The changes continue with clearing and organizing much earlier than normal.
Although I am not seeing much forward momentum right now, I am finding that things like sitting in front of the TV watching things I don’t even need to pay attention to are no longer appealing. I found far more satisfaction in taking down and organizing my Christmas decorations and reorganizing my store room. For the first time in recorded history, my Christmas decorations and wrapping materials are organized and put away before the New Year. In years past, this project often waited until well after the ball dropped over Times Square, sometimes even weeks later!
But as of about 7:45 this evening, my tree was down, ornaments were organized and put away, all of the bins of wrapping materials were back in their places and the tree was back in its box atop the cabinet in my garage. Even the cats were confused as they observed this uncharacteristic behavior from the safety of sofas and cat trees. The garage cats wisely chose the safety of a basket of dirty bedding to avoid my overly ambitious antics.
Beginning the New Year without old year tasks hanging over my head is rather liberating.
Knowing that when I wake up on New Year’s morning, I don’t have to look at Christmas decorations which have started to droop seems to follow the pattern I started this year of cleaning the kitchen before I go to bed. I realize that sounds like a no brainer, but in the past, it was the rule rather than the exception that I’d wake in the morning facing chores left from the night before. Nowadays, not only does the kitchen get cleaned up before I retire, but often, it’s clean early in the evening because I got everything taken care of while I waited for my dinner to cook.
If I were asked what I felt I’d accomplished in 2014, I’d have to say that the top of the list belonged to setting better habits. I’ve made great inroads into cleaning up my slovenly ways, be it exercise, eating habits or housework. Though I’m not consistently consistent with my writing, I’ve certainly cranked out a lot of words this year. I’ve also gotten better organized on a lot of other levels as well, taking care of things which I’d left on the back burner far longer than I should have. In some cases it cost me, but the fact that those things are now behind me leaves me excited because I now have huge blocks of time I can fill with something other than what an old boss of mine called “administrivia”.
In a lot of ways, 2014 was my year for getting organized.
My change in career may not have a lot to show for 2014, but instead, I made it a lot easier for me to focus on that career in the days to come. There will always be paperwork and clearing up and organizing; there will always be household chores; but the more you can streamline things, the easier it gets.
Changes I’ve made in 2014 which are already showing results:
1. Maintaining and using a To Do list.
2. Keeping up with household chores on a weekly basis.
3. Getting into a 3-4 day a week gym routine.
4. Improving my eating habits and filling my freezer with single serving, healthy meals.
5. Making sure I brush my teeth and take all of my vitamins and supplements, even when I am home all day.
6. Getting out of the house more often to avoid being too much of a hermit.
7. Setting all bills up for payment once a month.
8. Decluttering my house, and not only keeping up with what I’ve cleared, but adding more cleared space.
9. Being more consistent with my blogging.
10. Allowing myself days to read the work of others with what is becoming a more critical eye.
Though changes have exceeded the 10 listed here, I think what I’ve listed are those which drive everything else…like undecorating the house before New Year’s Day. In fact, I’ve been working on being more observant in general, watching people more, make mental notes when I read or watch TV, paying attention to plot lines and characterizations.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Life is all about evolution, and evolution is a process.
Every change we make, every lesson we learn helps us to evolve. At the very least, we can hope that we’re not the person we were five or ten years ago, nor will we be the same person in another five or ten. To do otherwise would be to stagnate, and what’s the fun in that?
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for my evolution.
2. I am grateful for the habits I’ve established this year, and look forward to even more in 2015.
3. I am grateful for the ability to observe and learn.
4. I am grateful for a clean plate with which to begin the new year.
5. I am grateful for friends who are making this first New Year’s without my daughter not only bearable, but something I’m looking forward to with excitement and joy.
6. I am grateful for abundance: friends, love, joy, routine, challenges, new things, inspiration, motivation, happiness, health, harmony, peace and prosperity.
Namaste
