to a nursing home.  It is one of the foundation-rocking events in your life that, no matter how old you are, or how inevitable it is, still rocks your world. 

It is during times like these that it is all too easy to slip back into old behaviors and habits.  And all too often, we beat ourselves up and fill our heads with all kinds of negative talk about how worthless we are because we didn't stick with the program.  Well, so what?  So you had a little slip?  Tomorrow is a new day - and every day you have an opportunity to start fresh! 

That's what we did today.  I finally got things cleaned up after letting stuff slide for the last two weeks.  And, boy, does it feel good to back on track! 

So what did I learn from these last two weeks?  My effectiveness is not measured by being perfect.  None of us is perfect and if we think we have to be, we are setting ourselves up for a lot of angst and pain.  No, my effectiveness is measured by how long it takes me to recover from a lapse in effectiveness.  Two weeks.  Hmmm - there is room for improvement here!!

Take care, and as always, I welcome your comments and ideas.

Karen