Giving yourself a pat on the back

Some days you just need to hear, "Well done!" or "Way to go!" A little praise goes a long way, but when there's no one around to say it, what do you do? If you don't take matters into your own hands, that pat on the back may never come, believe me, I know.

Today, I worked hard. It's amazing what a good cup of coffee will do for you. I had a long list of projects and by golly, I was going to accomplish as many of them as I could, so I started with number one and began to work my way down.

Number one took some time. I'd been reorganizing my art studio/craft/sewing room for days. I'd removed all the clutter and had started to move things back in but quickly became overwhelmed. There was so much stuff! Persevering for the next two hours, I was able to scratch number one off the list.

On to number two. This one would only take a few minutes. I'd made a note to email some friends, write some long overdue notes, and complete an article I'd been working on for a cancer magazine. About thirty minutes passed and number two got crossed off.

I kept working down my list. There were 7 more items to complete. One by one I tackled them. Finally, at 3:00 p.m. I finished. Whew! What a day it had been, but I felt successful, and it felt good.

I did my best to reach around and pat myself on the back but couldn't quite do it. The scarring from breast cancer surgery had left me with a limited range or motion. Though I couldn't manage it physically, I congratulated myself mentally. It's amazing the good praise can do.

Feeling like a well-trained puppy waiting for a yummy puppy snack, I did a little happy dance. Wagging my rear made me laugh.

Good days have been few and far between lately. There have been so many health issues I'd forgotten what it felt like to have a good belly laugh.

Earlier today, the skies were overcast and dreary but now the sun is out and shining brightly. With that, I feel a song remnant swirling around in my mind - " I think I can make it now, the pain is gone. All of the bad feelings have disappeared. Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for- It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day."

Yep.

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