The Granny Detective says................Just Enough

Eventually it will come, as it comes to all of us, the feeling that everything is just too much, too, too much. Sometimes it rolls into our lives when we are 40ish, kids, home, problems at home, work, problems at work. Everything seemingly insignificant at first, but then building with an energy all its own. Why you ask? Too little down time, too much up time.

So, eventually the great brains out there got together and decided to call it mid-life crisis; sounds good and very comforting as we become a part of a world-wide situation. Mid-life, we say, so we´ve got another 40 or 45 years to go. Maybe. But too much to think about can muddle our thoughts about those coming years. So, we make a few changes, adjust ourselves, and weather the thunderous storm with an added bit of gusto, grace, and understanding.

Most of us will not recognize the adage of just enough at this time of our lives. It really doesn´t exist for us. Our ever present consciousness reminds us that we are not alone in this upheaval. It is a process everyone around this age encounters, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, and of course to varying degrees. Actually, in fact, this midlife madness is the second big one. In our lives, who can ever forget living through the first upheaval of emotions in our teen years or very soon after. An emotional blitz with blasts that burgeoned us to heights of incredible euphoria and then plummeted us to depths of despair just moments later.

A firestorm of ups and downs, yet we go through it then, right. Again the idea of just enough is totally outside our frame of reference. But just for now. So, when round two comes 25 or so years later. Our psyches will say, stand by, here it comes. It may come as a whisper of strangeness on little cats paws of discontent or as an intense hormonal explosion. The thunder is back, this time with white hot lightening to throw us off track.

Those of us lucky to be in touch with ourselves and understand what is happening, and know it will soon get better, are able to sail smoothly through the rough patches of midlife and into a calm and phenomenal mid 50´s.

The tempest is calmed. The stormy seas of our day to day existence settled down. We still have our jobs and businesses. The kids are in and out of college, and most importantly, Henrietta hormone finally gets the message.

Get ready and I do mean really prepare for the sensational 60´s. But, and the big but is here. It all depends on your attitude as you approach, handle, and prevail during this wonderful time of life.

A great man that I worked for once upon a time told me that to survive was easy. Look at the lowly cockroach, he has survived in this planet for millions of years. But, he is still a cockroach; to prevail is all. And each of us can prevail with a bit of foresight and planning.

How to begin? Well, let me show you what works for me. I developed the watch words" just enough" and integrated them into every facet of my life. Some of us, perhaps many of us will remember rationing of years gone by. Difficult years, when our world and all over the world, was filled with the turmoil of the great wars. Not a good time for anyone. As a little girl, I could not understand why we couldn´t have as much chocolate as we wanted. Just a little girl as you were little girls and boys deprived of what we wanted. So our parents and their parents opted for a certain discipline that would allow us to survive and indeed prevail.

Did I say discipline. Yes, I did. And it worked. Discipline became the order of the day and it provided us with the wherewithal to have just a bit of the necessities we were accustomed to and perhaps at times a bit of luxury. I recall the days when our ration book was full and my mother brought home butter, and sometimes even raspberry jam. And on my lucky day a lovely chocolate bar. But in the end we always managed to have just enough.

Just enough because of planning and doing. The same goes for now in our golden – or at least "gilded round the edges" years. Can we put that into our minds and hearts? What do we need? What do we have available?

The aging process moves slowly and steadily onto all of us. But we can survive and thrive with just a bit of forethought. What we need is health and a positive attitude. We do have to exercise, but not kill ourselves with over-do. Find a plan that works for you before you feel like you are falling apart. And do a walk, bicycle, treadmill, whatever. And do just enough. Take the time to decide to eat properly. Time is the key-word. For with time, you can plan, and with a plan, you can do.

Surprisingly, a bit of fruit, vegetables, good protein will work wonders for your digestion, hair, nails, and complexion. So, have these and your health will improve. Do not overdo this plan, making yourself a slave to worry about food. Again, just enough will work the kind of magic we need to prevail. Then have some wonderful treats and goodies. –Don´t feel guilty-

Have just enough. Amazingly, and it works for me the process of just enough carries through into all facets of my life. I take vitamins- but not every one ever discovered- Again my plan works and has enabled me to see what is needed and take just enough.

Very important to not get overtired. Do what you want but avoid exhaustion. And so it goes on through your life full of health, success, and happiness. Just remember the watchwords just enough and they will see you through forever.

Laura Lanfield www.lauralanfield.com,www.bailbondsbabylon.com