
- What you LOVE (what’s making you happy, what’s going right in your life – from the super simple stuff to the big things)
- What DRIVES YOU CRAZY (from people and situations to a cluttered room or habit that’s bringing you down)
clear clutter + create space for what you love
I’m so in the mood. {Not that kind, unfortunately. The fuming kind.} It’s been one of those weeks where things aren’t going particularly great. As I started feeling the back-to-normal returning {thank you, Leigh for our coffee talk : ) . . . B A M! Won’t get into the specifics of the incident {nothing terribly major}. And, I know I should be grateful – at least we have a home, food, all that stuff. So, “not feeling grateful” at this moment is adding to my frustration level. So what the heck does this have to do with order {order being the underlying theme of my blog}?
This morning’s incident {which I personally feel was OUT of my control – it’s debatable} is what tipped me over to “exasperation.” What’s been building… building…… building…….. that’s what this post is about: Looking at your overall picture and determining what’s OUT of order before YOU erupt. When you’re in this mood (actually, you don’t even have to be in the mood to enjoy this), here’s what to do:
I’ll expose a couple of mine to get you going:
Keeping up with passwords: I write them down in one place but at times {when I most urgently need them to work} I get: Forget your username or password? @$%#! This makes. me. crazy.
Lunch + 2 (HEALTHY) snack prep: This week, one child announced he no longer wants to pack sandwiches, and my other’s preferences simply change daily {opting that day for what’s not an option}. And this year the school added another snack time so kids are supposed to now bring TWO “healthy snacks” {an oxymoron if you ask me, but I’m really trying to change my personal definition of “snack” to something 1. delicious, 2. satisfying and 3. healthy: apples, carrots, grapes: these just don’t meet 2 of my 3 criteria}.
My schedule: If you are having a hard time coming up with things that annoy you, try this: Pull out your calendar: Look at the past month, two months, or longer. Glance at each event/to-do/person/group/crazy day/nothing day/etc. and note: How does each make you feel? For me, it’s quite eye-opening. My reactions range from: Wow, I wish I could do that again, to OMG, please let that be the last time I have to go there / do that…And then I really do like that organization but I simply cannot commit that much of my schedule at this time. You get the point. {It’s kind of like (thank God for) caller id. What do you feel when you see that name pop up???} Add to your list the things that give you that uggh feeling. {And, yes, it’s nice to note what you LOVED, too. I also have my LOVE, LOVE list. HOWEVER, don’t let those happy feelings be too distracting. For best results, try your best to remain in your bad mood. Visualize, fantasize…whatever it takes.}
Now it’s time to get introspective: look at the list and determine: What’s in your control? What’s out of it? What are ways to solve / eliminate / make better?
Revealing more:
Although order is pretty amazing, there are times we all need extra help: don’t hesitate to call a trusted friend, pastor, therapist, doctor if you’re feeling completely overwhelmed. However, simply getting frustrations out of your head and onto paper, and knowing you have options, can be quite therapeutic. Doing this often gets me out of that mood. And believe me, there are other moods I’d much rather be in…