The other day I wrote about the new carpeting we are getting.

I was excited, not only for the new carpeting, but also because I was looking forward to the opportunity to CLEAR OUT ALL THE CLUTTER that tends to accumulate on bookshelves and the dining room table and in cabinets and drawers.  In fact, in and on virtually any surface or space that is available to park papers, books, the odd piece of clothing…you name it and it is probably there…somewhere…but please don’t ask me to find it!

I guess I should have known by now, having moved several times during the last 4 decades, that things would get worse before they got better.  It definitely looks like we are moving…with half-filled boxes on the floor and the dining room table littered with papers (do we really need that piece?).  I’m glad our children are grown, because adding little ones into the mix would only make it more difficult. 

However, there is a shining light in the distance…my heart beats with hope (or is that from walking up and down the stairs 20 times with boxes of books?)…the 2 bookcases are EMPTY! 

Next step: wrap and box the dozens of framed photos and knicknacks on the piano and sideboard.  

At times, it does seem overwhelming.  Parenting can seem like that also, don’t you agree?  So, I guess I will try to do some of the things I did when my children were young that helped me put everything in the proper perspective:

• Make a list of what I need to do each day…the night before! (You sleep so much better when you’ve written it down.)
• Get a good night’s sleep! (Not always easy to do with little ones…have a cup of soothing tea before bedtime, close your eyes for a few minutes, breathe deeply, visualize the job done.)
• Do the hardest or most unpleasant thing first…it empowers me and energizes me for the rest of the day! (There is a book out there called EAT THE FROG!  Check it out…it talks about this phenomenon.)
• Take breaks to walk, dance to great music, sit in the sun for a few minutes!  (All work and no rest or play can burn you out quickly.)
• Ask for help if I need it!  (Sometimes we are too proud to ask for help because we think we should be able to do EVERYTHING by ourselves…is that you?)
• Spend time with the ones I love…in person or on the phone…this renews me! (If you have children, no matter what you are involved in, please try to spend positive time with them…someone once said: To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today…so true.)

I hope this list helps some of you…just making it has already helped me!