Prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
My first response to this question was “Not much! My life is pretty sweet as it is.” Then I looked up from my comfy chair by the fireplace and saw item #1, Clutter. OK, right, my life may be sweet but it isn’t perfect. So here goes …
1. Clutter. A house with dishes on the counter, backpacks on the table, shoes on the floor. With four kids (yes, I am counting my husband as a kid here), I am often the only one who takes care of the messes of daily life. I resent it and so I don’t always keep up with it. Over the years I’ve tried every method imaginable to bring order to my house and I’ve learned one thing: It’s up to me. If clutter is to leave my life, it will be me who banishes it.
2. Resentment. OK, I resent the clutter. I resent unfairness. I resent when I do more than my share. I resent people who use cell phones and drive. Resentment is a waste of my time.
3. Fast Food. It is oh so bad for you, right? We all know it. And yet my guilty pleasure is Taco Bell on my lunch break or Arby’s with my kids. The only way to get past this one is through better meal planning and an iron will.
4. Store-room stuff. Only 50% of what’s in my store room is stuff we need to keep. The rest could go and if it did, the storeroom could be orderly rather than overflowing. I wither up inside when I have to open that door to retrieve a suit case or seasonal decorations. It’s a job that must be done sometime in 2011.
5. Waiting. Sometimes in life you must wait. Stoplights and checkout lines come to mind. I’m talking about waiting for “something” to happen. Waiting for the rest of my life to show up. It’s time to go out and grab life by the horns and take a wild ride.
6. Catering to other people’s feelings. I do this way too much. I think of it as tempering the situation .. I adjust how I act to ease the way. I won’t go so far as to be a push-over, but I do find myself catering to people who are angry, upset, or crabby for no good reason. Gotta stop doing that.
7. Sloth. An object at rest tends to stay at rest. I like to sit. I must find more ways to get up and move.
8. Web-Wasting. Know how sometimes you’re checking up on Facebook or reading some great article you found on Slate, or digging something from Digg? During those times, I don’t always engage in the family life around me. I’m irritated somebody wants to talk to me and pull me out of my little cyber-world. Even if nobody wants to engage in a little real-world interaction with me, sometimes I take it too far and spend hours upon hours getting my fix. This is becoming an addiction that does not improve my life.
9. Cussing. My soon-to-be thirteen year old daughter likes to gently punch me in the harm every time I say all those great words that start with S, F, and H. If she didn’t do that, I would say I don’t cuss, but the proof is in her knuckles.
10. Weight. I’d like to leave behind a few pounds in 2011. #3 and #7 will help with that.
11. Hoodies. I do adore my hoodies. I have them from Disney World, San Diego, Winter Park, Breckenridge, Vail, KU, the high school. They are so cozy and warm and I love having that pouch on the front to keep my phone or my keys. The thing is, they are a fashion nightmare. I have begun an internal campaign to wear my hoodies only at home. So far, I’m doing better, but I still cheat on weekend ..
I'm with you on #6 and #10.
ReplyDeleteHow about a hoodie from Fargo?
ReplyDelete