“Our individuality is all, all, that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it in, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life’s bittersweet route.” ― Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume...
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About a month ago I got a quote from a professional organizer on helping us in our home. The quote was a whopping $2400. We were surprised and when we looked around, we realized she was right. Somehow in the last 8 years of having kids and moving out of our house and then back into our house (we were on sabbatical and traveled), things stopped having a place. In that time, I have had 10 people working in my house, have had babies grow up and turn 8, have changed the use of almost every room, have had multiple clients here, and have closed a storefront, ending up with the leftovers of that business stashed here as well. My office was probably the worst room in the house. Now, I am not really a hoarder by nature, but there have been some lean financial times in my past and I have been hanging onto things because I knew they had value and I had paid a lot of money for them. But having a quote of $2400 gave me the incentive I needed to pare down. I have been doing some serious editing. I have gotten rid of a garbage can full of stuff, a recycle bin full of stuff and several boxes of freecycle stuff. I have done a great job. I feel proud and now everything has a place. I have been through everything except a file cabinet and 3 drawers and I will get to them this week. I have instituted a “Work in Progress” file where my ongoing projects are. It has several projects in it but I am looking forward to clearing those, too. It is a new system I am looking forward to working with. But I am left with 3 postcards from Graceland that I don’t know what to do with. I bought them 2 years ago when we went to Graceland. I bought them–Mel says I always buy postcards and never send them–but these are...
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I hate the feeling when I screw up. I like to be together, kind, thoughtful, organized, tidy etc—all the good words. However it seems like when I go fast, I start to miss things. I am much better able to be all the good words when I have time to think, time to plan and mental capacity for all the bits and pieces that make up my life. I don’t like messing up. But it happens. It happens with my kids when I get cranky for no reason. It happens with my husband when I forget to tell him about a meeting in the evening and I don’t come home when he expects me to, I am slow to have important conversations, and generally I start to feel like all the balls are dropping around me. I don’t even have time to think about all the balls that are in the air because I am tidying up all the messes for the balls that are dropping. For me, this is a sign that I am too busy. I think about my list which looks something like this: Do 28 day diet Plan Europe trip Book accommodations in Europe Help my daughter problem-solve her school challenges Help my daughter figure out how to get a Toronto Restaurant apprenticeship Create curriculum for workshop in two weeks Communicate with partners about the workshop Coach clients Communicate with people interested in coaching Read client’s new book Read other client’s new book Think about hiring a personal trainer Do client work–web development Write daily for the Crucible as I committed to my coach Wash dishes–dishwasher has been broken since September because of rats Think about buying a new dishwasher when the Pest Control folks come back Get ready for exchange student who may arrive any time Read to my kids Train my dog, or at a bare minimum, get her to the dog park for exercise. Socialize with friends As I write this list, it seems even more...
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I was cleaning out an old desk that I have in my office and I found a picture in a frame at the back of the desk. I “Freecycled” the desk from the side of the road a few years ago so I have no idea who these people are.
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You can ask me anything, don’t be shy. I may choose not to answer it, but as my teachers used to say, “There are no dumb questions.” Now if you have ever been in an adult course, you know this is just not true because I have heard some really dumb questions in my day. But they’re usually asked by the guy who has been checking his email all day on his smart phone instead of paying attention. So I am absolutely sure you won’t be asking dumb questions. I’ll answer the questions I think are most helpful to Crucible Members. By being willing to ask questions, you help create the story on the Crucible. Thanks for participating. Submit a...
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I want to share myself through writing. I want the essence of who I am to sneak through the words and onto the page. Tiny bits of me tumbling through the letters and sentence structure to transmit a little bit of me to people who stop by to read what I have written. I want my voice to sing, I want my words to touch and inspire, I want my hands to touch the keys with love and transfer the emotion to the world that is in my heart.
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