Do you get up when the alarm goes off or do you lay there a while? I remember a donut commercial a few decades ago. It was a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, featuring a character named, Fred the Baker, who got up before dawn to make the famed donuts. He was a middle age man is laying in bed, the alarm goes off and he says, “Time to get up to make the donuts.” The first Fred the Baker commercial aired in 1981. Several mornings a week, when I get up I say to myself, the Hubby or one of the grandkids if they are here, “Time to get up to make the donuts.” Do you have any phrases like that, that YOU find yourself saying?
You may remember this commercial and those that followed with Fred the Baker for Dunkin Donuts.
Anyway, most of us find ourselves getting up in the morning and getting our days going and we slip into a routine that is fitting of our place in life. Remember the routine you got into when you started working that first real job. Maybe it changed when you got married or maybe it was similar with just a few tweaks. For us the routine we seemed to spend the longest amount of time in was raising kids. Of course, it change a little as the kids went from one stage to another. When the last one went off to college and eventually left school early, we found ourselves into a new unique routine (after a few tears shed when the last kid departs or gets settled at college)…
These days (and I hear the same from my friends in my same age group), one might think the days are less busy, but really they aren’t. I get up to ‘make the donuts,’ and the days just goes. The days are full, from a morning workout or teaching a class to housework, to laundry, a little yard work-not actually doing the lawn, we hire a service now that the kids are gone and not here to do the lawn, but the weeding , the turning over of the mulch, so it looks new, the washing of the front porch, getting rid of the cobwebs, replacing the door mat and switching out the wreath to a sunflower door decoration, etc,, sweeping the garage, sprucing things up so our place looks and feels cared for, both inside and out. The days are also full with helping out the kids, grandkids and my Mom as needed. Oh, and there are the tasks of the kitchen, the meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, baking and all things that come with kitchen organization. Yes, ‘getting up to make the donuts,’ for each of us in our own way, is a day full of tasks and duties no matter or age, stage or lot in life…
We all think think, and rightfully so, that our orbits couldn’t function without our role of ‘making the donuts,’ or ‘turning on the pizza oven’ as a friend who is in the restaurant business often remarks, which is the cornerstone of her family’s business. Yes, our roles are important and sometimes we are the only one who has the skill or knowledge of how that particular job is done…
But what happens when we get sick or are unable to do our tasks, like ‘getting up to make the donuts?’ Arrangements must be made. If we have a lead time of, let’s say surgery or an upcoming planned procedure, we can make plans in advance, call the neighbor boy to do the lawn, get a sub for a teacher for the allotted time, or cancel the doctor’s schedule. It’s nice to have the opportunity to set things up, get a sub, get a replacement or someone to do the tasks that we are unable to do, until we regain strength and good health to get back to ‘making the donuts’…
However, there are times, when life catches us off guard. A car accident, an unexpected diagnosis or emergency phone call, and ‘the making of the donuts’ takes a backseat to the situation at hand. One who is calm and cool, who either gets the news or is there to help the one who will ‘no longer make the donuts, will careful compose themself, pause and think clearly as to what measures need to be taken and what needs to be done in what order. In my own experience and those who I have seen weather these storms of life best, it’s almost as if God takes over and we are merely on autopilot, being guided by the greatest pilot of all times who carries us along the way to our destinations along the journey of life…
When these times come, some are prepared, have always prepared and affairs are in order. Some have, ‘made the appointment with the accountant, financial planner or attorney’ to get things in order. At the point where I am in life, this is quite often a topic of conversation when we get together with friends and it has been for the last few years. Really, at any time it should be on one’s radar. Whether you have children or not, many assets or few, one’s last will and testament, a legal document that expresses a person’s final wishes for how their assets and property should be managed and/or distributed after they die. It’s just an adult thing to do. For some, it’s an uncomfortable thing to do. For others, it’s just part of life and a part of being a responsible adult, like paying taxes, paying your bills and fulfilling obligations…
The older we get, the more likely there will be health issues for us or for those in our families or in our close circles. If you are someone who has had very few hiccups in life and things have seemed to go pretty smoothly, you are very fortunate, because the storms in life can hit at anytime, anyplace or at any age. That’s the tough part, for some who have had more of their share of the tough things, these people, and I don’t mean this with any disrespect, they almost anticipate the storm. Their mind can pretty much go into a triage, knowing who to call and what to do, like the person in charge of a busy ER they can rattle off what to do. You WANT these people in your circle and most families I know have someone who they can count on for this role…
As mentioned earlier, the further we get along the path of life, the more likely we are to experience ourselves or see/help others close to us get through. Think about the hardships you have been through or have witnessed others get through. As hard as it is to encounter these storm or watch others close to us, the beautiful thing though, is seeing how people are willing to help one another through. Just last week, we saw how people came together during the September 11, 200, as we looked back on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the attacks on New York, Washington DC and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. People helped as they could. Retired fireman/women, came back to see where they could help. People came from near and far to assist at each site on. that tragic day…
Everyday, someone gets bad news, a bad diagnosis, a difficult phone call something they are not prepared for. We shouldn’t look at these situations and say, “How could that have happened to them?” Or “Why did this hav to happen to them?” Wrong. First and foremost think, “What do they need?” Or “How can I help?” At different stages in our life, we can help in different ways. Sometime we are able to help out “jumping in with both feet and both hands.” Sometimes it’s making or taking food, helping with the driving of children or sometimes it’s a phone call, a note or a prayer.
We’re all in this together, this journey of life. It’s for us to help one another out, build one another up (being honest and helping, not carrying one through their problems. Many churches have a Stephen Ministries programs that trains lay people how to help other solve their problems. You want to help but not solve others problems because their solutions may not be theirs and vice versa-good program). Be aware, look around and act, helping how you can. Sometimes, for someone in the middle of a very difficult situation, just knowing that someone is there to talk to, bounce ideas off of or to pray for them, just knowing they are not alone…
As you ‘get up to make the donuts,’ and saunter through your list and tasks for the day, pay attention to who could use a phone call, or a little check in. Pay attention when you see you friends or family. Sometimes they are dealing with things that they can well manage and would rather manage on their own. That’s fair. For the times when they feel overwhelmed, ask where you can help. Respect their wishes, but be available. The more you observe your family and friends-and the older you get-the more of an internal sense you have as you when help is needed…If you are the one going through the storm, don’t feel bad about enlisting some help. This can be hard if you are the one usually giving help to others. Just tell yourself, ‘the sooner I’ll get back to making donuts.’…
It’s ok to’Get By With A Little Help From Your Friends’ (& Family). Most likely, you’ll be able to reciprocate down the road, leading to Great Days for so many 🍩
