HELP!
They have a name for people like me...laggard, dilly-dallier... slacker and worse. I have so many projects wanting me to just finish them off. Halfway constructed quilts - several of them - some partially sewn in my grandmother's own hand, several knitting endeavors, crocheted hats awaiting the matching scarfs, stuffed animal toys I had every intention of sewing together lovingly, aprons, tote bags, costumes for the grandbabes, not to mention the necessary mending.
There is the box of CDs that I have plans for...perhaps turning them into bird and deer deterrents for gardens or could be that crazy idea for a fashionable evening gown; tiny bottles collected with labels removed for window ornaments; copper pipe, wire and cholla cacti wood for wind chime construction; rocks, shells, and my precious bone collection for what...? I have railroad spikes to be welded into yard ornaments, photo albums sans photos, totes of fabric collected from closets, flea markets or waiting to be "repurposed", a box of my Dad's old ties to turn into something useful that can be used everyday, recipes of my great aunt's and mom's for compiling into a cool family cookbook and thousands of beads...maybe even a million!
I have old photos to scan and catalog so they won't be lost to future generations of Chaneys, Erskines, Beans, Jacksons, and Berrys, watercolor art to work on, piano music to practice and my Dad's microscopic handwriting from a 5 year diary in the 30's to transcribe into readable and legible type. And don't forget the stuff I need to get to posting on Craig's List and FreeCycle, just to scale down a teensy bit...again.
The only thing I can figure is that I either have a serious case of ADD or... I too often make the choice to live in the moment, enjoying the flurry of activity at my Mother's backyard birdbath, or slamming down dominoes in a heated contest between old friends or even pulling weeds that will come back with a vengeance in a week or two. I'll forgo even the easiest project to drag myself to Jazzercise class with Cheryl where we sweat like rockstars but walk out looking like the Michelin tire men with yoga mats. I figure that it must be that I choose things that move and breathe(barely, when it comes to exercise) over things that do not. Craving aliveness, movement, breath, growth...and while I absolutely LOVE to be creative and see a project completed, it just seems to be about as important as the pile of dirty laundry I walk by and ignore...
So... my challenge is this: to get some really great ideas from YOU on how to manage this mess. I'd like to have your comments show up on my blog page so...please subscribe! You can do this by clicking "follow" on the left of the page.
Do the quilts first!
ReplyDeleteHi Nad, I wasn't able to subscribe on your link-it apppears to be dead. Ah ha! THIS is why you never feel like you are accomplishing the things you want to accomplish...just like your friend Cheryl said, as soon as you finish one thing, three more pop up to demand your attention.
ReplyDeleteYou know me...I just have questions. So many questions. Please read them with love. NO expectation that you will DO anything with them. And NO criticism implied at all!!
What creates the expectation that you, single-handedly, will utilize every wasted and discarded resource, usually created by others, that you find at your feet or in your life?
What creates the feeling that any given opportunity constitutes a demand?
What tools do you use to prioritize? After prioritizing, how do you reassure yourself that a lower priority task will not be forgotten, but will eventually be treated with the respect you clearly feel toward it?
This feeling of unmet urgency...how would you describe it? What does it remind you of?
If you were at peace with the potential you have...that is, the actual real ability to start and finish a specific amount of work in a given day, if you were at peace with the REALITY of what you, yourself, can accomplish in a day, what would that look like, feel like? How would that day go? What would happen?
Where is the voice coming from that mentally broadcasts judgement about how you are spending your time? How are you creating decisions about value? If pulling weeds is experienced in your body and soul as GOOD, where is the message coming from that such a use of your time is Less Valuable than scanning old photos?
What if the enormous backlog of To Be Done Later stuff is viewed as wealth, a stockpile of riches of experience, to be withdrawn at a later date, and not necessarily diminishing the value of anything you are doing at any given moment?
I love you so much dear friend. Hugs and kisses.
Sharon