Git 'er Dun!

I’ve blogged before about how far behind I am these days, with the laundry, the cleaning, the dishes and the dreaded bookwork. Truth to tell it’s been a hard way to live, since I am usually a very organized person. 

We own and operate a farming business - and while I am not an accountant it has been one of my responsibilities to write all the cheques and then input all the info into an Excel program keeping track of all the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable.

With the deadline looming

I knew I needed to get started. It seems that almost another whole year has slipped by without getting this done. Which is dumb, when I stop to think about it because this is actually one of the jobs that I like to do.

I never realized that I am such a procrastinator or that I am so easily distracted. It seems that once I sit at my desk, I find myself reading articles, surfing Wikipedia, playing games, watching you tube videos, blogging and everything else but what I should be doing.

On Monday I decided to git ‘er dun; {to quote Larry the cable guy} and so I sat all day and worked at the books. Yesterday again was another bookwork day and .. .well. .. . my mother would be so proud.. .. .. I am done!!! Well not quite. Since the year is not officially over I’ll still have to finish off November and enter Decembers’ info. But other than that, I am done! Ahhahh, what a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I’m hoping that after sitting for so long and suffering from a sore back, numb fingers and a pain in my rear ~ that I’ll take a little time each month and stay on top of it.

Maybe I should give myself an incentive ~ one for each month ~ dangle the proverbial carrot in front of me ~ giving me the push that I seem to need to

Hmhmm ~ I like that!

 It’s proven that incentives are one of the most important parts of motivation. Just something simple . .. .. … a way to reward myself at the end of each month.

Blessings

Kickin' up dust

These dang laminate wood floors, they hide nothing. Pretty when given attention, which I haven’t done in since . … . .. .. hmhmmhm. With my foot I make an arc in the dust. Eyeing the dining room furniture says the same story. We could probably play tic tac toe on every surface. Around the corner, laundry piles are patiently waiting for their turn in the washer while clean clothes await the lift up the stairs to be put away. Books are piled beside my bed waiting for a brief moment to capture and lure me away to another era. Behind me, dirty breakfast dishes sit homeless because I still need to wash, dry and put them away in the cupboards.

I sighed a bit dejected and shake my head.

“I need a maid,” I say to myself. 

By my own admission there’s no justifying a maid. Not when I’m only working part-time, and whose three kids have moved out more than two years ago now. With it only being me and the farmer - there really is no excuse. I seem to have more on my to-do list than I’m willing to give time to. Unfortunately, housekeeping gets put on the back burner, so much it seems that its fallen off the stove top entirely. Maybe I’ve allowed myself to much freedom in what I should accomplish in a day.. .. ….

Farmer comes home and he doesn’t see the dust on the floor, the dishes piled by the sink, the laundry not finished, he’s only worried if dinner is ready. Nightfall settles in and I’m tired.
 
It’s times like this when I wish there a little fairy

that would come in and wave her magic wand and poof, the dishes, the laundry, the dusting, the sweeping, the daily to-do’s are crossed off the list - giving me a chance to breathe.   You can tell by the state of my home that I’m sitting down more these days than I used to, and housework is definitely at the bottom of the totem pole.

For over 25 years, I’ve been writing my thoughts, ideas, desires and prayer concerns in journals, I’ve always felt a pull towards words.  I like this quote from Eric Liddell from the movie Chariots of Fire “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure”.  That’s sort of how feel with writing. I’d like to think God is smiling when I share my thoughts, opinions and viewpoints.

It can be the same for you too. Maybe it’s something like writing or painting or scrapbooking. Or raising babies or volunteering at your kid’s school. We’ve all been given different gifts, desires and abilities. It’s what you do with it that truly matters. It’s your decision ~ but trust me it is worth it.

Blessings

The Nerve

I’ve found that people will either cower away from hard situations or charge forward with courage. As for the cowardly lion in the classical movie, The Wizard of OZ, he did both. Of all the OZ characters, I think I best identify with him.

Like the lion, I believe I could do anything if I only had the nerve. The trouble is that in scary situations the only “nerve” I seem to have is a nervous stomach. Sure, I’ve faced some pretty hard hairy circumstances in my life and I’ve discovered that I’m more courageous than I ever thought possible.

It’s all about choice!
 Either I could allow my anxiety to prevent me from doing or I could face the problem with courage. How does one find courage when they’re trembling in fear? Sometimes it comes down to deciding what is more important - the thing we need to do or say or yielding to our fear. Courage is not absence of fear as you might think. Rather, it withstands fear. Being courageous is being brave enough to move through our fears. How? We put our hope in God who will see us through.

I searched my thoughts only to discover that my nervousness is based on pride. What will they think of me? I nervously wondered. Knowing my own limitations created doubt in my mind, which in turn could have caused me to back away. Instead, I decided to move forward in faith as I considered what was more important.

That’s the incredible truth about courage. It transforms the ordinary into something extraordinary.

When you feel fearful, what’s at the source? Are you focusing on yourself? Sometimes by taking our eyes off ourselves helps us to see past our fears to the needs of others.

Where has God placed you right now? In an ungodly workplace? A bad relationship with a friend? Living beside unfriendly neighbours? Caring for aging parents?

Whatever your situation, you have a decision to make. Will you cower away or charge forth in faith? While you may face scary risks, think of the difference you could make ~ if you simply choose to be courageous!

Whatever God is calling you to do this is His promise; “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 {NIV}

The possibilities are endless if you only have the nerve.

Blessings

Feeling behind?

We live our lives in measurable minutes, looking to the clock, the paycheck, the success of others. I got a job. I’m winning! She got the job. I lose. I got the good metabolism. I’m winning! I’ve got health issues. I lose. I have food, a home, clothes: I win! I worry, I pout, I covet: I lose.

And the cycle circles frantic on the level of our soul. We only let it go on because we don’t realize it’s happening.

It’s become normal, familiar, and automatic. For some, the motivation is to win. For others, it is simply not to lose. I know it’s simplified here, but isn’t it true? Perhaps the reason we feel behind is because we’re chasing the wrong goal.

We are tricked into believing that the only relief from feeling behind is to catch up. We can’t but we try, and in our rush to get there we drop all the things we hold dear in order to lighten the load. Art is the first to go. Then patience, faith, and peace are tossed into a heap on the grass beside the track. But instead of a lightness, there more of a heaviness instead.

Show me where it says you are supposed to do it all. Point to the truth words that say you are expected to catch up. I want to see. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 11:28-30 {New International Version (NIV)} “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Release every detail of the job to him, from the equipment to the schedule. Tell him, cry if you must, close your eyes and believe. Unclench those hands. Feel the wheel begin to slow beneath you. Dare yourself to let it be true for you.

What if there is no behind? What if there is only right now, this moment? Would anything be different?

Blessings

Organized

I don’t remember how it came up.  What could we have been discussing that would have led to this inane topic? I’m not sure, but I do know that my friend and I had a funny conversation about DVDs recently.

Somehow, we ended up talking about how we organize our DVDs. I organize mine alphabetically, with movies in the same series placed together.

My friend, on the other hand, organizes hers by colour. But she also keeps movies in a series together.

When we talked about it, I had to laugh. Both of us assumed our method of organization was “normal,” and we’d never questioned why we did it that way or if there could be a better way. We just do it.

I’m not sure the way you organize videos says anything about you at all. And I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do it. And yes, I realize that analyzing this tiny issue in the first place is a sign that I’m a little odd.

But it makes me wonder.

Do you organize parts of your house or office in a particular way – maybe without even thinking about it or realizing that nobody else does it that way?

When I sit at my desk in the corner of the kitchen, I have my stuff in the places that make the most sense to me. Pens to right, bill basket to the left, pictures of my kids are definitely in more than one place. The phone sits in the only spot in can which frustrates me cause I’m a left hand answerer and it’s on the right ~ oh well… .. .. . My desk is quite messy - which actually doesn’t bother me most of the time but then every once in a while - BANG - I organize it. We removed the top two doors years before in the attempt that I would keep my desk in somewhat of a less disarray - but it seems to no avail. My desk tends to look the same whether I am caught up or not.

What about people who organize their kitchen in the same way. My kitchen, on the other hand, doesn’t make sense to anyone. Every time someone new is in my kitchen, looking for a cup, I’m asked why I put the cups in the centre right cupboard rather than the cabinet closest to the sink. There’s really no good reason. And yet, it’s how I like it and I will probably never change it.

The shelves of my pantry are organized by food type. Pasta goes with crackers on one shelf, baking items on another, canned soups have there own little section. Some of the other shelves in my pantry, though? Total chaos. And don’t even get me started on my fridge.

Why do we pick and choose which parts of our homes, our office, our lives to organize? Why is one area so much more important than others?

I mean, I really can’t handle it if someone puts my calculator on the wrong shelf or doesn’t put the cheese in the designated cheese area in the fridge. And my filing cabinet?? Well, it’s a disaster just waiting to explode. Wanna know how far behind I am in doing the bookwork???

go ahead

guess

I dare you!!!

nope wrong ~ wanna try that again?

11 months. eleven. if you do the math you’ll realize that that means I haven’t even started 2012.

I used to be so organized.

It seems the further behind I fall the more overwhelmed I feel. Knowing that the December 31 deadline is looming I know I have to buckle down and get finished started within the next 60 days.

What parts of your home and life do you organize in a particular way? What parts do you let go?

Blessings

Badge of Busy

When people ask you how you are, do you reflexively respond with ‘busy’?

We tend to wear “busy” as if it is a badge of honour. We talk about “busy” as though it’s something to be proud of. We let “busy” fill the void. We allow “busy” to get in the way of living.

Somewhere along the way, we start believing that if we’re not busy, and I mean, VERY busy, that something is wrong. We feel guilt when we’re not getting things done. We look at those around us who are doing big things and fall into a state of mind that tells us we can’t possibly keep up, but that if we just stay busy, if we keep hustling, we’re doing something right.

Without thinking, we let busy get in the way of some of the best things in life.

Sometimes being busy makes us feel important. It puffs us up that there are so many things for us to do, so many people that need us, so many to-do’s to check off.

For me this week has been just that - busy; with work, with family events, with trying to keep ahead of cleaning, dishes, laundry, with running errands, with. .. . .. ... . the list goes on.

But
 when you’re busy, you miss out on amazing opportunities.
when you’re busy, you can pretty much say so long to spontaneity.
when you’re busy, it wanes our ability to form strong relationships.

It’s good to remember that when we’re feeling puffed up by the neediness of all our to-do’s; that there are very polite and very possibly needy people right nearby who are probably waiting for us to take a breath.

When we’re occupying all of our time with getting “stuff” done, we’re not making room to let anyone in.

So busyness isn’t a badge of honour, it’s a liability.

I’m trying to take my own advice to heart. Because a life constantly filled with “busy” isn’t one really being lived.

So here’s to taking tomorrow and scheduling time to not be busy.

To enjoying a cup of tea with friends. Talking time for a walk. Watching a movie for a few hours without feeling guilty. Spending time savouring dinner with my loved ones.

Writing. Playing. Learning. Loving. Living. Laughing. and Letting go.

Blessings

The Fog

I lay down to sleep at night.

And I don’t know what awaits me.

Will it be a restful sleep?

Or will it be minutes ticking away that melt into the next hour?

I wake up in the morning.

Is it going to a day filled with energy ~ to start new beginnings and break off old ways?

Or will the day be one lived in obedience ~ to faithfully get up and surrender to whatever the next hour brings me?

I don’t know what each day will bring.

This is what the journey of faith looks like when you’re traveling through the thick of it.

These are the days of walking through the fog of everyday life trials ~
when change isn’t coming any faster than you’d like it,
when the challenge that’s pressing in on you intensifies.

But, it’s not going away.

You try to ignore it. Try to make yourself stronger so it will pass.

It’s not always talked about, but the faith journey is like walking through a fog. At the beginning of any journey one tends to start out with the most hopeful intentions. 

But then, it happens.

You’re caught between some unexpected changes.

And it dawns on you.

Life is going to be different.
 
For you. Or your family, friend, or child.

Maybe it’s your health, your job, a relationship or a hope deferred.

For me, it’s been a mixture of all four.

The fog can do that. It can suddenly bring thoughts and feelings that you’ve often wanted to just move through. Instead, you find yourself returning to questions and circumstances that settle down around your mind and heart, feeling quite fragmented.

And maybe like me, you begin to wonder…

When will this fog lift?

And how long will God let it stay?

Blessings