“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”
— Socrates
‘Tis January. The holidays are behind most of us at this point or almost so. They were heavenly, blessed and also absolutely exhausting. So, how do we restore our bodies to the original factory settings? Is it kale? Please don’t say it’s kale. It’s definitely not cookies and pie because I consumed copious amounts of each and I’m still feeling a wee bit tired.
I’ve come to know that I can do (almost) anything, but I can’t do EVERYthing. I have found that I do best when I guard my time. I am generous but also intentional with it. Once I stopped rushing through life, I was somewhat amazed how much life I have time for. Instead of saying “I don’t have time for that” I have learned to say “That isn’t a priority right now.” Changing our language to remind us that what we do with our free time can be a choice. Think about it. If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?
Cleanse
January is a time of renewal and cleansing for most people. A clean slate so to speak, some literally, some figuratively. Whether decluttering a closet — or your calendar — it’s smart to remember that we should be choosing what we want to keep, not just what we want to get rid of. I think it is also important that we know ourselves. I spent New Year’s Eve deep cleaning my kitchen and I LOVED IT. I no longer apologize for my love of homemaking. Cleaning, decorating and being at home is my happy place.
Feeling sassy, I took the oven door apart to really get that glass clean between the layers (how does that get dirty anyway?) Sure I almost broke the whole thing. Mr. Wonderful definitely had a mini episode when I sent him a photo of the oven door and glass lying about our kitchen in six separate pieces. But — and here’s what matters — I got it all back together all by myself! Also, it looks amazing. I’m proud of that. Heck, I sent photos to my closest friends. They get me. “Kym is super excited to … clean.” I’m being true to myself. It’s freeing, you should too. This means if you don’t like this, that or the other thing, consider saying “no” to more unnecessary things you don’t enjoy — and yes to those you do.
I know myself well enough to be able to confidently say that “No, I do not want to go to the club. I’ll consider an antique store though.” I don’t even want “dinner and drinks.” I want dinner, yes, and then I want to go home by 8 p.m., 9 p.m. at the very latest. I’m not a “nightcap” sort of person anymore. I was once, but I don’t miss that girl. Recently, I stayed out until 10:30 p.m. for a Christmas party, and, honestly, felt I should alert the media — or at least friends and family. It was a milestone moment. I love being social — within reason. Then, I need three to five business days to fully recover. Most days, I just want to hang out with family, dogs and maybe clean out a closet.
We often complain about being “bored.” Day in and day out life can seem the same: morning alarm, work, housework, looking after everyone else, dinner, bath, bed, wake up and repeat it all over again. Let us remember that so often the right mindset is “get to” not “have to.” How lucky we are to have such calming repetitiveness. A day without a disaster or even a nasty surprise sounds perfect. There is so much value in just enjoying your space and those you love — be people, pets or maybe puzzles? I don’t know. If your greatest worry is having to make dinner with your plentiful food in your working kitchen, isn’t that a blessing?
It’s probably not possible to restore ourselves to those fresh-born factory settings, that new human feeling is fleeting. I know that my literal pain in the neck is just part of who I am now. But, in the wise words of Anne Lamott, and pretty much every tech support manual ever, almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including us. If you are so blessed with a “boring” and somewhat “dull” life perhaps you are actually the luckiest of all.
