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Twitter Updates for 2010-01-04
Posted by elizabeth on Jan 4, 2010 in Uncategorized
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Choosing 6 for 2010
Why is there a picture of a cluttered countertop? (Trust me, it’s a countertop.) I’m so glad you asked!
Over on my links page is a blog called Zen Habits. Leo Babauta, the guy who runs it, has created another blog called 6 Changes and says that this method is “the antidote to the failure of New Year’s Resolutions”. I’ve read through the method and have chosen my 6 that will be worked on through the course of this year. He says to make it as public as possible, so here goes! The first one I’m going to work on is *drumroooollllll* Clutter! (the crowd goes wild!!). Or not. My friends and family will probably laugh. To be honest, part of me is also thinking, “Ha! Yeah… right.” and “Good luck with that…” I have a dichotomy going on in my noggin, after all. Look at my countertops and other open spaces and it’s a mess. Open up a cabinet drawer and it’s (usually) organized and neat. So, for the sake of specificity, my goal is stated thusly: I will de-clutter one room of my house each week (and keep it de-cluttered)!
Each goal is to take two months and I have 8 rooms in my house (I’m considering our two bathrooms as “one”). I decided to start with clutter because, honestly, it’s the one driving me the craziest right now. I want to eat healthier and lose weight and will be working on that some, but my primary focus during the first two months of the year will be de-cluttering.
I’ll be updating my progress here, obviously.
He also stresses the importance of enjoying the journey. If I don’t enjoy what I’m doing, it’s doubtful that it will stick. I suppose this is where I let my inner obsessive-compulsive out. When I have cleaned a room, I LOVE the way it looks. It’s so neat. Everything is in its proper spot. I can’t explain the aesthetic feeling I get when I look at a neat and well put together room. I love it! My chest feels like it could pop and I want to freeze that moment forever. But without fail, within a few weeks, I get lazy and just set something down instead of putting it away. Or, I see that someone else has put something down instead of putting it away and, for some insane reason, I see that as permission. That one innocent little item leads to the path of destruction. Okay, slight exaggeration, but it’s not long after that “one item” appears that the rest of the room is suddenly cluttered again.
In an attempt to thwart that, I also have come across a plan that allows one to do a quick “clean-up” for each room of a house. It involves having all the tools together, so that’ll be part of my journey to the goal – putting together the right tools.
In one of his posts on minimalism, Leo says to look at your possessions and determine if what you have is truly important. “Whittle it down until you’re left with the minimum for the life you want to lead.” So, each day, I will go in whatever room I’m working on in a given week and look for things that are not needed and get rid of them. I’m planning to do one section of the room each day (another option is setting a time limit, but I know I won’t want to quit in the middle of a section if time is up). So, I’ll clear out a section and divide it into keep, trash, give away. He suggests another box for items I’m not sure about: box it up, label it, if I haven’t opened it in 6 months, give it away or trash it.
I also need to figure out a trigger – something I do every day – weekdays AND weekends. Why? Because if I plan to add that task, I’m likely to let it slide when things get busy. If the task is tied to something I already do, it’s more likely to stick. That said, I’ve also recently discovered a little site called FlyLady. This lady is ÜBER organized and I can SO see myself going there.
Twitter Updates for 2009-12-30
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 30, 2009 in Uncategorized
- @Meryl333 "Fresh from the dryer clothes" is the quickest way to get my daughter to get dressed. It works for me too.
in reply to Meryl333 #
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Twitter Updates for 2009-12-29
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 29, 2009 in Uncategorized
- What's the difference between cleaning & organizing? Nothing really. If you don't like one and do like the other, think of it as the other! #
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A Response to “Whatever Will Be, Will Be”?
by lepiaf.geo on Flickr
Holy Moly!! So this apparently is a time for me to be getting smacked around, because again on Twitter, something smacked me upside the head, neck, and shoulders. Someone tweeted a link to an article and simply said, “STOP what you are doing right now. STOP. Now read this and analyze yourself.” It was a link to an article on Copyblogger titled “On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas.”
I’m torn here, now. Do I go on to tell you about it or do I let you read it for yourself? Can I trust you to read it for yourself? Or should I make it easy on you by telling about it and then you can go read it to get the full OMG impact of it? I’ll go with the latter…
It opens with a mother getting the news that her then 1 yo baby has a form of muscular dystrophy called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Diagnosed this early, the doctor doesn’t expect the boy to live to the age of 2. But this mother is determined. The doctor may have given up on her son, but she won’t. Most children with SMA eventually come down with pneumonia and die because they are too weak to fight it off. This mother decides that her son won’t have to fight it off. She’ll fight for him.
Over the next 16 years, he got pneumonia 16 times and she was with him each and every time, fighting it off for him. Beating on his chest and back to loosen the mucus. She had a team of specialists. She pushed him to be great. When his elementary school wanted him to leave, she fought for him to stay. She talked a basketball coach into changing the rules a bit so he could be a “ball carrier” – no one could take the ball from him. When he could no longer hold a pencil or raise his hand, she hired assistants.
His fight continues as he moves up in the world. He has had to fight to get people to listen to him. People haven’t expected much out of him because he is disabled and he fights against those expectations. He goes on to say:
“It’s not a matter of persistence or strength or attitude, as some people think. It’s a matter of shame.How could I possibly look my mother and father and all of the others who have sacrificed so much for me in the eye and tell them, “I can’t?” I couldn’t bear it. The shame of dishonoring their sacrifice by giving up would poison my soul.”
And so he fights. I really REALLY encourage you to go read his post. Paraphrasing doesn’t do it justice and the section on how he continues fighting is just chock full of awesome.
And what’s more, he’s right. For many of us, our parents fought hard to get us where we are today. Teachers fought hard for us. For every one of us, I dare say that there was someone (or multiple people) who helped us get where we are today. There are probably people in your life right now who are fighting for you – encouraging you – to be more than you currently are. Are we doing their sacrifice justice?
I can think of a few people in my life who are fighting for me, praying for me, and encouraging me to be more than I currently am – my parents, my husband, my 6 year old child, and a multitude of friends. No, I don’t do this for them. I want to do this because of them.
As of the posting of this story, the author of the Copyblogger article, Jonathon Morrow, is 27 years old and is the Associate Editor of Copyblogger and Cofounder of Partnering Profits.
Whatever will be, will be
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 22, 2009 in Life
Que Sera Sera by doeth on Flickr
A quote I saw on Twitter smacked me upside the head the other day. “I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.” Einstein said that. And he was right.
The question is, am I willing to give up what I am? It would be so very easy to say no and stay right where I am. In a house full of clutter, overweight, unhealthy, and dreaming of having time for creative outlets. Sounds miserable, doesn’t it? But it’s not. Not entirely, anyway. It’s the routine – the known. It’s familiar and comfortable.
There are lots of little messages that I feel I’m getting from all sorts of places -music, blogs, Twitter, and even old Christmas movies.
Will I listen? Am I willing to give up what I am – unhealthy and unsatisfied, but comfortable – in order to become what I will be?
And what will I be? I sometimes look at well-decorated and clean houses and wish I could be more like Martha Stewart or June Cleaver. I had a dream once in which I was running – and it felt wonderful! I had a dream once that I was in a bed holding a baby boy and I wasn’t overweight. And it felt wonderful! I have even imagined myself speaking to a crowd of people. And it felt WONDERFUL! I have excuses, of course.
Cleaning? I’m a working mom! There’s no time! I do what has to be done and let some things slide. I’m a believer in the saying, “If you’re here to see me, come on in. If you’re here to see my house, make an appointment.” I even like “Bless this mess.”
Exercise? I already get up by 5:30 a.m., do what I can of housework deemed important (laundry, kitchen, trash, etc.) then I work 8-5, come home, eat dinner with my family, get daughter ready for bed, then my husband and I have our down time by watching TV. When would I exercise?
Eating healthy? As weak an excuse as it is, I have zero will power. I love sweets. I love food. I dare say that one of the sins I’m most guilty of is gluttony!
Speaking? What would I have to speak about that anyone would want to hear? Of course, if I honestly believed that, I doubt I would have started this blog.
There’s so much that I want to change, it’s overwhelming. For that reason, I believe I’m going to follow a little plan I saw over on Zen Habits. Actually, it was on another blog he started called 6 Changes. Why 6? Because it takes time to develop a habit. One habit at a time, one piece of each habit at a time.
I’ll have some well settled bad habits to break. I’ll need to choose cleaning over idleness. I’ll need to analyze my schedule to see when I could exercise and think outside the box on how I exercise. I’ll need to choose fruits over Little Debbie Swiss Rolls (or even Moose Tracks ice cream). I’ll need to write on here more than once a week.
I’ll need to give up what I am in order to become what I will be. Am I willing?
Twitter Updates for 2009-12-22
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 22, 2009 in Uncategorized
- "I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be." ~Einstein /via @Liturgy (Wow, but that smacked me!) #
- @Sundry We did that once. Told ours that Santa left her a surprise for when we got back. He'll love it whenever he gets it! in reply to Sundry #
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Twitter Updates for 2009-12-20
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 19, 2009 in Uncategorized
- Church staff / council Christmas party was tons of fun tonight! #
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Twitter Updates for 2009-12-20
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 19, 2009 in Uncategorized
- Church staff / council Christmas party was tons of fun tonight! #
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Twitter Updates for 2009-12-17
Posted by elizabeth on Dec 17, 2009 in Uncategorized
- New post is up: http://j.mp/6zv6St. Also added a links page. #
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