F & O
It gets to ya. Building, building, building. More & more.
Till you are at your wits end.
F & O. Frustrated and Overwhelmed.
I’m there. Often.
And, as I age, that once comfortable ledge has become more & more narrow.
The strangest things get me F & O’d. Opening a bag of chips. A box of cereal. A pill container. Toilet Bowl cleanser. A freakin bottle of water. Driving in traffic. Sitting in traffic. Walking on snow & ice. Large crowds of people. Noise. Showering someplace new. Cutting my toenails. Knots in shoelaces/drawstrings. Zippers. Starting a new roll of toilet paper. Small keyboards. Self-service everything. People waiting behind me. The list continues long as an inseam.
I confess & accept part of the blame for being frustrated and overwhelmed. But I also blame…MS. Multiple Sclerosis has slowly chisled away at my faculties. Like a sculptor working on a stone. Pick. Pick. A chip here. A nugget there. Cracking my confidence, self-worth and ability to cope.
The TV remote caused a recent bout of F & O.
A hundred miniscule buttons combined with my MS-riddled fumble-fingers led to the screen filled with notations deciphered only by architects of the f-ing Manhattan Project.
After 20 minutes of me pushing buttons with dots, sqwiggles & Egyptian hieroglyphics, I caved and called my son who lives two hours away.
He talked me down in mere seconds by simply telling me to “Push 3.” It all went away and the TV resumed.
Then I was aggravated. I bellowed into the phone “I am 60…NOT a Boomer! I was once an expert using a $30K digital audio editing system…and now I can’t handle a $20 universal remote? WTF!”
My “F & O” has led me to mindfulness pursuits.
Breathing exercises.
Calming stretches.
Self-help books.
And Prozac.
(Nah, just kidding about the stretches)
I have come to accept F&O as part of the gig of ageing AND my having MS. What do you find frustrating and/or overwhelming? Do you agree it is related to your condition? Let me know your thoughts!
Live calmly my friend.
P.S.
“Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff” was published way back in 1997 but is still very relevant today.
I encourage you to savor this little gem to make things easier!
2 Replies to “F & O”
I too am F & O with the buttons on my remote control. I too have fumbled fingers that are constantly pushing the wrong buttons by mistake. Sometimes I can fix the problem, and other times I need help. This also happens with my desktop computer. I am constantly deleting things by mistake. Luckily I have learned you can fix anything by looking for a YouTube video for instructions. Another problem I have is with telephone buttons. One of my girlfriends programmed my phone with almost every possible phone contact I would ever need to call, so all I have to do is scroll down to the name and push “dial”. She also programmed my “Alexa” to dial with my voice people I call every day like my sister, and my neighbor and herself in case of an emergency.
In addition, I do have the book and I’ve read “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff”.
Margaret,
Ah yes, we are not alone in our plight. Glad you have folks who can help you through the probs.
I just read the book again. It is worth revisiting–you learn something new each time!
Thanks for your insight!