Saturday August 29 2015  BEST LAID PLANS…

Midnight tolls.  No matter how hard I try to get to bed on time (9:00 p.m.) it seems to be getting later and later.  Another midnight tuck-in for Dave and me.  So, in order to balance it out we allowed ourselves to sleep in again.  No kids this morning but I still woke up at 6:30 a.m..  I had a wonderful hour of solitude, listening to the rain outside the window over the head of our bed.  Until it gets below freezing we sleep with the windows open.  I heard the rain all night off and on.  I think it rained all night but I was only awake off and on for potty runs.  It was delightful to lie in bed and watch the light of morning brighten the day as it struggled to make its way through the covering of rain clouds.  Dave was breathing restfully beside me and all was right with the world.  FINALLY at 7:30 he woke up and we had our leisurely time of quiet conversation.  Remember, this is one of my very favorite times of the day.

And so my day was planned.  I planned to spend my morning in the library downstairs, just me and the Lord and my books.  I never made it to the library.  Every so often I plan what I call “a housecoat day”.  That is a day that I do not plan to go out.  I do not answer the phone, except for the hospitals in case of an emergency photo session is needed.  I do not go anywhere and do not have anyone over and I do just what I want to do.  I thought I wanted to go downstairs.  And so I did want to, but like I said, I never made it.

While cleaning up the breakfast dishes I looked around me and became so exasperated at how cluttered and messy my kitchen had become.  I decided to just take a few things off the counter and get rid of them (which I did).  Then I decided to just take a couple of more things off the counters because now they were more obvious because the big thing in front had been removed.  So I did.  Then I thought…it would sure look better if I got that pile organized, so I did.  And then…on and on…So I did.  I have quite a large kitchen and a lot of counter space and all of it is in need of a good cleaning and decluttering.  I have not even mentioned all the cupboards I have, and even more drawers.  So my day proceeded.  I went from one task to the next, slowly and deliberately, no hurry involve, actually enjoying what I was doing.  IMMEDIATE RESULTS!  What could be better than that?  All told, I organized an “L” shaped area left of the sink, cleaned out the lowest shelf of the corner cupboard above it, cleaned out two drawers, and the little area between the refrigerator and the pantry.  I don’t even want to think of the pantry.  Not only do I have one pantry with pull-out drawers, but I have another pantry that opens with bi-fold doors and covers a large wall area.  Both are way over crowded and stacked precariously.

I wish I had taken a before picture, but I probably would not have posted it.  I did post an after picture of the “L” shaped area.  I actually took a picture of the next area I want to clean but will see when and if that happens in the next few days before I post it.  I would like to have it cleaned up before I post the messy one.

To make a long story short, I never did get downstairs.  Not even once today.  Dinner is over, my face is washed, my teeth are brushed and it is only 7:16 p.m.  And here I am already started on my blog.  And, as you can very well figure out, as far as how my day has been, I don’t really have much to tell you.  I climbed no mountains, have no grandkids to discuss, did not accomplish any great feats, but I am completely satisfied with how my day has gone.  I am still in my housecoat, no one came over, I only answered the telephone when our daughter called (I always answer the phone if it is my family calling), my refrigerator is almost empty (which is a good thing), I do not exercise on Saturday so I did not need to go out, and I have the best husband in the world.  What more could I ask for.  Oh yes, and I’m retired.  Oh man, I can’t wait to get used to that!

IT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO

By Kathleen Martens

August 29 2015

A day of rest

So hard to find,

So I made it happen

And claimed it mine.

No alarm to ring,

No reason to rise.

It made me happy

And very wise.

For I am a Grandma

Recovering from two kids,

Two days in a row

I now put on the skids.

Peace and calm,

No reason for guilt.

So this morning

I snuggled under my quilt.

What to do?

At leisure ponder

And enjoy the solitude

In quite wonder.

It took a long time

For this day to come.

First raised out daughter,

Then our son.

Then worked forever,

Long stressful hours.

Now I can sit

And enjoy my flowers.

I make no excuses

For a lazy day.

I worked long and hard,

It’s time to play.

But what do I do

When I arise?

That I tackle a task

Is no surprise.

But it was fun

To work it through

All because

It was what I wanted to do.

One of the pleasant benefits about working by myself is that I can let my mind think on whatever I desire to think about.  And I desired to think about the Lord.  Today I was more focused on the task at hand but I felt the Lord’s presence within me.  My heart was at peace, my soul at rest, my body strong and alert, and I was accomplishing a task that would benefit not just me, but also anyone else who comes into the room.  There is something about having uncluttered surroundings that allows your spirit to feel free and untethered.  I believe that God has been dealing with me about the situation of having so much in the house and that it is time for me to start the journey to simplify.  It is time to rid our home from the clutter of 42 years.  And it is happening.  I have several piles of “things” to drop off at St. Vincent’s Store.  I will have many more before I am through.

I don’t know if any of you who are reading this blog have ever heard of the “Fly Lady”.  It is a web address where you can get tips and help on decluttering and cleaning up your area.  At one time I was on the email list but the emails became so many that they cluttered my email in box so I had to get rid of the Fly Lady.  I will say I learned a lot.  I’ll see if she is still on line and refresh myself on some of the tactics I used way back when my kids were still at home.  She was very helpful in having easy ways to keep your house clutter free.  Well, I think I need her information once more. I’ll keep you posted at how I am doing. Maybe I will take before pictures and after pictures.

I read an interesting quote the other day.  I think it is appropriate for all of us, whether our houses are stark or over-loved with too much stuff.  It comes from the book, “You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought” by Peter McWilliams:

“WE SHOULD BE TAUGHT NOT TO WAIT FOR INSPIRATION TO START A THING.

ACTION ALWAYS GENERATES INSPIRATION.

INSPIRATION SELDOM GENERATES ACTION.”  Original quote by Frank Tibolt

Okay, here is my first confession.  If you scroll down to below the blog you will see my “neat” little desk where I type my blog (so I won’t need to go into my messy office).  The only thing is, I have been here a few weeks now, and as you can see, to even copy the quote from the book I had to stack it up on top of a foot high stack of other books that thrill me to have by my side.  So, perhaps the first thing I should do is start some action (clean up the pile) and then perhaps I will receive the inspiration to do even more.  Hey, you know what, that was exactly what happened this morning.  I had one plan, but saw a need, and when I started in on the task to clean up an area I was then inspired to keep on going.  I think I accomplished quite a bit for a Saturday when I originally planned to do as little as possible.

Am I rested?  Probably not.  But I feel great about my little in-roads, and that is almost as satisfying as feeling rested.

I thank God for this beautiful day that He has made for me to live in.  I will rejoice and I will be glad in it.  And I hope you will too!

Proverbs 19:23  “The fear of the Lord leads to life.  Then one rests content, untouched by trouble”.

And I found that I could even “work” content, untouched by trouble.  It is so wonderful to just be CONTENT.

Good night,

Kathleen