A birthday gift is delivered - on time.
The too small baby clothes have been sorted, packed up and carried off to adorn another wee one.
The debit card has been renewed.
The very delinquent water bill is paid.
All the beds are fresh and clean.
The dog is heart guarded and flea prevented.
Baby Benjamin was held while momma had her teeth tended and again while she slept.
"Success" is measured in many ways.
Sometimes in productivity and sometimes in hours of rest.
Intention, determination and plain old doggedness spur me on.
Joy nourishes me.
Sleep restores me.
The last tendrils of winter try to pull me backward but the promise of spring wins my heart.
I turn my face to the sun and smile.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
A Month of Mornings
Monday morning February 24th,
It has been an old fashioned winter. I won't say "hard" because winter is by it's very nature hard, but there is deep snow out the window that gets deeper each day it seems.
Our food pantry people are having to make decisions between food and fuel oil as storm after storm roll through.
Ice melt and fuel pellets are out of stock more often than not.
The stomach bug flew predictably through.
My coworkers at the hospital are falling on black ice at an alarming rate though none of them have missed work as I did after falling on a wet floor on my way to the coffee machine.
We know winter as a "hard" season. It always seems harder than any other winter while we wade through it but really, winter is simply hard.
I went into this winter after an autumn that saw many major shifts in each branch of my family tree.
Each child moved in some way- one of them out of the country. Each move impacted my living space in major ways.
I am flexible and resilient and willingly opened the door to this impact knowing that it was temporary and reflected good change for each kid.
I am good at living in the moment and my only rule was it had to be sorted out before Thanksgiving dinner was going to be put on the table and there needed to be room for Advent gatherings and Christmas decorations.
I don't make many rules and they are most often rigid. This one got bent. We made room for festivities by taking our family cleaning mode called " Fluff and Stuff " to new heights. I was OK with it. Christmas is a short season and, once the last bit of holly was tossed, I could recoup in the long, dark days of winter and embrace spring with new levels or organization and decluttering. HA!!
The sheetrock that is so masterfully sanded is not painted.
The new wiring that lights my way is not complete.
The stationary bike that is supposed to melt the calories from winter delights off of my thighs is collecting dust in the garage waiting for a corner to be cleared.
I have not organized - or even dusted around - the PILE of photos in the corner of my bedroom.
I have not put up the second section of canvas cloth on the ceiling of the new attic to make room a teenagers stuff that got moved to make room for six year old princesses.
I have not even really finished putting Christmas "away away" like I planned to last week.
I do not regret one single decision I have made since autumn shifted us into a new constellation.
I have navigated the path through not one but two and soon to be three cataract surgeries.
I signed for my mothers major surgery and have helped see her through to an almost full recovery.
I took a moments notice trip to Virginia Beach and got to embrace my seafaring sailor son.
I had the opportunity to help facilitate a birthday celebration that is happening right now in Naples, Italy.
I have spent wonderful hours holding babies and having sleepovers and rescuing working daughters from snow days and stomach bugs. I am filled with gratitude that I am the gramma that has the time and wherewithall to help.
I HAVE done as much or more as I HAVE NOT done. And much of it has been glorious. But.....
It is Monday morning February 24th. Winter, despite the foot and a half of snow in the yard, is almost over and chaos still reigns. IT REIGNS!!! and rains down on every inch of my life and living space at the moment. So.....
Now I basically have a month of mornings to get my act together. To regroup and make room for spring romps with the wee ones and gardening and writing and more reconfigurations of time and space and maybe some fresh paint and a few sugar snap peas.
Thirty windows of time to bring order out of the chaos that is old news and old messes. Thirty mornings to pay bills, file taxes, empty closets, put away clutter, rehang photos of new babies and growing grandchildren, dump the junk drawer, repurpose or recycle the no longer used or needed.
A month of mornings filled with moments to clean up the chaos and make room for spring.
Spring will come, ready or not. I plan to be ready.
It has been an old fashioned winter. I won't say "hard" because winter is by it's very nature hard, but there is deep snow out the window that gets deeper each day it seems.
Our food pantry people are having to make decisions between food and fuel oil as storm after storm roll through.
Ice melt and fuel pellets are out of stock more often than not.
The stomach bug flew predictably through.
My coworkers at the hospital are falling on black ice at an alarming rate though none of them have missed work as I did after falling on a wet floor on my way to the coffee machine.
We know winter as a "hard" season. It always seems harder than any other winter while we wade through it but really, winter is simply hard.
I went into this winter after an autumn that saw many major shifts in each branch of my family tree.
Each child moved in some way- one of them out of the country. Each move impacted my living space in major ways.
I am flexible and resilient and willingly opened the door to this impact knowing that it was temporary and reflected good change for each kid.
I am good at living in the moment and my only rule was it had to be sorted out before Thanksgiving dinner was going to be put on the table and there needed to be room for Advent gatherings and Christmas decorations.
I don't make many rules and they are most often rigid. This one got bent. We made room for festivities by taking our family cleaning mode called " Fluff and Stuff " to new heights. I was OK with it. Christmas is a short season and, once the last bit of holly was tossed, I could recoup in the long, dark days of winter and embrace spring with new levels or organization and decluttering. HA!!
The sheetrock that is so masterfully sanded is not painted.
The new wiring that lights my way is not complete.
The stationary bike that is supposed to melt the calories from winter delights off of my thighs is collecting dust in the garage waiting for a corner to be cleared.
I have not organized - or even dusted around - the PILE of photos in the corner of my bedroom.
I have not put up the second section of canvas cloth on the ceiling of the new attic to make room a teenagers stuff that got moved to make room for six year old princesses.
I have not even really finished putting Christmas "away away" like I planned to last week.
I do not regret one single decision I have made since autumn shifted us into a new constellation.
I have navigated the path through not one but two and soon to be three cataract surgeries.
I signed for my mothers major surgery and have helped see her through to an almost full recovery.
I took a moments notice trip to Virginia Beach and got to embrace my seafaring sailor son.
I had the opportunity to help facilitate a birthday celebration that is happening right now in Naples, Italy.
I have spent wonderful hours holding babies and having sleepovers and rescuing working daughters from snow days and stomach bugs. I am filled with gratitude that I am the gramma that has the time and wherewithall to help.
I HAVE done as much or more as I HAVE NOT done. And much of it has been glorious. But.....
It is Monday morning February 24th. Winter, despite the foot and a half of snow in the yard, is almost over and chaos still reigns. IT REIGNS!!! and rains down on every inch of my life and living space at the moment. So.....
Now I basically have a month of mornings to get my act together. To regroup and make room for spring romps with the wee ones and gardening and writing and more reconfigurations of time and space and maybe some fresh paint and a few sugar snap peas.
Thirty windows of time to bring order out of the chaos that is old news and old messes. Thirty mornings to pay bills, file taxes, empty closets, put away clutter, rehang photos of new babies and growing grandchildren, dump the junk drawer, repurpose or recycle the no longer used or needed.
A month of mornings filled with moments to clean up the chaos and make room for spring.
Spring will come, ready or not. I plan to be ready.
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