Making Good Choices

The new PC ways we talk to kids really get under my skin sometimes. I am guilty of it - I know but some are way more out of control that I am.

I am known to call after McKenzie to "be a good friend" as she is heading onto the crowded bus in the morning. ... the the one that really gets me is "make good choices". When parents and teachers say that I want to scccreeeaaaaaammmm.

The truth remains. We all need to be reminded to make good choices. Most of our clutter desks, dirty dishes, unpaid bills and lapsed commitments are a direct result of NOT making good choices. The very nature of choice-making means that something is a "yes" and another thing is a "no". This is not easy for most of us. What you say "yes" or "no" to this week that will make a difference is your living? Start now - make that good choice today.

Putting it where it is used the most

I should really follow my own advice. If I had a penny for each of the times I have said "put this where you are really going to use it", I would be typing this from a remote location off the coast of somewhere lovely, sunny and tropical.

This morning was my day to follow my own advice. Normally I keep the vitamins in the hall closet to store them out of view. ...But guess what happens?! I never take them because I forget. This is also true of my prayer life. All my "tools" are out of sight it in my home office. Guess what also happens?! My prayer life has been almost nonexistent. (UGH!)

This was the day for change.
I have placed a basket on top of the upstairs toilet with all my vitamins and a few morning devotional books placed inside. Now it will be in view and used.

It is good to follow the advice you offer to others. It keeps you honest.

Good advice for us all...

I am sitting at my computer... well, I am actually sitting at the computer in my local library since my wireless is "less-than-wireless" at the current moment. The task at hand is to finish an action plan for a client needing to recapture her living spaces. As I outline the steps of what she should do, I remember the tears shed during the in-home consultation.

The opening advice I offered before the actual steps were listed is this:

Honor the fact that this is hard work to let go of things.
Be generous with yourself.
*Remember that it is possible to honor feelings and memories without keeping the stuff.*

I hope this is a helpful starting place for you too.
What is stored away in your space that can really be let go of today?

My favorite things...

Have you ever heard anything that made you laugh out loud without being able to catch yourself? The backseat of my minivan is either filled with kids or filled with client donation drop offs. The other day a neighborhood child was sitting in the back talking about her favorite things.

Raindrops on roses?
and whiskers on kittens?
Those might be Maria's favorite things from the Sound of Music
but for this little girl, her favorite things were -

Unicorns
Cocker Spaniels
...and pickles.

Something about that grouping made me laugh and laugh. Then it started me thinking... what random collection of things do I love? How about you... what do you love?

Consult the Magic Eight Ball

I have been working a lot these past few weeks. It is apparent in the way my calendar is a sea of scribbles. It is apparent in the fact that I am going to do seven loads of laundry today... but it is most apparent in the face of my eight-year old daughter McKenzie.

Last night I worked into the evening with a woman who was expecting a short notice visit from her mother. I didn't get into the achieveorder mobile until after 7pm and then I headed home to my family. I wasn't out of the car before I heard the voices of my girls shouting "Mama, mama, MAMA!" It is a very good thing that I have a great husband who can do the "Mr.Mom" thing quite well. (Without him I would be much less than I am.)

This morning McKenzie consulted the advice of her friend Eva's Magic Eight Ball. I overheard them talking at the front door waiting for the bus .... " Will my mom stop working soon and just stay home with me?" (UGH! My heart.) Much to McKenzie's delight, the ball advised "most certainly true". There is truth in wisdom of Eva's Eight Ball. The challenge for me is to do what I enjoy (organizing) without it taking over and bumping out what I REALLY love (my family).

I am sure some of you have been there.

Circle of Ladies

I had the delightful opportunity to be in a circle of ladies the other night for a discussion group. I was asked to be there to talk about Spring organizing but I wanted to try something new. They were invited to bring their junk drawers along as an interactive story sharing experience. The talking point - what is in your junk drawer... and tell a story about it.

You never know that will happen when you open the time to free-flow sharing. The chemistry of some groups allow of deep sharing while others... don't...

What an honor it was to be with a group who could share... on many levels. Stories of people, places and events peppered the conversation. The junk made us laugh and even made us sit silently in the presence of tears.

What is in your junk drawer... who/what/when comes to mind...?

Shoes

I have been working in a home where the father recently passed away. His adult daughter and I have been working on a few organizing projects around the house. Yesterday I was loading my van with a number of things to go to Goodwill. Normally I place the items in the van without thinking too much about it.

Laying out on the lawn were three pairs of his shoes. I stood there for a few moments - unable to gather them into a bag. I looked at them and thought about all the steps they had taken - with both joy and regret. Even though I never met the father, there was something deeply personal about the shoes. It seemed like an unkind act to throw them in the pile with the rest of the donations.

Isn't it odd what strikes us about a person once they are gone.

Roots

I am thrilled to see green things poking through the ground in my flowerbeds. It signals Spring to me more than the warming temperatures.

I have to tell the truth. I am a VERY impatient gardener. My husband teases that I like to perform "professional installations" instead of enjoying the gradual art of tending to a garden. He has been right in other years - but not this one. This girl is turning over a new leaf.

Have you ever had the sense in your life that things are not completely under your own control? As an organizer I don't really like that feeling. It seems that my family is in a place of great opportunity right now. There are several choices ahead of us that create "unknown" and "wonder" (and even worry, if you ask me!).

What is a girl to do?

Today I purchased an unbelieveable number of seed packets. I intend to plant every single one of those seeds on Friday. Cosmos, sweet peas, lettuce, etc... And I am going to be patient...

I look at it as a spiritual discipline and an act of self-control. If you know me, you know this is a stretch. What better than to put down literal roots when you are working on putting down figurative roots too?

Join me. Turn off your computer and plant something!

McKenzie has turned on me! :-)

McKenzie (my older daughter) has turned on me. She is only 8 but it has already happened... :-) Yesterday we were driving in the car together while she was sharing her newest adventures with her online webkinz pets. (Children are put in charge of caring for their pets by playing with them, feeding them and even buying the things they need.) McKenzie remarked that she had just bought a second room for her horse. I asked why a virtual horse would need more than one room.... and her response was " Where else would I store all her stuff?" The answer went through me like a rush of wind. My clients say the same thing about all the real "stuff" they have collected yet don't have places for! I guess it starts at an early age. Ugh!

How are the resolutions?

More than a month has passed since the ball dropped in NYC to signal the new year. How are those resolutions going? For us Christians, we have a second chance. Lent started last week so we have another fresh start to make good on our promises. Did you make the same resolution again? Retool the old one... or completely throw it out the window? The truth is... Each day is a chance to have a fresh start. Don't get discouraged!

Bottom of the basket

I actually LIKE doing laundry... and that is a good thing since my family seems to produce plenty of it! I have a system of sorting on the floor in the upstairs hallway - darks by the playroom door, towels by the stairs, colors next to the bathroom door, etc... ...but here is where I get stuck. For the last six months there have been three pieces of laundry repeated left in the bottom of the laundry basket. 1.) Pink sheer top that needs to be handwashed. 2.) Tan shirt that needs to be dry cleaned. 3.) An orange flowing shirt that always bleeds all over the place when washed. I am avoiding them... I cannot denigh it... They have been passed over every week since the middle of August. Why? I just don't want to take the time to do what needs to be done. Do you know what I mean? What is your "thing" you are avoiding? Let's both turn off our computers now and go do our "thing". Let's not let it suck anymore energy out of us.... Let me know how it goes!

Schedules...

While strolling down the aisle at the grocery store on Saturday, I met up with someone whom I haven't seen in a long time. Standing in front of the baked goods we exchanged "hellos". When asked how I was doing, my automatic response was "crazy, busy, good". I didn't even think about it. Somehow that is just the normal answer that comes out to anyone who asks. As I rolled away, I thought how untrue my statement was. I am good and busy but not really crazy and out of control. I guess that if we don't seem or sound like we are doing, doing, doing all that we can then we are not doing enough. I guess that it would sound silly to have replied " Good to see you John. How am I? Actually I am doing quite well at managing my life in ways that make me feel balanced...My beds are made and the laundry is finished. I have allowed just enough time to bake something for the potluck tonight. I have checked my schedule twice today and I am right on track. Thank you very much. How about you?" Think about the things you are communicating. You don't have to be doing everything, you just have to be doing the right things. Next time my response will not be "crazy, busy, good".... it will be "doing well...I am really blessed How about you"?

Clutter Kills!

Whoever said crack kills was wrong... what really kills is clutter! In all the movement of the holiday season, I let a few things pile up in my office/workroom. (Yes, it happens to me too!) While working on a school sewing project with my daughter, I made the mistake of plugging in my sewing machine with the cord running across the floor. Last minute gifts were also there waiting to be wrapped. McKenzie tripped over the bag and along came the sewing machine cord. Down, down, down crashed the machine into pieces all over the floor. The look on her face was sheer horror...but it was my fault. The good news is that McKenzie is fine but the less than good news is that the machine is a total loss. I wish they offered sewing machine medical insurance!

Saving a few minutes here and there is really going to cost me.
Take the extra time today to pick up all those things in your way.... it will really save you in the long run.