Oh, well let me see… I am going to work in the yard, clean the house, do some shopping, go to the city…
We all know this isn’t true. It’s been a long week and I am tired dang it! I always make a weekend selfie-do list and if I’m lucky can mark one thing off my list.
I should be thankful I can recognize when my body needs to rest. However, I have noticed the older I get, my energy levels are slowly declining and pooey I will not have this kind of nonsense!
So what if I don’t do my whole list? I must take care of me and one thing off my list is better than nothing. At least I have a list with high hopes!
My sister and I took my mother out to her storage unit to purge some things. We barely made a dent in the two hours we were there and it was by far frustrating.
I realized my sister has far more patience than I do. Our mother hangs on to things that she hasn’t touched in years. Half of the items she has either forgotten about, or it strikes up a memory, or she swears she “might use it some day”
Mother is having significant difficulty letting things go. Ever time my sister or I would hold something up, our mother would say “keep”. I have been coaxing my mom for a little over a year to let go of these things.
She just won’t let go.
I understand it’s hard for her because those material items are her memories but those things have been in storage for so long she can’t remember what she even has. And what is really hard is trying to be productive without her taking a 10 minute trip down memory lane.
What is also hard for us kids, is that she struggles monthly on a fixed income and tells us about her struggles but will religiously make those high storage payments.
Every time she tells me of a money struggle, I tell her she’d have the extra money if she would clean out her storage and she tells me the same line each time, “I know, but you have to understand those are your dad’s and I memories, 50 years worth!”
Defeated each time. And each time she feels overwhelmed. Yet she continues to talk about how she needs to clean out the storage but she needs help doing it. It is a vicious cycle.
After my father had passed away several years ago, I realized for myself that I didn’t want to hang on to meaningless material things. Especially if they are packed away. I decided to really clean things out in my own home and it felt great. However I still have a few bins in the garage that I want to purge but my husband keeps telling me no and it’s frustrating because it’s mostly my stuff. So it continues to sit in the garage. At least it’s organized.
Just like the leaves in the fall, our habits change, our tastes change. We mature, we grow and we move on. We feel fresh and alive with change, with the seasons.
We accept the change of the seasons, from summer to fall to winter to spring. So why is it difficult to accept the change of decluttering? We are not meant to be bound by the stresses of clutter.
The freedom of letting go from a clutter prison feels refreshing, almost magical.
Friday is here at last although I will probably end up working from home this weekend. I keep a running to do this for work and this week was full of interruptions.
Because of all of the interruptions, I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. Literally. Honestly this morning when I was writing out my list and going over the prior days lists, I could feel a panic attack developing. Well, the two large cups of strong coffee (the kind that could grow hair on your chest) probably didn’t help…
I have gotten better over the years in talking myself out of a panic attack, as I did this morning. Deep breathe, deep breathe, deep breathe. I remembered I am only one person and if I stay focused despite the interruptions, things will get done…eventually.
So happy Friday, may you have a relaxing weekend and here’s to you and all your dedication and hard work!
I’ve really been diving into my artwork lately and stepping out of my comfort zone by using vivid colors or explicit detail. It is requiring much more patience but keeps my mind occupied.
In addition to this, I’ve reconnected to friends on FB, not really wanting to, but doing so to have the ability of marketing for my job. It’s been lovely to see the familiar faces and pictures of family.
There really isn’t much going on right now, sad to say and I certainly don’t have anything exciting to report.
I don’t have any close friends but two. My best friend whom I’ve grown up with doesn’t live in the area. My other friend is a guy and he is really funny but if I dare to hang out with him “you-know-who” starts making snarky comments and so on and never shuts up. Which is really annoying and since I don’t want to hear it, I limit my time with my friend through texting. This however still causes tidal waves of crap but too bad.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and if I experience anything remotely exciting, you’ll be the first to know!
The picture below is me getting ready for a new painting technique I’ve been wanting to try. What a mess! I’m pretty much over it.
What are you thankful for today? I am thankful to not only be working, but working with many wonderful people!
My weekend was not as relaxing as I had hoped, but I did manage to get some painting done. I started a new project, first time a fail but that is okay I will be doing round two this next Saturday. Have a great week and let the sun shine on your day!
I hope your morning is full of happy thoughts, grateful prayers and kind words.
Yesterday afternoon it was dumping snow here in the PNW but at least at my home, it wasn’t sticking much. But wet, melted snow means a thin layer of ice to consider.
What to do when stuck indoors? I didn’t do much! I read a little bit, played a game, looked at Pinterest and made peanut butter truffles.
My truffles are such a hit that I was thinking I should start sending them out randomly to friends. Of course it would require a bit of planning but I could probably manage it.
Who doesn’t like getting gifts in the mail? I would plan to send a box of truffles with a small piece of artwork!
Giving to others makes me happy. It is one thing I truly enjoy doing and I never expect anything in return. By giving, no matter what it may be, can impact someone at that very moment. Sometimes you never know what a person is going through. Small tokens of kind words and or gifts can lift a person’s spirit up.
Enjoy your day today, even if it is filled with many “nothings”.
My dogs are quite the funny characters in their senior ages.
All I wanted was an image for my work website with the three of us. My big dog would not behave making random faces to avoid sitting still.
Image by Robin Moreau
She despises getting her picture taken. She will do anything to avoid the camera.
Image by Robin Moreau
At one point I thought I could reason with her.
Image by Robin Moreau
But needless to say it didn’t work to my advantage. She used to take wonderful pictures when she was a pup. She would sit so still as though she was being painted for a portrait. Maybe she doesn’t like her gray hair?
Image by Robin Moreau
I can’t help but laugh at her silly responses. When she had enough of me she thought she’d distract me further by kisses.
Image by Robin Moreau
I think pets are put on this earth to keep us humans filled with love and humor. Especially in those serious moments.
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I’m dreading the day. I admit I love the pink, reds and white glittered hearts, but the intent behind it I don’t like.
The true Valentine’s Day is not about love. I won’t start a discussion about it nor a history lesson because I really don’t care.
The reason why I don’t like Valentine’s Day is because it gives false feelings and actions to the commercialized “holiday”.
Overspending on dinner and the need to make reservations in advance. The hundreds of dollars spent on flowers when the day before a bouquet was only twenty.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like a good, thoughtful dinner and fresh flowers, but this year will be the first year where there has been an adjustment in my relationship of almost 30 years that I’m still choking on.
I believe that a person in a committed relationship should tell and show each other their love throughout the year and not save it up for one day because the calendar states it so.
Yes I’m bitter. And I pray not to be and I am truly trying. But I feel every day is like practicing for a marathon that I am always just shy of winning. Never good enough to compete. Why do I continue when the torch will never flame again?
In the meantime, I indulge in lasting watercolor flowers. Ones laced in pretty pinks, reds and lavenders. I show my love through my art and pass it to those to brighten their day.
Almost every day I am reading posts about how to better organize my office, files, desk….life. There are great suggestions out there but I never can secure at least one to my benefit.
So how does one organize chaos? When I first started my job as Hospital Manager I was completely overwhelmed. The desk and chair was not ergonomically correct for me, the files were not appropriately in order that even remotely made any sense, and the accounts receivable were…and still are a mess.
The more I dig, the more I find.
Deep breath.
However, as overwhelmed I have been with swimming in this chaos, I have seen the shore. It may not be exactly where I was expecting to go, but it is progress.
At least I have a new chair. I do have a new desk but it is still boxed up because the office is being remodeled. Yes, throw a remodel into the mix!
I feel like I’m spinning right now, and 15 minutes of success in a ten hour day does not feel like progress.
So I continue to swim, coming up for air occasionally, while flailing my arms through these murky waters. I will get there.
In the meantime, I keep researching for best organization practices. If anyone can provide insight, I will be ever so grateful.
If I could just look at my work world like I do my art world, I am sure I’d be far more organized and be able to complete the chaos in a moments time.
In the meantime, I will just continue and continue and continue…
