Friday was a GREAT day! I got the kids on the bus, made a quick call to Bill to catch up with him after his recent workshops in England. I got off the phone and decided to take a little bit of quiet time and plan my day and maybe even write a little before tackling the house. It was a wreck. I’ve been working 3 twelve hour days a week for a little over a month. On my days off, instead of staying home and cleaning, I’ve been off with Jason in search of fun inventory for The Awesome Possum or house hunting.
I sat down with a cup of coffee and started writing. I don’t do it enough and I REALLY enjoy it. There are ALWAYS other tasks that need to be done and I’ve felt so stifled creatively, but the words flowed that morning. As I was wrapping up my post (you can read it here) I got a text.
My friend Beth wanted to drive 40 minutes to see me. Panic set in. I wanted to spend time with her. We haven’t seen each other in 6 months but she couldn’t possibly come over. Beth is so organized and put together. She’s one of my oldest friends and has seen my messy house many times but this time was different. She’s got 8 month old Finlee now and I couldn’t imagine that sweet baby on my dirty floor. My vehicle decided to give me grief a week ago and we’re down to 1 car for the time being, so I couldn’t meet her anywhere. I told her she couldn’t come over but we could go out to eat.
You’d have thought I was going on a date the way I prepared for lunch. Like I said, Beth is ALWAYS put together (for example she and 8 month old Finlee were both wearing WHITE! AND STAYED CLEAN!!!) but she also works for a dentist. I took extra care brushing with toothpaste and hydrogen peroxide for EXTRA bright teeth. I don’t get out enough 🙂
We had a nice lunch and then went to a few little shops around my tiny town in search of birthday presents for a couple of friends, to no avail.
When she dropped me back off, I went inside and started cleaning. I worked for a few hours. The kids got home from school in the middle of the cleaning stint. I could’ve cleaned for days, but settled for the downstairs being good enough. We ordered pizza and watched Hocus Pocus. CLASSIC! The girls loved it.
I fell asleep during the second movie but when we moved upstairs to bed, I got a second wind and stayed awake until around 2:00 watching Friends on Netflix. I’m so not okay with the fact that all of those actors and actresses are now in their 50’s and I’m quickly approaching 40.
There was nothing extraordinary about the day but it felt special. It felt complete. I love days that feel complete. They occur more often when I take time to think about my day, when I take time to do Self Care. When I don’t take time to “set my intentions” for the day or to recognize that life is going by quickly (Jennifer Aniston is 50 for crying out loud!) then I’m just reacting to what life hands me instead of creating a day that feels complete.
Yesterday wasn’t a great day for me. I didn’t take time to get grounded in my well being. I didn’t take time to pray/do Self Care. I woke up and fell into the day. I chose to dwell on some pretty unpleasant thoughts ALL DARN DAY. I KEPT on choosing them over and over. I kept choosing to look at a picture that triggered the thoughts. It was a choice. I created my unpleasant day. It was rough. There was a happy period in the day when my kids asked me to play games with them. As you’ll recall, the upstairs of the house hadn’t been cleaned yet. I told my son I had work to do and he insisted I take time to play. I’m so glad I did.
Anyway, this morning I woke up a little down and these thoughts helped me get back on track this morning and I hope they’ll be of use to you too.
Don’t get going on your day just yet. What do you want from today? How are you going to live today fully? What do you want to do with your time? Who would you like to spend time with? How do you want to feel at the end of the day? Think about it.
Now…you’re ready. Make it a great day.
For more on Self Care click here and here.
If you’re struggling or dealing with a loved one in pain, check out What Every Person Can Do. It’s incredibly affordable. 12 weeks of support for what 1 hour of counseling would cost! But…and I know this firsthand, even reasonably priced is not an option sometimes, so don’t write this off. Partial and full scholarships are available for those that need them and are serious about going through the work. If you have questions for me, you can get in touch with me here.
