Simpify, simplify, simplify...So, this week so far has been an interesting rollercoaster of a time, and I feel slightly disoriented and not fully 'in control' of really much in my life at the moment. That, coupled with a lack of motivation to do anything work-related, has contributed to me getting absolutely nothing done, and life zipping by at an even faster rate than usual (and that means, FAST)..
I took Monday off, with plans to clean the house, do some baking, cook some food for my dog (called 'Satin Balls', they're a blend of raw hamburger, various grains, molasses, eggs, you name it, designed to make him FAT and his coat glossy... :) ), and then I'd planned to venture into Ottawa to do some xmas shopping, as my limited attempts to do some thus far have resulted in me becoming totally overwhelmed (the crowds are INSANE this year!) and practically running out of the store, with nothing to show for my efforts.
However, at 3:30 pm I was still in my pj's, sitting in a dimly lit room in my basement, with my dog beside me, doing research online for my parents cruise. Yes, I said it, CRUISE!! Woohoo! I am very happy for them, as they will be embarking on a little adventure in early January (which is the cause of much stress at the moment, but I'm sure will be more than worth it in the end). It's called the 'Simpleman Cruise'. They will be sailing out of Miami, FL on a luxury cruise liner (The Imagination) headed for Key West and then to the Calica port in Mexico, before spending a final "Rock Day At Sea". The cruise is put on by Lynyrd Skynyrd, who will be on board to perform two concerts and generally hang out with the crazy fans. 11 other bands will be joining them, including the Georgia Satellites (which is the band that led me to discover this cruise). I have been looking at different itinerary options for each of their stops, and it seems that they will be enjoying gourmet food (all inclusive), concerts and parties at the different stages and bars throughout the ship, relaxing by the pool, touring Key West, and spending a day enjoying the Xcaret Eco Park in Mexico, where they can swim with dolphins, glide down an underground river through caves, and lounge on the white-sand beaches overlooking the crystal blue ocean. Yup, I wish I was going, but I am so much happier that THEY are going - what an opportunity! And every passenger on the ship is cut from the same cloth - no stodgy rich snobs on this ship, it's all beards, bandanas and black t-shirts - my father will blend well.. :) For an idea check this out - look for the 'shark man' as I call him - could be my Dad's best friend... ;-)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-23DZq_fU
Anyway, so back to my simplifying life, (which seems impossible for me)... After watching my parents' reaction go from super excited to suddenly stressed to the max, I realized that we all tend to pile on so much 'not fun' crap in our lives, that when anything good comes along, we have to stretch ourselves to the point of breaking in an attempt to accomdate the 'joyful' thing because we're so loaded down with the crap. Luc pointed something out to me that kind of made me wonder if perhaps part of the reason why I never feel in control of my life is that there are too many underlying complexities that don't need to be there. When I think back to the Spring, when I finally felt 'together', I remember we lived in a tiny apartment (which we owned), and really did seem to live a lot more 'simply'. I could afford anything I needed, I spent my time cooking and crafting and having friends over to share good food and drinks, and generally was enjoying life. However, then we added complexities to our lives and things have been out of balance ever since.
Recently, we sold the second car, Luc got a job in the city where I also work, and we've listed the apartments for sale. All good things for scaling back the craziness in our lives. But there are little things that are still out of control - which is what Luc brought to light when he asked me 'why do you have so many email addresses - why do you have to make everything so complicated?!' and it's true. I have five email addresses that I use regularly, and two more that aren't used as often but still do exist. I have four bank accounts, three RRSP accounts, a line of credit, credit card and bank loan to manage, along with debts that are in Luc's name that I can't seem to keep track of (and thus have been late paying for), I have fifty thousand little 'projects' buried in boxes in the office, I have half-read books all over the house... I think its all due in part to my lack of organizational skills (hence the need to keep separate bank accounts and email addresses to avoid mixing things together and having to keep closer track of what I'm doing) and as well, my incessant need to always be looking beyond what I have now (hence starting a million new ideas and never finishing them). I was reading an article in a magazine recently, that said you should take each project you have, ask yourself if you would get enjoyment out of completing it, and if it's important to you, and if you can say yes to both those things, set a timeframe to get it done in. If you can't commit to the timeline, donate the project to someone who will or throw it out. Eeek... That would mean a lot of things get thrown out or I'd actually have to start sticking to a schedule. But maybe that's the key. I find I flounder around, wasting time, and when I finally get time to do something, I'm so stressed and exhausted by worrying about everything that I just crash and waste MORE time... A vicious cycle.So I'm starting a new 'thing'. January is my 'start nothing new', dark month.. December will be my celebratory month (of course), and November will be my purge month. That way, I can spend November purging, December living it up because I have a lighter load to carry and tons of fun activities to occupy my time, and January I'll have my calm, quiet month where I decide what new things I want to start taking on again in Feb... Wish me luck!! :)
S
I took Monday off, with plans to clean the house, do some baking, cook some food for my dog (called 'Satin Balls', they're a blend of raw hamburger, various grains, molasses, eggs, you name it, designed to make him FAT and his coat glossy... :) ), and then I'd planned to venture into Ottawa to do some xmas shopping, as my limited attempts to do some thus far have resulted in me becoming totally overwhelmed (the crowds are INSANE this year!) and practically running out of the store, with nothing to show for my efforts.
However, at 3:30 pm I was still in my pj's, sitting in a dimly lit room in my basement, with my dog beside me, doing research online for my parents cruise. Yes, I said it, CRUISE!! Woohoo! I am very happy for them, as they will be embarking on a little adventure in early January (which is the cause of much stress at the moment, but I'm sure will be more than worth it in the end). It's called the 'Simpleman Cruise'. They will be sailing out of Miami, FL on a luxury cruise liner (The Imagination) headed for Key West and then to the Calica port in Mexico, before spending a final "Rock Day At Sea". The cruise is put on by Lynyrd Skynyrd, who will be on board to perform two concerts and generally hang out with the crazy fans. 11 other bands will be joining them, including the Georgia Satellites (which is the band that led me to discover this cruise). I have been looking at different itinerary options for each of their stops, and it seems that they will be enjoying gourmet food (all inclusive), concerts and parties at the different stages and bars throughout the ship, relaxing by the pool, touring Key West, and spending a day enjoying the Xcaret Eco Park in Mexico, where they can swim with dolphins, glide down an underground river through caves, and lounge on the white-sand beaches overlooking the crystal blue ocean. Yup, I wish I was going, but I am so much happier that THEY are going - what an opportunity! And every passenger on the ship is cut from the same cloth - no stodgy rich snobs on this ship, it's all beards, bandanas and black t-shirts - my father will blend well.. :) For an idea check this out - look for the 'shark man' as I call him - could be my Dad's best friend... ;-)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-23DZq_fU
Anyway, so back to my simplifying life, (which seems impossible for me)... After watching my parents' reaction go from super excited to suddenly stressed to the max, I realized that we all tend to pile on so much 'not fun' crap in our lives, that when anything good comes along, we have to stretch ourselves to the point of breaking in an attempt to accomdate the 'joyful' thing because we're so loaded down with the crap. Luc pointed something out to me that kind of made me wonder if perhaps part of the reason why I never feel in control of my life is that there are too many underlying complexities that don't need to be there. When I think back to the Spring, when I finally felt 'together', I remember we lived in a tiny apartment (which we owned), and really did seem to live a lot more 'simply'. I could afford anything I needed, I spent my time cooking and crafting and having friends over to share good food and drinks, and generally was enjoying life. However, then we added complexities to our lives and things have been out of balance ever since.
Recently, we sold the second car, Luc got a job in the city where I also work, and we've listed the apartments for sale. All good things for scaling back the craziness in our lives. But there are little things that are still out of control - which is what Luc brought to light when he asked me 'why do you have so many email addresses - why do you have to make everything so complicated?!' and it's true. I have five email addresses that I use regularly, and two more that aren't used as often but still do exist. I have four bank accounts, three RRSP accounts, a line of credit, credit card and bank loan to manage, along with debts that are in Luc's name that I can't seem to keep track of (and thus have been late paying for), I have fifty thousand little 'projects' buried in boxes in the office, I have half-read books all over the house... I think its all due in part to my lack of organizational skills (hence the need to keep separate bank accounts and email addresses to avoid mixing things together and having to keep closer track of what I'm doing) and as well, my incessant need to always be looking beyond what I have now (hence starting a million new ideas and never finishing them). I was reading an article in a magazine recently, that said you should take each project you have, ask yourself if you would get enjoyment out of completing it, and if it's important to you, and if you can say yes to both those things, set a timeframe to get it done in. If you can't commit to the timeline, donate the project to someone who will or throw it out. Eeek... That would mean a lot of things get thrown out or I'd actually have to start sticking to a schedule. But maybe that's the key. I find I flounder around, wasting time, and when I finally get time to do something, I'm so stressed and exhausted by worrying about everything that I just crash and waste MORE time... A vicious cycle.So I'm starting a new 'thing'. January is my 'start nothing new', dark month.. December will be my celebratory month (of course), and November will be my purge month. That way, I can spend November purging, December living it up because I have a lighter load to carry and tons of fun activities to occupy my time, and January I'll have my calm, quiet month where I decide what new things I want to start taking on again in Feb... Wish me luck!! :)
S
