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"Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."
- Unknown

"That which does not kill you, makes you stronger."
- Handed down through the ages.

"Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid."
- John Wayne



This 'n' That

Do you ever have a day when you feel particularly excited to begin it?  And with no real reason?  That's how I feel today!  I LIKE feeling this way!  :)  I think one of the reasons for it may be that I've had the past two days here at home.  COMPLETELY at home.  No getting into a vehicle and driving.  ANYWHERE.  I needed this re-charge after the holidays.  And, I feel like I'm psychologically ready to "hit it" back out in the world tomorrow.  "It's a good thing," as our favorite Camp Cupcake jailbird would say!  ;)

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I wrote the above this morning.  It's now 11:01, 31 minutes past my bedtime.  But, my day wasn't feeling complete if I didn't finish the day's post.  Where did the day go?  I have NO idea.  What did I get done today?  Ummmm, pretty much NOTHING on my list.  No, that's wrong:  I did get two things, nope, THREE things done.  I cleaned off the solar panels and shoveled the accumulated snow away from below them, I called the pharmacy to renew a prescription, and I checked and added to the oil in the plow truck.  Hmph.

See, when I got up this morning, I thought it would be the day that I finished all the to-dos that I'd set for myself at the beginning of these special three days off.  How-ev-er . . . in my new spirit of Being Prepared and Being Organized and trying to Not Be Late, I realized that I had a LOT to do in order to prepare myself for the upcoming days in town and at the office.  So, finishing up what I'd hoped to complete during these past three days was thrown out the window in lieu of "mature" responsibilities.  Poop.  "Poop!", I say!  Grumble, grumble, grumble.


But, I will admit . . . I am SO much more and better prepared for the days ahead of me as a result of today's activities!  In my previous 40 years, this is how I would have operated:  tomorrow morning, when I got up, I'd start thinking about what I needed to pull together for my day in town.  Even though I'd convinced myself that I could whip through 'em in the half hour* or so before I left, doing those things would take most of the day . . . which is why I never got into town or the office until 2:00 or 3:00 PM!

*I come by this all very honestly.  It's a joke in our family whenever how-long-something-will-take is discussed.  Ask my dad, and the answer is "oh, about 1/2 an hour".  Running into the hardware store might take "'bout half an hour".  Moving a ton of gravel by shovelful will "be done in about half an hour, give or take".  Get my drift?


Anyway, the point is:  with my new schedule / outlook on life, I'm realizing that ALL those "little things" that I think I'll do right before I leave the homestead take A LONG TIME!  And, that's why I've always been late for every damn thing in my life!  Simple to figure out from the outside, I know, but a bit harder when you can't see the forest for the trees!  ;)


So, here's what The Old Me would have tried squeezing into the half hour before she left tomorrow morning and which, instead, took The New Me the majority of the day today:
  • Loaded recycling into the truck.
  • Packed my (office) bag for tomorrow.
  • Made a list of in-town To Dos.
  • Sent off some e-mails regarding same.
  • Partially packed and addressed the package I'm sending to the ex up in Alaska tomorrow (a favor he asked for).
The Old Me wouldn't have taken any time at all for the following which The New Me did:
  • Made myself a good dinner of Greek Lentil soup from the freezer (thanks, Mom!) and homemade biscuits fresh from the oven.
  • Cleaned up the kitchen, washed all the day's dishes.
Okay, my laptop battery's at half mast, and I'm now nearly an hour late to bed.  6:45 will come early.  BUT, my point is . . . I'm workin' on The New Me!


How 'bout you?  How are YOUR New Year's Resolutions coming?

8 comments:

  1. That sounds wonderful and you're seeing the fruit of it all, which helps you want to continue. I get twitchy if I feel disorganized-so I understand completely!

    Off to make a good breakfast before we dig out and spend the day playing in the snow. We didn't get as much as they predicted, but there's quite a bit and I can't wait to get outside.

    Have a great weekend!

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  2. Do I sense a change in the wind? Good goin, Girl. Keep it up and you'll start seeing a real difference. You really, really will!

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  3. Dinner sounds good! Keep taking time to do that for yourself, and honestly I don't know HOW you find time for all those homestead chores and outside-the-house work! I'm up to my eyeballs in kids, laundry, garden & tiny house - if you added all that stuff like plow maintenance, batteries, solar panels, chickens, predator control.... WHEW! You definitely need lentil powered energy for all that!

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  4. I'm still waiting to hear what happened to the goose that squawked in the night...

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  5. Is this your "I'm turning 40 in 6 months and I need to get my sh*#* together?" Or is this just a general New Year resolution? Just wondering...

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  6. Erin, you ask how I find the time for all the off-grid homestead stuff? Well, having kids (as you do) is a 24 hour gig (and then some!), right? Well, I look at Swamp River Ridge as "my baby". It's everything that I want in the world, AND it's a 24/7 job. But, a job that I wouldn't give up for all the money in the world. So, there ya go! You have kids, I have Swamp River Ridge! :)

    Jen, the goose that squawked in the night was . . . nothing. Who knows - I think geese are just like that and occasionally complain for no good reason! :)

    Britty, as you know, "getting organized" has been a recurring resolution of mine for YEARS! But, turning 40 definitely has something to do with the active ways in which I'm trying to make it really happen this year.

    For one, 40 seems like the first real milestone birthday. As in (yeah), "I'm 40, and I still don't have my #@*! together?! Come ON!" But also in the sense of "well, I've lived the first 40 years of my life a certain way (i.e. always late to everything), and now it seems like a good time to change that - to live my NEXT 40 in a better way!"

    And, I think the divorce has something to do with it, too. It's much easier to DO things, try to MAKE these changes when you are just one person . . . vs. having to try to fit another person's wants, needs, and schedule into your own.

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  7. I found the same to be true about 40 (it's been 6 months for me!) being the first one I worried about a bit :), 30 & 35 were easy, but now sometimes I "forget" that I'm 40, I hope you are able to do the same!

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  8. Go Chicken Mama!!!

    Trying the new me, too. Most importantly not beating myself up if I stumble a bit while doing so. Remember you are AMAZING!

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