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The Unsatisfying Days, Jill Kemerer blog

The Unsatisfying Days

As I write this, I’m pushing through another Monday. I’ll be honest. The second I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be one of those unsatisfying days. Why?

  • Well, Monday. That probably says it all.
  • I didn’t sleep well.
  • It’s the end of March and STILL snowing.
  • I needed to get groceries this morning.
  • I had almost no clean clothes (which meant in addition to the general Monday-ness and groceries, I’d be doing laundry as well).
  • I’m pretty sure I gained ten pounds overnight.
  • The workout plan I’m doing this week features LONG workouts. The thought of 45-50 minutes of difficult exercise this morning made me gag.
  • My original plan for my writing this week has to be adjusted because I received copyedits for a book on Friday (this wasn’t unexpected, but I still have to figure out how I want to approach the week).
  • I just wasn’t in the mood. For anything.

I’d love to tell you that as the day wore on my mood improved and I thought, Yeah, Monday, you and me–we got this! Alas, no.

I took extra time over my coffee. I’m very glad I did.

I got groceries, and they took longer than normal because the store is resetting its layout. Also, they were out of half and half, which threw me. Like, I’m taken aback in a bad way. I can handle no bread on the shelf. But no half and half? Mind. Blown.

Since meat was on sale, I spent 30 minutes trimming fat, cutting it up and repackaging it for the freezer. Dealing with raw meat is not my favorite activity. At one point I seriously gagged.

All that laundry? Still doing it. Still folding it. Still putting it away.

The workout? Sweaty.

My writing plan? Still unsettled.

Look, I know I’m a whiner. And I know, I know, I can hear that chirpy friend in my ear, “You should be thankful the store has food. You should be thankful you have money to buy the food. You have your health. You have a working washing machine. You have the luxury of working from home and making your own schedule. At least you had your coffee, right?

That chirpy friend (who is non-existent and probably just a fragment of my personality) is correct. I am very blessed. And most of the time I’m grateful for every little thing.

Not today, though, my friends.

I’m not going to pretend I had a 180 in attitude from morning to now. I didn’t. I’m also not going to spout off about what a great day it was and how much I got done. Admittedly, I did get a lot done. But it was the core stuff, the behind-the-scenes stuff, the not-fun-stuff that allows me to spend the rest of my time working on things that DO satisfy me.

I guess those unsatisfying days lead to the satisfying ones. Maybe they make them sweeter. Who knows?

I’m off for another cup of coffee…

Do you have unsatisfying days? How do you deal with them?

Enjoy your week!

Jill Kemerer is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of heartwarming, emotional, small-town romance novels often featuring cowboys. She hopes to encourage readers through her books the way so many books have encouraged her. Jill's essentials include coffee, caramels, a stack of books, her mini-doxie, and long walks outdoors. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two almost-grown children. For more information, visit her website, jillkemerer.com.

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Jill, thank you for your honesty. Some days just feel different than others. Unsatisfying. I am thankful that when we feel that way, we can go to God in prayer and seek His comfort. 🙂 Have a blessed day! Thank you for being a great encourager, mentor, and friend to me. Hugs!

  2. I love that term! I tend to think of them as frustrating days….nothing gets done the way I want, too many interruptions, events moving too slow. But unsatisfactory days make more sense, because I DO accomplish things, but not in my way. Once again, my selfishness poking through… But those days do make the better days much better! Tha k you for sharing and being honest. 😊

  3. My unsatisfying days are generally ones in which I forget to focus on God first. When I get my head and heart focused on Him instead of my circumstances, even the saddest, weirdest days then look a little brighter. For example, when I was in bed and on the brink of death with an illness, I was completely overwhelmed by how awful it was… until I asked a friend to send me some favorite Bible verses on hope and encouragement. I couldn’t lift my Bible because I had zilch energy, but I could look at the verses the friend sent me while laying on my side so the bed would support my arm and hand that held my phone. Those verses I read a million times over the next three weeks of the illness, and every time, those verses infused hope and light and encouragement into me in a way I can only express by saying: God did it. He overcame my overwhelmed-ness by the Truth of His Word. He overcame my illness by the Truth of His Word. He helped me overcome by walking every moment of that dark valley with me. It was incredible to feel Him with me so strongly through that entire experience, and all because I obeyed that nudge of His to ask a friend to send me verses when He knew I couldn’t find any on my own that day.

    Jill, I hope the rest of the week looks up for you. God is with you, friend. 🙂

    1. Oh, Andrea, I’m so sorry you faced such a terrible time. I can’t imagine what you went through. Your faith shines through, and you are right–God gets us through every valley. His peace truly is beyond comprehension. I’m thankful He got you through your illness.

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