It has been almost two weeks since my husband, Ned, was told his job was eliminated. That first week was a rough one… worse for him than for me, but still, no fun for me at all. I was frustrated and unsettled for a whole host of reasons: after several years of financial uncertainty, I had started to make plans – for a vacation with friends next fall, to pay off some bills and purchase a new chair for my office. I was working hard on the next round of marketing for The Can Do Chronicles, and seriously considering publishing it in hard copy. But first I wanted to take a few days off because I had been working so many hours for weeks, between projects for my clients and the launch of the book!  POOF – all of those things disappeared in an instant!  Mostly, I just felt so badly for Ned that this had happened to him AGAIN. That he was not treated fairly or well when he had been so loyal to his employer. And, that his reality for the next months will be the ups and downs of looking for a job. YUCK!

At the end of last week, I was feeling more than a little depressed – those pesky black clouds started crowding in, and I could not blow them away. I know that “living the CAN DO life” does not make it a walk in the park to get through life’s crises, but it does give me tools. So, on Sunday afternoon I intentionally asked the first CAN DO Question: What Can I Do? I made lists of things I want to get done before Christmas, cleaned my office, went to the Home Goods store opening in my area and entered to win a $1,000 shopping spree (which, sadly, I did not win!), called some friends and got out of my own way.

And, I am happy to report the CAN DO strategy worked. I got past feeling shaky and blue, and I feel solid and whole again. With a clearer head, I was able to figure out my plan for what I CAN DO to support Ned and myself through the next few months. The first and most important, with only my income, I need to stay in great mental and physical shape so that I can do my work well, without feeling pushed, anxious or pressured. I remind myself that I only started working full time again in July and I need to be careful not to get run down and/or sick. So, I will keep going to aerobics two or three times a week – it feels so good (when I stop!) and I know how much stronger I am since I started in July.

And, I will have to put some of the plans for marketing The Can Do Chronicles on hold -not an easy decision to be sure.  I will continue write in this blog at least twice a week and have a couple of holiday shopping specials that I will advertise on Facebook and Linked In, but I will not be able to invest the energy to write the magazine article and guest blog posts or push for media attention that was in the plan, and the hard copy of the book will be delayed. I will do those things next year – and, anyway, look how much more “CAN DO” experience I am getting in the meantime.