be the bird

This is why I never get anything done.

My heart was full – to the brim – with good intentions. I was gonna sit down and pay my bills. NOW. No more procrastinating.

Check list. Computer, stack of bills, pen, jacket because I was chilly, let the dogs out on the deck, music on, leftover coffee warmed up, porch windows open, cell phone (texting my kids), new pen (out of ink)… check, check, check

Hmmm. I’m out of my “bill payment sheets”. No problem; just need to run a few copies, so this isn’t an excuse to procrastinate next month. Ya. Right. What is a “bill payment sheet”, you’re wondering…? Well, short story – my organized alter ego coming through. A little Excel thingie I created years ago that I fill in each month with each payee and the amounts, dates, confirmation numbers… I love charts and graphs and columns. You see, in my mind I am a very organized person. Somewhere in the follow ,through, is where it seems to fall apart.

So off I go into the hubbies office where we have our printer. This stupid machine seems to take forever to warm up. I decide to spend my waiting time getting a closer look at our bird families that are currently renting space on our front porch. So off I go in search of binoculars. Surprisingly, this proves to be a rather simple step. For some reason, they are exactly where they are supposed to be. Weird.

What happened next was quite unexpected. Above the right column was our mama dove. She is a regular. Must have about 100 babies by now. Poor exhausted thing. As I focus in on the nest I see little pieces of my front porch planter, woven throughout… You’re welcome, Mama Dove. Just help yourself. “A mamas gotta do what a mamas gotta do.” (Feel free to quote me) As I divert my gaze over to the left and focus in on the second column, I see the other mama bird. But she is not a dove. She is a little sparrow…? I guess. I dunno. She is tiny, and definitely not a dove. I think she is a sparrow. Whatever. Here’s the point of the story.

It was at that very moment that I envisioned world peace.

Here were these two mama birds, living side by side, coexisting peacefully. They were not the least bit concerned that they were different colors, or had different markings. One was 2-3 times the size of the other. No worries. Their voices; their songs – so very different. Not a bother. No judgement. No prejudice. They were simply and respectfully doing what God had asked them to do with their lives. So the “take away”? I dunno. Maybe “Be the bird”. Ya. I know. I hear your thoughts. It’s simplistic and ~~a bit~~ naïve, I admit -But, OH, what a beautiful thought…

The printer is screeching and spurting ugly sounds, catapulting me back to the here and now. The printer is warmed and ready for action. I, reluctantly, set down the binoculars and move forward. I simply must stop procrastinating and pay these stupid bills. But first… I need to take this jacket off because I’m sweating, let the dogs in and close the porch windows because it looks like rain, re-warm my coffee that’s now stone cold – Oh, and lookie – a text from the kids…

“Be the bird”

live happy… cathy

eventually… maybe.

9 / 4 / 13

I’m p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-n-g. Yep. Gotta clean the laundry room – Don’t wanna do it. Everyone has that space in their house that becomes the catch-all for this, that and everything. Ours is the laundry room. Now for all practical purposes, we are fortunate in the sense that we have a fairly large laundry room. Cabinet space (more room to shove “stuff”), counter space (more room to pile “stuff”) and floor space (for people to throw their shoes, dirty laundry and everyone’s I don’t know where this goes… “stuff”) It’s kinda like the unfinished part of the basement. The bigger the space, the more “goodies” you save. Blessing…? Curse…? Hmmm… We had a big family get-together last weekend, and I never quite got to the part of my “to-do” list that said “clean the laundry room“, somehow. But let’s be honest here – It had the priority status of about a -14. My solution? I closed the door and put a post-it note up that said “off limits“. Ha! That kinda thing just makes you wanna look, doesn’t it…? Some did. I just laughed. I used to be a real freak about that kind of stuff. Guess I’m kinda over it.

So I did get in there the other day. Found the floor, the counters and a few items that had recently “gone missing”. Vacuumed, sprayed. It was a great feeling, and it lasted all of about three minutes. Yep. As I stood there, basking in the (temporary) glow of a perfectly clean (looking) laundry room, – I suddenly felt a dark sense of reality wash over me. Ya – this room looked clean on the outside, but I knew the real truth. I knew what was lurking inside those cabinets. Or did I? I decided to start purging – Cleaning out, clearing out and reorganizing the cabinets. Before I knew it, the room had returned to a complete state of utter chaos. Stuff piled absolutely everywhere. And that, my friends, is the end of the story. So far. Haven’t done a thing about it. I did clean out the refrigerator yesterday, which was also in need of some real attention. I hung out with friends and family all weekend having fun – xo. I made my bed. Every day. Took the dogs for walks. Went to the dentist. Drank wine (not with the dentist). Basically everything under the sun EXCEPT clean the stupid laundry room. And that’s OK. The reality is – It’s not going anywhere. It will get done.

E-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y…

maybe later…?

4 / 23 / 13

P-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-o-n……

Hate to brag… but I gotta say, I’m pretty good at it. I’ve got a garage sale/sample sale starting on Thursday. It’s Tuesday. Is that a problem? Yes. It certainly is. So what to do? Eat some chocolate. Dark chocolate. Ya, that’s it. It will give me endorphins… those “feel good hormones” that make you feel like you can do anything.

Or maybe a cup of coffee? With caffeine. Perfect! Instant energy once that caffeine kicks in! (Those who know me limit my intake to one cup. HA!) So last night the hubbie “tried to help”. Kinda... He suggested that we watch an episode of “Downton Abbey” (We’re trying to “catch up”) so that I could “price stuff” while I watched. (Notice how he said that… “WE could watch: I could price…” Hmmm.) Well, that didn’t work. You cannot watch that show and “multi-task”. You miss stuff. Important stuff. So what to do??? We watched TWO episodes. I don’t need to tell you whose fault that was now, do I…? He is, obviously, an enabler.

OK… really. Need to do this. You know, “Nike” kinda stuff… “Just do it”. Fine. I will. Right after I wrap up a couple of loose ends… Figure out what’s for dinner. Make my bed. Empty the dishwasher. Rearrange my closet. Organize my Pinterest boards. Buy a guinea pig. Solve world hunger. Write a blog…

about p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-o-n…

Seriously – Some great advice from Marie Leslie – “The Perils of Procrastination —11 Ways to Put an End to Putting it Off”. Definitely gonna read this. Right after I make another cup of coffee. And clean out the guinea pig cage…

Do it first thing in the morning Mark Twain is reported to have said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” If that task is showing up on your to-do list every day, make it the first thing on your list and get it out of the way. Sometimes the dread of a task makes it seem worse than it really is. Getting it over with first thing in the morning will free up both your time and your mind for other things.
Get an accountability partner Find someone who is willing to hold your feet to the fire and keep you on task until it’s done. Sometimes all it takes to end the procrastination is knowing that you have to keep telling that other person you aren’t done yet. After a while, you just feel kind of silly, don’t you?
Be prepared ahead of time If you know it’s coming, gather everything you think you will need as soon as you know. Having it all there and ready makes the project a little less overwhelming and will make you less likely to be late or miss a critical deadline that could cost you both money and reputation.
Break down an overwhelming task into smaller, more manageable ones Does it just feel like it’s too much? Look at the task and see if you can’t divide it up into smaller, manageaable pieces. A bunch of little tasks often seems simpler than one big one. Plus, if it doesn’t have to be done all at once those little tasks can be spread out over a series of days.
Delegate If you are procrastinating something because you either don’t feel like you have time or just hate to do it, find a way to delegate it to someone else. If it’s a school project or a medical procedure, you’re stuck, but if it’s something else, there is almost always a way to delegate or outsource and have someone else do the deed.

Re-think the task Is this something you really need to do? If you’ve put it off this long, how important is it really? Re-evaluate whether it is something you need to do at all. Sometimes we procrastinate things because they aren’t all that important to us. Check your motivation and your need to get this done. If they aren’t there, perhaps you should just scratch it off the list and move on with your life.
Avoid Distractions Do you find yourself checking your email, visiting Facebook, doing the laundry, scrubbing the toilet or just about any other activity but what you need to do? Eliminate the distractions. Shut off the internet, send the phone to voicemail or go to the library and get rid of the things that distract you. Some of my writer friends will even check into a hotel for a few days so they work without any interruptions to meet a deadline or finish a project. Rid yourself of the reasons NOT to get it done.
Reward yourself Give yourself some incentive to get the job done. Reward yourself with something you really enjoy—and then stick to the deal. As soon as you’re done, you can go get that massage or have that cheesecake—or that afternoon off.
Be realistic Are you putting off this project because you feel overwhelmed or inadequate to the task? Step back and evaluate those feelings. Are they valid? If it really isn’t something you can do yourself then get the help you need. Is it too big for the time frame or for just one person? If the answer is yes, then adjust the time frame and your resources accordingly and relieve that stress.
Give yourself a deadline This one works for me. As I said before, I am deadline oriented. Whether the deadline is set by me or by someone else, knowing I have a drop-dead date to get a project finished means it will be done by then.
Suck it up and get it over with Most often, the best way around a problem is right through it. Just suck it up and get it done and remind yourself that the sooner it’s done, the sooner you can move on with life.

perfectly placed pearls

1 / 22 / 13

So every day, my friend Martha (Stewart) sends me an “organizing tip of the day”. (Thanks, Martha) Let’s just say that I have been feeling pretty good about the (slow and) steady progress that I have been making in this department. Now mind you, this “organize my life” project started way before the whole “New Year’s Resolutions” thingie… As a matter of fact (confession alert!!), this “organizational mode of thinking” actually WAS a “New Year’s Resolution”. In 2012. OK. So it’s “long-term”. So what. At least I’m still plugging away; Right??? So back to the part where I am feeling pretty good about my progress. Today’s tip really threw me for a loop.

“Jewelry boxes can be handy, but they can also turn your prettiest baubles into unsightly nests of knots. Let your hodgepodge of china collect something besides dust: Orphaned teacups and saucers are perfect vessels for sorting jewelry, and, when arranged in a velvet-lined drawer, they give you an easy-to-scan bird’s-eye view of your bijoux. To set it up, measure the height of the drawer’s side (not the front), then gather dishware that’s slightly shorter. Line the drawer with velvet or felt to prevent rattling and sliding, then position the porcelain. Hook drop earrings on rims of cups, nestle necklaces within them, and stash chunkier beads and bangles on individual saucers.” (From Martha Stewart )

Upon reading today’s tip, I started to question my efforts and progress thus far. In reality, would I EVER really get to the point where everything was SO organized that I would be out shopping for vintage teacups in a specified height to delicately arrange in my (velvet lined) jewelry drawer…?? Probably not. And that’s OK.

But some of my necklaces are hanging, my rings are separated fom my pins, my pearls are all (blobbed together) in a pink cut crystal bowl, and I have a vintage mirror that I found in an antique store that I “blinged” (This last bit of trivia has absolutely no relevance. I just like the mirror.) So Martha – I’m looking for your approval, perhaps (?), that indeed I AM moving in the right direction…?

If not; I did come across some pretty “orphaned” teacups. Fine. I’ll start measuring the drawers…