Paradigm Shifts...

Balance is a hell of a thing and I'm pretty sure (although not 100%) that one of our biggest life long challenges is achieving it.  I'm also pretty damn sure that we never manage to get there.  I at least hope that we can find some fun along the way.
I mentioned a while ago that I'm finding myself in this weird, new, shifting paradigms kind of place in life.  It's a strange sort of feeling, like the floor is constantly moving and my balance is working overtime simply to keep from falling over.  I'm mostly feeling like I'm falling over.  Allow me to illustrate.  Recently, I egregiously failed one of those 'you-can-be-a-better-person-if-you-just-change-your-paradigm-insert-happy-face' kind of tests.  Here's how the test was supposed to go:
You READ the instructions.  The instructions tell you to circle as many numbers on the sheet of paper that you are given as you can IN ORDER in 30 seconds.  Then you fold that same sheet of paper into 4 equal portions.  Lastly, you repeat the test... and to prove whoever it was administering the 'test' right, you will have realised that each number moves by 1 quadrant therefor making it easier for you to find each number in order and making you more successful at circling them the second time... all because your paradigm changed.  Insert Happy Face.
Here's how Wanda's test went:
Wanda mostly read the instructions and figured that she got it right.  The timer started and Wanda began frantically circling every single number randomly because she wanted to win.  Tester got frustrated and  'asked' Wanda to stop the test and try reading the instructions again.  She does... she also laughs at herself and possibly uses some choice language.
Test number two is now underway.  In 30 seconds Wanda circled up to number 16 (this may or may not be disputed by said Tester).  She folds the paper into 4 and the test is administered again.  This time Wanda circles a grand total of 14 numbers.  AND Wanda knew what the test was all about at this point.  So yeah... not too promising.  Tester walked away in frustration.

Kid #2 went to town taking shots and got this one of me.   

These are the kinds of things that I equate with personality tests on my 'Things I Hate' List.  I don't even know why I did the test except to say that some bizarre streak of competitiveness kicked in.  It wasn't until afterwards that I thought things might have gone better for me if the tester had taken the test with me as well.  Who knows.  The point for me is that paradigm shifts are all in your head - it's how you think about the world around you.  So while this boat I'm on is rolling around and making me sea sick I've got some choices to make.  I can sit back and do nothing but wait for things to calm down (I'm not even taking this one seriously, ok.  I'm just saying that it's a choice I have but who are we kidding here), I can fight it like crazy and go changing this, that and the other thing hoping to quell the waves a little or I can try to ride this baby like a rodeo horse (I'm hopelessly mixing my metaphor's here - please forgive).  As I'm sure you've guessed, I'm going with Door #3.  I'm not going to stop what's moving already - I don't even know if I could.  I'm not going to start blaming situations or people for making my life so complicated.  I'm not going to try to escape the boat (truth be told, that really is my very first choice every single time - erase and start over... and it never works) and get a new one because it's my life we're talking about here and I'm the one that got myself here.  We're gonna do this thing Wanda... paradigm shifts be damned.

Kid #2 takes another shot of me.  It doesn't suck.  Two portraits in one post has got to be a record.  This is me thinking hard about shifting my paradigm and reading instructions thoroughly.

This is Rhubarb.  It's in my back yard and it's actually growing.  This is cool.