Stepping Away from the Edge

A Brief Interlude

Some Eva Cassidy. . .

 

Because I'm feeling in need of a brief interlude today.

Yesterday's events in Boston touched me profoundly.  Horrific and senseless violence is always disturbing.  But I can't quite shake what happened at the Boston Marathon.

As the spouse of a rather serious runner, I know what it's like to wait at the finish line.  In fact, I've waited at that very finish line. . .

You stand there, in the press of the crowd.  Watching.  Waiting.  Checking the time.  Looking.  Looking.  Checking the time.  Waiting.

And expecting . . . to celebrate and congratulate and support . . . once your particular runner crosses that finish line.

You don't expect exploisons.

My heart feels this one deeply.

 

 

Dirty Little Secret

. . . because sometimes it's just a good idea to Come Clean. . .

I love jewelry.  I have a giant, standing jewelry case in my room.

And because I am Alway in a Hurry, and because I am Always Looking for the Right Earring, my jewelry case tends to be . . .

a bit of a mess.

Let's rephrase that.

A JUMBLED mess!

(And, as you might notice, it's really the TOP and most-accessible section that is the Real Problem here.  I tend to ignore the drawers, and pile everything in the top section when I am Always in a Hurry.)

Last weekend, things had reached a frustrating, Critical Point in the jewelry selection department.  I decided to Do Something About It.

I cleaned house.

I sorted.  I thinned out.  I organized.

So. Much. Better.

I found things I hadn't even remembered I had!  I found loose buttons.  I found a missing, beloved earring.  I found my high school class ring.  And my Tri-Delt pin.  Amazing things.

I even found enough change for a cup of coffee!

Any guesses how long this will last?

Gratitude

It is November; a month where folks (in the US, at least) traditionally take stock and focus on the bounty around them.  It's a month to concentrate on gratitude.

As Hurricane Sandy worked her way to shore on Monday, we enjoyed an incredible sunset here in Michigan.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

--Melody Beattie, as quoted in Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Join me on Thursdays throughout November for thoughts on gratitude.

Beginnings . . . OR . . . Finding the Linchpin

As I wrote on Friday, I've got a lot of "projects" going on.  These aren't life-and-death kinds of projects.  Just things I want to (or need to) do so I can function more efficiently in the world.  And feel better about my surroundings.  And, shoot. . . just so I can find things when I need them!

And so.

I dug in.

First, I made a list - "brainstorm" style - of all the various "projects" in my mind.

(I often think this way.  Just sort of free-form, topical lists where I can "think" on paper, and draw and highlight as the mood strikes.)

Right away, I could see that some of my "projects" (organizing my sewing/crafting room, for example) are really independent of all the other "projects", and can be completed on their own.  Some of the "projects", though, are totally dependent on other "projects," and require my completing pre-requistites  . . . first. 

For example, I want to finish setting up my newly-painted guest room/small office (formerly known as Erin's room). 

But, to do that, I need to move a bookcase (housed in Brian's room) into the new room. 

And to do that, I need to empty the bookcase. 

And to do that, I need to find a place for the emptied items.

And that . . .  dovetails into another "project":  Going through the "leavings" from Erin and Brian; sorting and re-packing the "savers", and readying those items for storage.

Which actually bumps up against another entire "project":  Re-organizing that portion of my house that we lovingly call "TinyTown." **

Clearly, it's a total Give-a-Mouse-a-Cookie situation. . .

Overwhelming.

I needed to identify the linchpin in my project plan.  I needed to figure out where to begin. . . so that everything else could start sliding into place.

And when I started studying my list . . . I could see where I needed to start.  And I amost cried . . . just sat down on the stairs and cried . . . when I realized that my  linchpin . . . was BRIAN'S ROOM!!!

Any of you readers who have/have had college-age boys know the depths of my despair.  And those of you who don't have college-age boys . . . well . . . their rooms-at-home are a frightening place.  They are, in fact, everything you might imagine/fear them to be.

Sure, their rooms-at-home only contain the Things-They-Left-Behind.  You know. . . the high school detritus; the childish items and random toys; the collections they can't bear to part with; that sort of thing.  (And, really, how tough is that?)

But there is also . . . other stuff.  Crusty . . . things.  Stains of unknown origin.  A summer's worth of empty Gatorade bottles tossed casually under the bed.  Hidden (ahem) magazine stashes.  Old teeth.  (Yes.)  Things you would rather not have to deal with.  But, because you are a Mother, you just do.

And so.  I did.

Beginnings.

Not pretty.  But clean.  And tidy.  And dusted.

It's a start!  (And the bookcase got moved as well!)

==========

** I'll tell you about TinyTown some other day.  (I'm sure you can hardly wait. . . )

 

 

Charge of the Light Brigade

I have a lot of . . . projects . . . going on.

And I don't mean knitting projects.  (Although there are those, too.)

Just a lot of . . . things, around home and work . . . to take care of.  Or deal with.  Or put to rest.  Or tend to.  Or set to rights.

The other day, as I was trying to develop my Strategy for Project Success, I was reminded of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade.

Half a league, half a league, half a league onward.

Which, of course, immediately got me thinking about Alfalfa, and his ill-fated classroom recitation.

 

PROJECTS to left of me! (Cue: pyrotechnic explosion)

PROJECTS to the right of me!  (Cue: pyrotechnic explosion)

Into the valley of Control . . . Rode the Intrepid Organizer!

(You know what I'll be up to this weekend. . . )

Half a league, half a league
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns,' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

 

 

 

Too Much Fun. . .

. . . not to share!

Happy weekend!

Turtle Wisdom

There are turtles in our lake up north.  I love watching them.

They find sunny spots and soak up the warmth.  They paddle about in the water with their heads just barely sticking out.  And they always know just when to duck under water -- to escape and rejuvenate.

Our lake turtles inspired me to buy this little sun-catcher several years ago.

It hangs in the window over my sink in the kitchen of our cottage.  Reminding me to . . .

Sometimes, it's just good to take a cue from the turtles.  Soak up some sun. . .

Paddle about in the water. . .

Escape and rejuvenate. . .

Turtle wisdom!

Getting Off the Crazy Train

I've been riding the Crazy Train for a little while now.

I climbed aboard right after returning from my trip to Paris and Amsterdam.  And I've been barreling along - full steam ahead - ever since.

Now that Erin is graduated and moved. . . now that Brian is home and settling into his summer routine. . . now that Tom is back from his travels. . . now that I've quit my job . . .

I'm ready to STOP the Crazy Train.  I'm ready to get off.

So I'm headed Up North for a few days.  I'm taking a few books, my iPod, my knitting, and some wine.  And Tom.  And Jenny.

See you when I get back.  I won't be gone long.  Just long enough to . . . watch the Crazy Train leave the station.  Without me.

 

 

Hairography

One of my favorite Glee episodes last season was about . . . hair:

 

Not surprising that I liked this episode.  I've been a bit, ummmm, fixated on my own hair for a couple of years ago.  Losing it.  Growing it back.  Dealing with new curls.  Embracing the grey.  Figuring out what to do with it.

Yeah.  About that one.  Figuring out what to do with it.  So far, I've just been letting it grow.  Getting it styled and cut periodically, to keep it in some semblance of a "hairdo" . . . but mostly, just letting it grow until I figure out what I want to do with it.

I've moved through so many "stages" of chemo hair re-growth.  Starting with the Mother Theresa look.

Moving on the Jamie Lee Curtis look.

Through those awkward "where's the beef" months.

And the getting-longer "Mozart hair" phase.

I finally settled in for a long time with the Paula Deen look.  But just to let my hair grow some.

Now, though, I think my hair has grown long enough to do what I WANT to do with it.  To go for a style of my own choosing!  After two years, I'm finally ready to walk into my hair salon and say, "I want THIS hair cut."

Yep.  This time, I'm going for Helen Mirren!

On purpose!

Hairography!

Keeping It Together

I tend to think of myself as an Organized Person.  It may not look like I'm organized, but I do tend to get things done on time, be where I'm supposed to be fairly close to when I'm supposed to be there, and know where things are. 

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is Ten Ways to Be More Organized.  My suggestions:

1. THINK organized!  It's a state of mind. . .
2. Plan ahead.  Lay out your clothes for tomorrow before you go to bed; keep your work-out stuff packed and ready to go; check your calendar BEFORE you head out the door, etc.
3. Embrace the high-tech tools!  For me, it's iEverything that keeps me iOrganized.  Between my iMac, my iPad and my iPhone. . . I've got it covered.
4. Embrace the low-tech tools!  Of course, there's nothing like Post-It notes, the hand-written grocery list and the stand-by planner.  (I am in the process of converting from the old-school planner to the iPad planner, so right now . . . it's a little of both.)
5. Keep things handy.  Tom and I make use of a white board (in the photo above) that we keep on the kitchen counter.  We jot down things we need to pick up from the grocery store, or we write each other notes.  It's always there.  We tend to use it.
6. Keep things portable.  I have little "tool kits" that I keep at the ready.  (My knitting "tool kit" is in the photo above.)  If it's in kit form, I grab-and-go.  (Some of my tool-kits include knitting stuff, work-out stuff, touch-up make-up stuff, office supply stuff, and - in season - gardening stuff.)
7. Use reminder tools.  I couldn't function without my pill-minder!
8. Make lists.  I always keep a little notebook in my bag (it's the one with the dots design in the photo above).  It's only purpose is to jot down lists and notes of errands, etc.  I carry it right into the grocery store with me and cross things off as I shop.  When I fill one up, I replace it with another.
9. Use colorful files and supplies.  I'm not a color-coordinated organizer, but I do like pretty file folders and desk supplies that make me smile.
10. Manage the paper flow!  (I'm always struggling with this one. . .)  We make use of a giant bulletin board in the back closet to capture schedules and calendars. 

(Please note I did not share a photo of my desk or any of my closets.  Organization?  What Organization?)