These past few weeks my life has been like a broken metronome. If you are unfamiliar with metronomes they are a device used by musicians to mark time at a selected rate by giving a regular tick thus helping them to keep a regular beat. When I was having piano lessons from about 10 to 14 years old, Miss Pope my spinster teacher kept her metronome on top of the piano. I could keep a beat and sing in tune but scales and anything to do with the Bass clef I failed. In fact, I failed most of my piano exams. Probably because I always cheated on my practice sessions at home. I would run from the piano go upstairs without being spotted into the kitchen and fiddle with the timer on the oven clock. When the bell rang my parents thought I’d been working on my piano skills for at least an hour but I knew differently.
Now I need to cultivate a metronome device for my mood so that I can bring it into a regular rhythm, without the daily ups and downs. This is a challenge I’m working on. The first strategy is to write down in my diary three things I did today and three things I’m grateful for. This is a way of staying focused on the positives, rather than dwelling on the negatives. The second strategy is to focus mindfully on what I am doing thereby appreciating all the little moments of my life and the third strategy is to practise positive self-talk. Sometimes I don’t write in my diary but that’s okay.
Here is my diary entry for today.
Three things I did today. I bounced around in aqua-aerobics with about twenty other women (and one man) whilst listening to The Beatles White Album. My right knee was painful but the music was worth the splashing about. After that, I had an x-ray on that same knee hoping that something can be done about the pain. Finally, I managed to stay up past half-past eight! I’m still awake now at 10 o’clock. I think that’s a good sign that I’m moving in the right direction. I hope.
The three things I’m grateful for today. I’m grateful for the spelling and grammar checker. I can recommend Grammarly it’s just like having an online English teacher. Thank you, thank you, Grammarly. I am grateful I can exercise even with a sore knee and lastly I am grateful for modern medicine which has helped both my body and mind. Oh, one more thing I am grateful for the book Word Press for Dummies. It arrived yesterday and it’s still in the box waiting for me to delve into the mysteries of Word Press.
I hope you’ll listen to this video. I couldn’t find a decent live video of Accentuate the Positive but the lyrics are what’s important. The original was published in 1944. The music was written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Dr John who died recently does a wonderful cover. He was a fantastic keyboard player. Enjoy.
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