Whatever your hand finds to do...

"And I won't be ashamed,
Of the things we once made,
And I won't be coming back
'Round here no more."

Hi blog world! Let me tell you, it has been a busy few weeks!!!

I have (mostly) made a full recovery from the plague.
In the war on clutter: I got rid of possessions that I love. Previously I was getting rid of things I don't love or don't use. This is the harder, but more rewarding step. I love purging so much, that I purged my hair! It's so short I can't even put it in a ponytail!
But, I'm going to put the great purge on hold. I'm going to a) focus on finalizing plans for Africa [prayers please!] and b) taking a mental break. I want to resolve unanswered Africa questions. I want to watch the movies that I have decided are keepers - to determine that they actually are keepers. I want to read books. I want to run on the trail. I want to be a vegetable.

My typical days include going to work, going home and getting on the internet, going to bed and doing it again the next day. I love the internet, but sometimes a girl just needs a break. Yesterday was such a day. It was a very crazy, stressful day at work. I indulged in some convenience food. I took care of sorting some boxes and cleaning up in general. I put away a lot of laundry. I put away my other linens. And if it wasn't something that needed to be dealt with asap, I put it in my closet and closed the door. I'm serious about this purging break. Even if it's a short week or two, I am committed. I think it will help the 'use it or lose it' argument. ie: I have puzzles, but I've never put them together. And other nonsensical things I'm holding onto for no real reason. But the immediate focus will hopefully be Christian living. And I mean actually living, not just talking about what I'd like to do. In theory, even forcing myself to rewatch the Bachelorette episodes so far, and finally giving you my feelings, as promised!

If you read my last entry, you know I'm mourning the loss of my childhood. Two weeks later, I can say that it actually feels kind of awesome. 95% of the things I get rid of I don't miss at all. In fact it made me feel so awesome, I encouraged my boyfriend to do the same. Initially, this didn't go so well. I became that girlfriend; the one who wants to hijack her boyfriends life. In all honesty, I'd just prefer that his stuff didn't hijack his life. Insert boyfriend's friend and you have bad news. Why people insist on holding onto stuff that they will realistically never use, I have no idea. Needless to say, I avoided the friend for a few days, kept my opinions to myself and my boyfriend has since gotten rid of 57 VHS tapes... that's all she wrote! Thankfully my brother is a young man after my own heart! Sunday he asked me to help him, and our youngest brother, clean out their room. True, this was mostly because he is totally ready to get rid of everything and my youngest brother is just not motivated to do so. So while he did have selfish motivation, it was productive. We got rid of a ton of clothes. I was actually driving around with a huge box of their clothes in my car. I was initially planning on taking it to Goodwill. Instead, I ran into my friend Rudy who spearheads a huge bash for local underprivileged children every year. I wanted to talk to him because I have some supplies I finally cleaned out of my desk. The advertised list is kindof minimal, but after talking to Rudy I realized I could donate a lot more to these kids - including my brothers clothes! They advertised the donation of children's clothes: since my brothers are 16 and 18 I don't really consider them 'children', but Rudy reminded me of the obesity problem we have. So now I know where their clothes will be going!

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." -Ecclesiastes 9:10[NIV]

Time to go continue being productive!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

It's been one year since I revamped my blog! You know what they say: "Time flies when you're having fun!"

This week one of my brothers graduated from high school.
My other brother infected our entire family with the plague.
I've been sick since Tuesday. Very, very sad. So far symptoms have migrated from my head downward. Which means I officially sound weird, and my throat is irritated 99% of the time I'm awake. Lovely. My friend and her husband were sick for two entire weeks. I'm really hoping that my family has caught a different plague!

In my misery, I am unabashedly guzzling Sierra Mist. #1 because I'm a baby when I'm sick. I have no shame; I'll admit it! I don't drink pop/soda any other time, but when I'm sick it (the bubbly, carbonated goodness of Sierra Mist) is the only thing that makes life seem worth living. And #2 because I generally have absolutely no appetite when I'm sick. Sugary beverages aren't ideal, but it keeps the kcal count up!

After several weeks of working overtime and having jam-packed weekends, I feel like I'm winning: I had a day off (albeit it was the beginning of the plague, so arguably time underutilized) and I have a weekend all to myself. My nephews are otherwise occupied; my boyfriend is off celebrating guys weekend. This gives me an excuse to not set foot outside my house, save for work for 6 hrs on Saturday. (Sunday - we will see, right now I feel like if I went to Church I'd just end up coughing and blowing my nose the entire time. Very attractive, and very conducive to worship, obviously. I might have to keep the Sabbath holy from the confines of my bedroom.) Anyway, the light at the end of this miserable tunnel is a) Sierra Mist and b) free time to do whatever I want!

Since I can't breathe to begin with, I figured I might as well clean. Dusting (because I can't breathe anyway), sorting through some books, and old stuff I haven't used in years. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but some point this week, between the Sierra Mist and NyQuil, I mourned the loss of my childhood. I am coming to terms with the fact that I'm single so I am not married and I don't have kids. In short, I go to work and then come home and take care of myself. In short, I have no large responsibilities. I am coming to terms with the fact that all of the "hobbies" and necessary supplies lying stagnant around my room aren't actually hobbies. If I don't make time for them now, there is no way I will make time for them when I'm married, let alone when if I'm raising a family. This brings me to one of my favorite men: Thomas Jefferson, or TJ as I like to call him, because I'm a nerd like that. TJ had some good advice to live by. Moses brought us the 10 Commandments; TJ brought us the 10 Rules of Conduct. Naturally, being the early American History nerd that I am, I have TJ's 10 Rules of Conduct in my room. Imprinted on a mug. (Don't judge me.) I came across the mug as I was dusting and rearranging the bookshelf. Debating the likelihood that I will make myself sit still long enough to read various books and debating if I should just get ready for bed, under the assumption that I will one day beat the plague. Then I saw it. Rule of Conduct #1: "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today." It worked. I spent 2 more hours cleaning. Well played, TJ.

Now, naturally, there are piles of things to be sorted and boxed. Craft supplies I will never use; school supplies that can be donated to a local mission for underprivileged children. Items that don't enrich my life or hold the meaning they once did; items that I can't picture in "my" (future) house. I've been reading articles about purging clutter from your life; letting go of who you thought you were (and the items that were part of that picture) and embracing who you are (and keeping only the items that enrich that life.) Hopefully the momentum continues. I still have a few problem spots to tackle. And 9 more Rules of Conduct to work through. ;-)