This is the sixth in a series written by Malcolm Marler and Mary Bea Sullivan, husband and wife, about their journey as Mary, an author, prepares to go to Virginia Theological Seminary. Malcolm is a director of pastoral care at a hospital in Alabama.
He Said… by Malcolm Marler
Ok, simplifying my life is wearing me out this week. “She said” I needed to write another blog post, so here goes. A list of why I am tired:
- Supporting a family member through a major life transition.
- Trying to sell the family member’s car.
- I sold the car to the first customer. Everyone was excited.
- Oh wait a minute, no I can’t sell it because the title hasn’t arrived yet. It may take another week (or two) before we have the title. Everyone is sad.
- Other interested persons call about the car, I tell them, sorry, I advertised too early.
- Our dog Daisy had major surgery and came home today. Mary and I are sad to see her feeling bad and have become her caregivers. Packing for our move will be at a slower pace.
- Final negotiations on the sale of the house are happening.
- Inspectors and contractors are crawling all over the place.
- We need a vacation, but we don’t have time to plan it.
- We are supposed to move by June 30th, but did I tell you we haven’t secured our new home yet?
I could go on, but I’m too tired.
The truth is we have a ton to be thankful for and a sense of humor is a great tool for survival.
Trusting that all will be well and that this is a great life adventure together makes it possible.
What tools have you found that help during life’s busyness?
Denial has been a frequent tool of mine, but to comply with truth in advertising laws, I must include the following disclaimer: It doesn’t really work.
I have found, in my recent transition, that I did not have time to dwell on problems that would normally drive me nuts with indecision. There was no time for should I or should I not…I just had to take action & move forward. Sounds like that is what happened with your jumping ahead of yourself on the car sell. Everything is running pretty smoothly for me now but it took me 7 months to get to this point. My advice for you & Mary is to hang in there & you will soon be able to plan that vacation. But…on the other had…it sounds like you may have been on vacation at the lake for several years now.