Friday, September 17, 2010

Throwing Open the Curtains

I’ll do it again, someday, hopefully soon.  My bedroom sheet curtains have been closed for years.  An effort to not inflict eye damage and tongue waggling from my neighbors across the street.  Now that I’ve come out of the hoarding closet with my blog I was briefly tempted to open them.  But I didn’t.  Too chicken still, but Soon.  I promise.

Somehow the scenes in films of someone opening the curtains on sulking kermudgins is resonating with me today.  I remember Rhett tossing back the drapes on a pouting Scarlett.    And Mary (Secret Garden) letting her sickly cousin Colin see the light of day for the first time – ever.  Anne did it too in Anne of Avonlea.  Someone letting in the light of day on someone feeling sorry for themselves, hiding from the world for various reasons.  I want to be that someone.  I want to get up in the morning and throw open those curtains and inhale that light. 

Today was frustrating as I kept getting distracted.  But here’s the great news. 

Summer 646

Yes, more trash is good news in my book.  As is a slowly growing thrift pile. 

Summer 642

But I can’t seem to keep my focus on one area.  I start something somewhere, and then move something to put it away somewhere else.  Yet then I see something that needs to be tidied in yet another place.  I’ve always done this.  Go around in circles, working my hind end off but not getting one big thing accomplished. Now, I’m making notes to ask my Young and Gorgeous Counselor how to retrain my brain to stay focused.  Sometimes A.D.D. stinks.  But now that I’m aware of it I can more easily recognize when it’s sidetracking me.

My other big concern is that I have a house load of stuff to learn and then I’ve got to teach these things to my kids.  I’ll have to be diligent and not give up.  I know some of my kids have issues too.  You’d think with a laundry hamper in the bathroom they would have no problems dropping their dirty clothes and towels in it.  Wrong.

Summer 643

I almost feel like putting a blinking neon sign with arrow pointing to the place to put the dirty clothes. 

A few days ago I signed on to get Fly Lady emails.  My inbox was then cluttered with email after email, testimonials, recommendations.  It was so overwhelming and I was thinking, ‘Oh yeah, I need to start that and then that, etc.’   I ended up shutting down the service after 2 days of email clutter.  Otherwise I’d be reading Fly Lady for at least 1/2 hour a day.  I need to take baby steps but I need something concrete like the two bags of trash a day.  Or following Kelly’s daily missions in the zone areas.

Needless to say, I did a lot today but the frustration level rose a notch too.  My sweet Prince told me that I was doing great and he wanted me to take a break.  So this evening I’m going to chill and do some more painting on my Never land Clock box.  And maybe I’ll watch this with my girls.

And dream of throwing open the curtains on a clean de-cluttered room.

4 comments:

Teresa said...

Oh, how I know your pain! Just a little while ago on my blog I posted that I MUST get back on the FlyLady wagon- but I am in such a state that it will have to be the 30 day Babysteps start over. Maybe you should try that instead of the full blown, all those emails, version. I got rid of the multitudinous emails- I get the daily digest which I may or may not read.

Flylady works for me when I use my own DAILY control journal- I have made a chart (which needs updating, lol) of the basics of what I need to do every day to survive. It works for me better than anything else. I keep it on the fridge in a plastic page cover, and use erasable markers to check off the jobs. When I have a good Flylady week, it is nice to have to erase so many check marks.

Hopefully we can both make progress and open those curtains!

Arrow said...

I don't think I've seen The Secret Garden in over a decade. Talk about cleaning things up! We too need to work on that, although if we open up our curtains, our air conditioning bill will go way up!

Anonymous said...

This is stupid, but I believe all rooms need sunlight every day if there's a window. So I always open them.
Love how your "out" pile is growing! You are going to feel So good when you take that first load to the thrift shop--be sure to treat yourself to a coffee or something when you do!

Mrs. Darling said...

I have just found your dehoarding posts. I dont get around the blog world much these days. Anyway I wanted to commend you on the work you are doing. And open those curtains! It makes the whole day seem brighter. Sure it will reveal the stuff but the stuff wont look so sinister in the light of day! :) I open all blinds first thing in the morning. If Peter hasnt opened his I make him go back in and open them. Tink doesnt open hers because of her sensory issues...too much light, but anytime she isnt around I go in and open her blinds and windows. Fresh air and sunlight or even fresh air and rain like we get here, do wonders to a room!