Confessions of a Pioneer

pioneer wagons

Recently a friend referred to me as a pioneer. I had to pause and ponder such an accusation.

Pioneer? Me? Really?

I forced myself to look beyond the stereotypical view of a pioneer. Remove the bonnet. Put in indoor plumbing. Replace a covered wagon with a Suburban. And sure enough, perhaps she’s right.

Maybe I am a pioneer.

We moved to a foreign and somewhat harsh environment. And we are learning new ways.

For example, I cooked a pork shoulder in the crock pot and couldn’t bring myself to throw away the stock left behind. Saving two cups of left over pork stock is new to me. But perhaps even more shocking than saving it, is having a pretty good idea  how to actually use it for consumption later this week. Trips to town are usually once a week and they are an event. Pa drives, we sing songs, and we buy what we need for the week.

But the biggest adjustment is the swing from achieving to surviving.

I have been struggling. Each morning I wake up and think of all that still needs to be accomplished before we can feel settled and immediately my body reacts. My heart starts beating faster. It becomes difficult to take a deep breath. I want to crawl back into bed and hide.

Instead, I swing my feet into my slippers. Did I mention how cold it is? And I recite my new mantra.

“One day at a time.” 

Wait a second. Um, isn’t that one of the slogans for AA? If such a saying is one of the pillars of recovery, and I repeat this saying to myself ad noseum throughout the day, does this mean I am in recovery?

This pioneer woman had to stop and think. 

If I am in recovery, what am I recovering from?

It was as if a little voice inside shouted back at me, “Well, Miss Rebecca. I’m so glad you finally asked.”

I sat down and braced myself for what was to come.

“Yes, you are in recovery.” Sassed the imperious voice. “You are recovering from an addiction.”

An addiction? An addiction to what?

“Accomplishment.”

My brain rattled a bit. The verdict hit me square between the eyes.

So here is my confession.

“Hi. My name is Rebecca. I’m a pioneer. And I’m addicted to accomplishment.”

And not just normal accomplishment. I’m talking the extreme over-achieving sort. Writing a novel in five months. Trying to remodel an entire house in four weeks. Is there such a thing as type A, extra bold and italicized?

I’ve known this about myself for quite awhile. I’ve never seen it as an addiction. But when one is faced with the task of survival, achievement takes a back seat. Or maybe even gets drug behind. The once mundane tasks of life have grown monstrously. If I ruin dinner, the closest In-n-Out is 45 minutes away. Painting trim turns nightmarish when it takes three coats to cover the pea green paint. I want to see more accomplishment. But there’s not time for that in the midst of survival.

I’ve thought about hiding under a rock, or more apt a tumbleweed, until we pass from pioneers to settlers. But there’s no telling how long that will take. And it won’t happen until all the green trim is painted.

I’ve heard that recognizing you have a problem is the first step toward recovery.

So, here’s to first steps!

What’s your name and what are you addicted too?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trackback URL

, , , ,

9 Comments on "Confessions of a Pioneer"

  1. L Smith
    07/01/2013 at 8:56 am Permalink

    So glad I took the time and read this…Hits a bit close to home for this wife. A mere 878 days before his earliest possibile retirement date we have moved from the sunny 24hr access of So Cal to a MUCH smaller, MUCH colder place all in preperation for “the big” day…New office (for at least 878 days) new job (for me) new house (ugh dont get me started on this) new friends in this cold and barren(at least to me) land not so much..so I guess that makes me a pioneer of sorts…One day at a time..One day at a time…

  2. Susan Basham
    07/01/2013 at 9:53 am Permalink

    Suffering from the same addiction, soul sister! And here I was going to do a blog post about accomplishing, using Janet’s Commit or Quit mantra! Hmmm………I might suggest that you accomplish more in a day, as a “pioneer”, than most people do in three. So there! Now go fry a chicken! Love you!

  3. Janet Hanson
    07/01/2013 at 12:44 pm Permalink

    Too late, Susan, I post about that tomorrow morning. 😉 Rebecca, I love this! But how ironic, as Susan says, that you are become more accomplished by the moment in ways the rest of us will never be! Now go chop down some tumbleweeds!

  4. miraim
    07/01/2013 at 11:08 am Permalink

    Hi I am miriam and I am addicted to sugar! I gained four pounds working at Sees Candy this holiday and I ate to my hearts content, even though I am a diabetic..i tried the sugar free candy but that lasted only a day or two…I have been in recovery for years, I used to go to OA and Food Addicts Anonymous for years but now it’s a day to day thing of being obedient and not eating sugar, white flour or white anything!

    thanks for sharing Rebecca, i laughed outl loud at your post and that is always good for a monday morning!

  5. Jaymie
    07/01/2013 at 11:16 am Permalink

    So well put, and yes, mine is another ditto! Be careful as you can develop your addiction even in pioneer mode…milk your own cow, make your own bread, churn your own butter…:-)

  6. Rebecca Qualls
    07/01/2013 at 6:17 pm Permalink

    I actually tried to make bread but my yeast was bad. 😉 But no milking. At least until we get a cow! 🙂

  7. Kathy Thompson
    09/01/2013 at 11:59 am Permalink

    As your mom, each blog fills me with such pride of what beautiful woman, inside and out you have become. You have discovered so much about yourself and in sharing have helped others to see things in themselves especially me. Give the bread another chance. (they have wonderful bread machines)

  8. Rebecca Qualls
    10/01/2013 at 8:43 am Permalink

    Thanks Mom! That means a lot! And I bought new yeast and bread flour. Maybe today! 🙂 Love you!!!

  9. KBall
    22/01/2013 at 10:34 am Permalink

    Making bread is great fun. Don and I used to do it all the time. We’ve been talking about getting back to it. All that kneading is a great way to work out your frustration.

Hi Stranger, leave a comment:

ALLOWED XHTML TAGS:

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Subscribe to Comments
%d bloggers like this: