I love this time of the year, and not because of the gift giving and a few extra days off. I love the concept of a new time, the opportunity to purge my life—and my closet—of things no longer of benefit. I admit I am a bit of a mess maker. You can easily trace my path through the house after we get home in the evenings. I shed a jacket here, drop my purse there and, often, my boots are found in front of the coffee table. I usually just leave things where they are, knowing full well I can just retrieve them as I leave the next morning.
Mail tends to pile up—most is junk anyway—and, once I do open things, they are frequently left in the “to be filed” basket in the kitchen. Oh, and I lose my car keys almost daily. I know, I should put them in the same place every time I come home, and sometimes I do, but then I drop the mail on top of them!
But, for a few weeks in January, I am cured of my mess-making ways and I make a stab at organization, actually opening the mail and even getting to work on time. I spent the first two days of 2011 putting away Christmas, which led to cleaning up the storage room and—finally—flattening the last of the empty boxes from the move last summer. I cleaned out both kids’ rooms, convincing them to give away a few toys that they have outgrown. And, thanks to my Dad’s help, I disposed of the two TVs that died last month. Finally, shocker of all shockers, I even did something that those who have worked with me will never believe, I cleaned off my desk! I have to admit it was prompted a little by our pending inspection but, knowing it was my last workday of 2010 did put me in that cleaning spirit.
As much as I love all this cleaning and purging, I honestly don’t make a list of New Year’s resolutions. It just puts too much pressure on me, and I am too much a perfectionist—yes, even a mess maker can be a perfectionist—I feel guilty when I don’t manage to succeed at achieving all the goals on my list. But, I will admit, there are a few thoughts spinning around in my head:
For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
Mail tends to pile up—most is junk anyway—and, once I do open things, they are frequently left in the “to be filed” basket in the kitchen. Oh, and I lose my car keys almost daily. I know, I should put them in the same place every time I come home, and sometimes I do, but then I drop the mail on top of them!
But, for a few weeks in January, I am cured of my mess-making ways and I make a stab at organization, actually opening the mail and even getting to work on time. I spent the first two days of 2011 putting away Christmas, which led to cleaning up the storage room and—finally—flattening the last of the empty boxes from the move last summer. I cleaned out both kids’ rooms, convincing them to give away a few toys that they have outgrown. And, thanks to my Dad’s help, I disposed of the two TVs that died last month. Finally, shocker of all shockers, I even did something that those who have worked with me will never believe, I cleaned off my desk! I have to admit it was prompted a little by our pending inspection but, knowing it was my last workday of 2010 did put me in that cleaning spirit.
As much as I love all this cleaning and purging, I honestly don’t make a list of New Year’s resolutions. It just puts too much pressure on me, and I am too much a perfectionist—yes, even a mess maker can be a perfectionist—I feel guilty when I don’t manage to succeed at achieving all the goals on my list. But, I will admit, there are a few thoughts spinning around in my head:
- Lose that five pounds I put on over the holidays, mainly due to the yummy no-cook peanut butter fudge I just had to make—three times.
- Keep squirreling away money to ease the burden when I buy a house this spring. I “graduate” from Financial Peace University in a few weeks, and am doing my best to “live like no one else.”
- Read my Bible more. After I finished the Essential 100, I got lazy with this. Anyone know another good reading plan to keep me on task?
- Pick up as I go, in an effort to keep the mess to a minimum—at work (at least until after the inspection), at home and, maybe, even in my car.
- And, finally, I want to make it here more often, to more consistently put the jumble of words in my mind down on “paper.”
For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
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