Today was an interesting day.
I got a call to work today, but it was for a situation I had been in before, and to say it was horrific would be an understatement. Knowing that Thursdays are usually busy and I would probably get called again for something different, I turned it down. I didn't get called again. It weighed heavily on my mind most of the day. Supposedly, my sanity should be worth something...a day's pay? But when you live paycheck to paycheck...let's just say, I beat myself up pretty good for it. *sigh*
I was tired a good bit. I tried, really tried, to use the time off productively, but I felt like I had been drugged. I don't know if it was my health issues rearing their ugly head or what, but I ended up lying down to take a nap, praying that I would feel better when I woke up. Two hours and several weird dreams later, I did feel better physically, but not so much about how the day went.
I had a little bit of driving to do (errands to run) as usual, and I found myself really looking around at the fall weather and colors. Temps were dropping here today, pretty significantly, and it's amazing how, even from inside, one can just look and tell that it's much cooler...definitely fall. There's something different about the wind, the overcast sky, all of it, that is difficult to define. But the difference is there. I love fall...and I found myself absorbing all of this, and marveling at God's masterpiece here on earth. Cool weather often makes me grateful for things like shelter, electricity, warm blankets, and hot chocolate. So I took a moment in the car to thank God for these things.
Yesterday, I dozed off in our recliner and when I woke up, my feet were so cold they almost hurt. When I put on warm socks it was a tangible relief that could only be compared to putting salve and a bandage on a wound. Sometimes it's the little things, but I got to thinking about how many people don't have something as simple as a pair of socks.
As far as extracurricular activities go, this has been a fairly slow week for us. The break has been nice, but it would have been a great opportunity to get some other projects done or caught up. So why are we struggling so much to just maintain? It should be as easy as putting stuff away as you use it, taking a few minutes each evening to straighten up, and taking a few minutes to wash up the day's dishes rather than wait three weeks. But...it's just not that easy. And with each one or two things that we put off, five more pop up. I swear the dust bunnies are multiplying!
I have noticed how a few things have started to become routine. My bathroom remains clean, and after all my squawking about the bed, I find I notice it as soon as I come out of the bathroom in the morning. My daughter continues to make her bed and she swipes the sink most every morning. She also notices when the clutter is spreading and wants us to get a handle on it before it's too late. My son, on the other hand, is *ahem* a little less cooperative. He's not defiant, but forgetful, unmotivated, and unfocused. I am often the same way, especially in the forgetful category, so it's hard to remind him of things when I have trouble remembering my own list, let alone what I've asked him to do.
Solutions seem so simple to the cleanies...lists, notes, etc. Why are these so hard for us "squalorees" to utilize? Why is my brain so scattered? I've got enough faults as it is...this one just seems to magnify them all.
One thing I will clarify...to close on a hopeful, optimistic note... the maintaining we are struggling with has a LOT more to do with clutter rather than squalor. No rotting food in the sink (or frig), no dried-on ketchup smears on the counter, and no dried up pee around the toilet. In fact, this morning I had to listen to my daughter screech to my son to clean up his pee that he had sprayed all over the floor. He's supposed to be swiping that area every morning anyway, but often forgets. I guess it was so bad this time, she wasn't about to let him get away with it. Now, scattered clothes, dishes, and papers...those are the things I see when I look around.
Gotta close...gotta work tomorrow. Raising my glass of milk (I love milk!)....here's to a better tomorrow and a good weekend!
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