Let me start by stating that I'm not usually one to gripe and complain. I'm also not one who believes that people should never do so. I do believe that our thoughts and words make our reality. I don't believe that stifling or twisting what is a true emotion at that given point in time is any more or less healthy than letting it out.
That said, September has been a funky roller coaster month for me. I've slacked on being assertive in scheduling time with friends (although that does work both ways). I haven't gotten past step one on the Fly Lady program (Shine Your Sink). I haven't volunteered at Harvester's. I've been stressed about finances. I have been irritated more often than not. This is not to say I haven't had joyous, even elated, moments.
I have had laugh-out-loud moments. I've had moments of childlike abandon and fun. Sweetie got some unexpected extra hours which eased some stress about finances. My church job paid for me to attend a conference so I could learn more about the sound board I use and its capabilities. I went on a work trip to Pennsylvania and got a real experience of what a "live install" should be like - and I really enjoyed every minute of it. I've been busier at the weekday job and I'm feeling productive. I ran into a friend at my bar job that I hadn't seen or heard from in 10 years and we talked and laughed for more than an hour. My cheeks hurt on the drive home from so much smiling and laughing.
It's been quite a month. Stress is a sensitive emotion. Ten minutes of stress can suck an hour's worth of joy into oblivion. A day's worth of wallowing in the emotions that come along with, or from, the stress can take a toll on the immune system. Then, I'm stressed and sick.
I was sick from Friday night through Tuesday evening. It was absolutely boring and irritating. I don't get paid sick leave from the weekend jobs so I probably made it worse by going in on those days. Luckily though, I do get paid sick leave from the weekday job so on Monday and Tuesday I did nothing but lay on the couch, make hot tea with lemon & honey, and sit on the patio in the sun. I am certain that the sun plays a part in healing me. If nothing else, it keeps me from getting so gloomy from sitting around all day long.
As a result of me laying around all week, the house is getting messy again. Thursday night I finally got to the bottom of the sink and wiped down the counters. So one thing is complete and that minor accomplishment actually made me feel great last night - rather than overwhelmed at what else lay ahead.
The 31-day William Morris Project starts Monday and I want the house as clean as I can get it before then. It's much easier to tackle an organizing/purging/renovating project when I'm not looking at a mess to begin with.
I thought about writing each of the projects from the list out on slips of paper and sorting them out by how much time they should take to complete. That way on the days when I only have about 30 minutes to do something, I can pick from the "quickie" pile. And on weekends when I have nothing else planned, I can pick from a 4-8 hour pile. I tend to over-categorize and over-organize and over-plan when I gear up for new projects.
Then I figured I'd just print the list and pin it to the wall instead. I can just as easily scan the list with my finger and decide what I have time to do. Making piles of projects to pick from is just making more work. Unnecessary work.
October is going to be a productive month for me. I can feel it. I'm going to be busy, the house is going to get cleaner and more organized, I'm going to be spending time with friends and I'm going to be happier.
Happy Autumn everyone!
That said, September has been a funky roller coaster month for me. I've slacked on being assertive in scheduling time with friends (although that does work both ways). I haven't gotten past step one on the Fly Lady program (Shine Your Sink). I haven't volunteered at Harvester's. I've been stressed about finances. I have been irritated more often than not. This is not to say I haven't had joyous, even elated, moments.
I have had laugh-out-loud moments. I've had moments of childlike abandon and fun. Sweetie got some unexpected extra hours which eased some stress about finances. My church job paid for me to attend a conference so I could learn more about the sound board I use and its capabilities. I went on a work trip to Pennsylvania and got a real experience of what a "live install" should be like - and I really enjoyed every minute of it. I've been busier at the weekday job and I'm feeling productive. I ran into a friend at my bar job that I hadn't seen or heard from in 10 years and we talked and laughed for more than an hour. My cheeks hurt on the drive home from so much smiling and laughing.
It's been quite a month. Stress is a sensitive emotion. Ten minutes of stress can suck an hour's worth of joy into oblivion. A day's worth of wallowing in the emotions that come along with, or from, the stress can take a toll on the immune system. Then, I'm stressed and sick.
I was sick from Friday night through Tuesday evening. It was absolutely boring and irritating. I don't get paid sick leave from the weekend jobs so I probably made it worse by going in on those days. Luckily though, I do get paid sick leave from the weekday job so on Monday and Tuesday I did nothing but lay on the couch, make hot tea with lemon & honey, and sit on the patio in the sun. I am certain that the sun plays a part in healing me. If nothing else, it keeps me from getting so gloomy from sitting around all day long.
As a result of me laying around all week, the house is getting messy again. Thursday night I finally got to the bottom of the sink and wiped down the counters. So one thing is complete and that minor accomplishment actually made me feel great last night - rather than overwhelmed at what else lay ahead.
The 31-day William Morris Project starts Monday and I want the house as clean as I can get it before then. It's much easier to tackle an organizing/purging/renovating project when I'm not looking at a mess to begin with.
I thought about writing each of the projects from the list out on slips of paper and sorting them out by how much time they should take to complete. That way on the days when I only have about 30 minutes to do something, I can pick from the "quickie" pile. And on weekends when I have nothing else planned, I can pick from a 4-8 hour pile. I tend to over-categorize and over-organize and over-plan when I gear up for new projects.
Then I figured I'd just print the list and pin it to the wall instead. I can just as easily scan the list with my finger and decide what I have time to do. Making piles of projects to pick from is just making more work. Unnecessary work.
October is going to be a productive month for me. I can feel it. I'm going to be busy, the house is going to get cleaner and more organized, I'm going to be spending time with friends and I'm going to be happier.
Happy Autumn everyone!
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