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Promises to Keep
By Michele | July 29, 2009
Diligent. Helpful. Loyal. Does this sound like you? Do you walk on burning coals to meet other people’s needs? What about your own? You don’t have to be a family caregiver to fall into this trap. Many baby boomers, male or female, succumb to this people-pleasing syndrome that Dr. Harriet Braiker calls The Disease to Please.
As we race along this collision course called life, we are desperately hoping to please our boss, our parents, our partners, and our friends. Somewhere in this scramble, we lose ourselves. As the burden of caring for aging parents or other loved ones weighs upon us, we drop our dreams by the side of the road.
We spend every last ounce of energy in our quest to be the perfect employee or angelic omniscient caregiver. We make promises to our co-workers, to our siblings, and to people we just met. But what about the promises we made to ourselves?
Maybe we promised that we would lose 50 pounds or save for retirement. Maybe we promised ourselves to finally finish writing that book. By now, you’re probably hip to the fact that I’m talking about myself here. I’ve been writing a book since the dawn of modern civilization. I’ve become that boring cocktail party pariah who sends people scurrying to freshen their drinks. Enough already!
So here’s the deal. I’m taking a self-imposed summer sabbatical to embark on my own book blitz. My goal is to complete the manuscript, including the reference section, by the second week of September. I reserve the right to blog about my progress if the spirit moves me.
See you in September. If you’re a boomer, those song lyrics may conjure up some memories. I never made it to Woodstock, but my flower child persona embarrassed my conservative sister so much that she refused to walk next to me unless I lost the head band and love beads.
By the way, what promises have you made to yourself? As Dr. Phil would say, "How’s that working for you?"
Topics: Caregiving |