Advice | Trees of Transition

November 10, 2014
by mary.campbell.schuh 6 Comments

How to Pass a Drug Test with Flying Colors

I have to pee in a cup before I start this job!? Well, yes. Some jobs require you take a drug test before you start work. Want to pass that drug test? Following are the things that helped me.

Don’t do drugs. Period. If you need support with dealing with life, get help from people, not substances.

Don’t eat poppy seeds in anything the days before the test (I had to turn down some lemon poppy-seed bread a friend had made. Bummer. But we laughed, “It would be sort of funny if I didn’t pass the drug test because of some bread!” My friend chimed in, “You’re the last person you would think of taking drugs.”)

Schedule the drug test as early in the morning as possible and then hold it until the test.
Excuse the bathroom talk, but it’s part of the test. You really have to go to be able to pee in a cup (or at least that’s my experience), so hold it and then drink a lot of water an hour before the test.

A few years ago I had to give a urine sample as part of a physical exam. That morning when I woke up, I went to the bathroom as usual, and then thought: “Oh, No!! I should have held it.” So I started drinking glass after glass of water in order to be ready for the test. When I got to the clinic, I tried to pee in the cup, but it wouldn’t come…I drank more water…nothing…ran the bathroom tap to get the water sound to help…then after thirty minutes, I succeeded. And for the next few hours I had to go to the bathroom every hour since I had drank so much water.
Holding it helps, and by the time you have to take the test, it will be easy.

Be thankful your work cares to have its employees be drug-free, and choose to be one of them.

August 1, 2014
by mary.campbell.schuh Leave a comment

Advantages of Your Younger Sister Getting Married Before You!

1. You are free to focus on, serve, and help your sister without neglecting a husband and kids.

2. You can learn lots about wedding planning, so that you can do it well when your turn comes. (For example, create a bridal emergency kit to take to the wedding!)

3. You get to develop your style more and figure out what bridal gowns you love, while encouraging and helping your sister.

4. You are not the one all stressed out!

5. You get to throw a personal, relaxing bachelorette party. (I had fun sewing her a bridal vail for her to wear!)

6. You get to pray for your sister, and give a thoughtful, maybe tearful toast at the wedding.

7. You get to be proud of your sister for figuring out this dating thing, getting engaged, and now get to send her off into wedded bliss.

So this season has taught me a lot. I’m so thankful I’ve gotten closer to my sister through it, and I get to continue enjoying single life, dating, and creating a home to share with family and friends.

My sister’s time came; I have hope that my time will come too. So one last advantage is that you have some wonderful adventures ahead of you!

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

September 18, 2013
by mary.campbell.schuh Leave a comment

Flying Away from a Dream: The Transition Through a Breakup

The 1,000 mile plane ride to visit my boyfriend had been joyful; my hope about the relationship had been growing.
Over the next four days we walked along the ocean, hung out with family, and got to be around each other and know each other more. Toward the end of the week my boyfriend decided we weren’t a great match and ended our relationship without much warning. I fought for the relationship for a day and a half and then let him go. Hours later I got on a plane to fly home.

The plane ride away from a dream sucks. Shock, sadness, and questioning whirled through my head. After the plane left the ground, I looked out of the window and quietly cried. I didn’t want the gals next to me to see I was crying, so I pretended to sleep, and later studied the billowy clouds, hiding my red eyes. Even though my head knew the “Why” to what had just happened, my heart didn’t want to accept that the dream I had been nurturing about my boyfriend and I was dead. I was flying away from a place from which I probably won’t ever return.

I knew I had an option: To shut down again like I had five years before (when a different relationship had ended) or to learn from the ending of this relationship (that I had wanted to keep working on). Since I couldn’t keep working on this relationship, I could work on myself and on being open to new relationships!

This time instead of hiding and shutting down, I let others see my pain and I stayed open. On that plane ride, one of the gals next to me started talking with me, so we had an interesting conversation about Islam. A few minutes before landing, I told that new acquaintance that I had just had a break-up, and she surprised me: She responded with compassion! She had been through even worse than I had, and she empathized with me. This was the start of processing the pain WITH people. The compassion and support from even distant friends and family surprised me; I felt more connected to the human race. My old housemates hung out with me that night and helped me process, and just loved me and let me cry.

The transition through a break-up is a bumpy road. It combines the steps of grief, the letting go of hopes about the relationship, the processing of anger, the loneliness of not having that friendship anymore, and the choice to stay open to new relationships.

The break-up was a transition I didn’t expect. The change was abrupt and painful, but it taught me so much. It connected me more to people that I love, and it has helped me focus my life more pointedly. I have more hope about life and for future relationships. A breakup is an end to one relationship, but it can be a dark stairway that leads to an even better future.

— Use this link to shop on Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope