Tip #704: Why Is It So Hard To Be Practical?

I tried for a short time to be something I wasn’t, and had no success with it. It’s a practical solution to just be yourself.” Kate McKinnon

When life gives some people lemons, they make lemon meringue pie, lemonade, lemon squares, lemon cheesecake, or lemon garlic tilapia (or, if they’re like me, they have any fish with lemon- or not at all).

Apparently, when life gives me lemons, I get acid reflux and reach for my personal Pepcid.

No, really.

Confronted with very practical, mundane issues, I scratch my head and keep doing what I’ve always done- often to my detriment. I guess I’m not the practical problem solver I thought I was.

For example, here are the lessons I’ve learned in the past week or so:

If you can’t fit the very dry Xmas tree top first through the door, turn it around…

If your elderly cat has trouble swallowing, raise the food bowl.

If you lose all of your music on iTunes, back it up continually on an external drive.

If you’re always cold, raise the thermostat above 65° F.

If your fingers freeze in gloves when you fill the bird feeders, wear mittens.

If you discover stink bugs in the bed next to the window, seal the window and wash everything. (You’d be surprised at what comes out in the wash)

If you order things from Amazon Prime, make sure it goes to your house (and not to your son’s).

If your male cats have terrible aim, get a much larger litter box.

If you haven’t had a good meal for a while, it’s all right to order Chinese take-out.

If you are inclined to order socks or shoes on line, be prepared to return them (or just don’t order them in the first place).

If you’re going to park downtown, make sure you have a lot of quarters.

If you want to keep fruit salad moist, keep in mind that cider works just fine.

If you bake bread, brownies, cookies or fudge, don’t be surprised if you eat them.

If you have lots of cds and like music, listen to them!

If you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars hospitalizing your cat, set up hospice at home.

If you feel better after a hot shower, take one.

If you are emailing back and forth every few minutes with a business partner, get on Skype.

If you have a piano, play it (but get it tuned, for goodness sakes!)

If you are tripping over large framed pictures leaning against walls, hang them.

If your chairs are wobbly, turn them over and tighten the screws.

If your house maintenance person has (unintentionally) taken all of your Phillips head screwdrivers, get another one. Then tighten the screws on your chairs and hide it.

If you are getting scalded by the water from the faucet, lower the temperature on the water heater.

If your neighbors fill up your recycle container, use someone else’s.

If you’re afraid of falling when it’s icy out, wear your Yaktrax.

If your hands keep getting chapped, pay attention to drying them more completely.

If you have a lot of lemons and broccoli, make hollandaise sauce.

By now, I’m sure you get the picture.

Practical solutions to daily matters aren’t that difficult to identify- they just require attention and focus to follow through on them.

Wish me luck!

May your learning be sweet.

Deborah

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