checking In

Hey Folks.

Just checking in to check to see if you've been checking up on me.

Check?

Check.

It's been a busy year so far although I can't tell you what has kept me so busy.  From talking to other people I don't seem to be the only person to experience this.

I've even taken to writing down in my day planner what I actually did that day.

 Apparently I'm a pretty busy gal.

This is when I'm supposed to talk to you about mindfulness; that being the habit of noticing and making sure you experience every moment of your life, making sure you appreciate and savor it all.

I realized not too long ago that most of us focus more on what's NEXT rather than what's NOW.  What we have to DO rather than what we're DOING.

It's time to stop and smell the roses, I think.  What good is life when it becomes a check list rather than an experience?

So I'm checking out right now to check in with my dear hubby and check out in front of the tv.

Check?

Check.

Confessions from a Dirty Old Gal

Some people can tell when they're too busy or distracted by how empty their refrigerators are. Some folks find sticky notes everywhere and can't figure out what goes where. Other people cry 'Uncle' when they discovered they've delivered the wrong kid to the wrong activity on the wrong day.

Not me. When I'm too busy I run out of clean clothes.

I've become aware that longer I go between laundry days the better my wardrobe becomes.

That's because I always grab my favorite sloppy-yet-clean t-shirt or jeans when I get up in the morning. I love certain items and wear them way too often.

Then, when these favorites get dirty I go to the next-favorite and repeat the same pattern.

So when I run out of my old stand-bys I have to resort to my church clothes; you know, the dark slacks and knit sweaters with the little designs on them. When those get soiled I turn to the black pants and sparkly number I last wore to Aunt Dorothy's 50th wedding anniversary.

Once my choices are to wear an old bridesmaid dress or do laundry I think about it...

And do laundry.

It almost feels like a shopping spree when I unearth what's been languishing in the bottom of the laundry basket; I haven't seen those duds in weeks!

I'm not a bad person, really. I don't consider myself to dress badly enough to be a candidate for 'How Do I Look?' or 'What Not To Wear.'

But I wonder if the emails of weirdly dressed people at Wal-Mart were merely busy folks grabbing the very last thing in their closets before breaking down and buying laundry detergent.

I can delay no longer... off I go to Wal-Mart for soaps and softeners needed to regain my beloved wardrobe.

Hmmm...I think I'll wear my sequinned tube top and plaid pajama bottoms. I mean, no one would be there with a camera at this time of night, would they?

Keeping it all Straight

I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed.

Some days it seems like every little hairy detail is nipping at my heels.
The one that nips hardest is the one that gets the attention.

It shouldn't be that way but hey, doesn't it seem to be true for most of us?

These last few weeks have been a busy time for me, and each event required total concentration.

That means that every other person, place, or thing I value had to take a back seat for a while.

I don't like that.

Not only does it feel like I've had to ignore what I value but I've also felt bad for having to make choices.

I'm glad my trusted people understand and give me space (temporarily, of course). But instead of allowing myself to muck around in the muck of 'what I think I should have been able to do all at once' I'm thinking differently.

With the pace of the upcoming holidays I'm clinging to an awareness of time.

And value.

And priorities.

And I'd like you to do that as well.

Let's scale back a little on the 'should do's ' this coming season and focus more on the 'these are important to me's' instead.

We need the willingness to keep it all straight, and the stubbornness to refuse to be sucked into the mire of details and requirements.

I want to make choices and stick with them without guilt or doubt.

I urge you to do the same.

BTW- Thanks to the WISE group at First Christian Church of Florissant, MO for allowing me to lead the anger management seminar last Saturday. You were all so gracious and receptive to me. I had a great time.