Learning my limits

Today I went out shopping with mom. I have been feeling pretty good and moving around a bit at home, doing small housework, playing with my dog a little... so I figured that going out to do a bit of shopping would be fine.  We left the house at about 3pm and started with picking up mom's prescription. We went to Goodwill to find pants for mom's boyfriend, then to Great Clips to get mom's hair cut. I sat in the chair watching the lady cut and style mom's hair. Next on to Kmart, where I had to stop mom from buying things she didn't really need (we had a list... stick to the list... stay out of the clearance!) and then we went to Lowes to return some things and look at lawn care stuff. Not a terribly huge list of things to do and really, we were done in two hours, but man oh man was I exhausted. By the time we got out of Kmart I was ready to fall over, but I just wanted to get the last thing finished and go home. See... stubborn.

On the ride back to the house, I told mom I was worn out. I was amazed that it had only been two hours, because I felt like I usually feel after a 10 hour work day. Mom, of course, scolded me that I need to take it easy and say something when I am getting tired. Basically, I need to work on dealing with my limits. Yes, I used to be able to do all that and more, but right now, my body has limits that I need to respect. So of course, this got me thinking about accepting my limitations.

I am not a woman who gives up easy. I will always find some way to get things done. At times, I push myself so hard that I come close to breaking. This is especially true with work, but it is equally true on the home front. And yet, there are times when I try to do things that are beyond me, and no matter how stubborn I am, they will always be beyond me, but I keep trying. I have a hard time admitting to myself that I can't do everything. Or at least I did have a hard time...

Lately I have learned to accept that I am not Wonder Woman. I have limits. I can't take care of everything. I can't bear as much weight as I used to. I can't stand as long without rest. I need help to do basic things. I have to speak up when I am tired. I have to accept help when it is offered and ask for it when I need it. And I think of all the lessons I am learning... this one is probably one of the hardest.