March 2014

I tried to take a bath and and the knob came off in my hand. Bob tried to turn the oven on and it didn’t work. I tried to vacuum and the wheels fell off the vacuum. All within a few hours of each other. All very trying.

This has been the norm, not the exception lately. By lately, I mean since we married April 1, 2012. Recent challenges aren’t as severe as the fires and floods we weathered, but they do keep us from moving forward.

Our “digital dude” reset our computer network and went on vacation. Problems emerged like a whack-a-mole. We kept thinking we had solved the issue at least long enough to be able to operate until our tech guy returned, and we kept being proven wrong. I don’t exaggerate when I tell you that running a business with computer issues like this is traumatic for Bob.

My health has been improving, and I felt wildly energetic at dance. I leaped into the air and landed on my hip and hand. I could barely use my left hand. Happily, that injury only took a handful of days to heal.

But hope springs eternal. Plus the lessons that are the gifts of the adversities are powerful and deep. We’re working as a team better than ever. My health woes have caused me to embrace a huge discovery process in the kitchen and I am nourishing myself better than ever. I am getting my spirit back and have even gained a couple of pounds from my tiniest me. We found a new tech guy who knocked our socks off.

On one level, we’re getting nowhere fast. On another level, we’re getting somewhere worth being.

I will ease back into dance abandon, enjoying the subtleties as I rebuild. We will keep fixing what breaks, looking for new and better solutions to our challenges. We’re rebuilding foundations from the ground up.

Bob just told me it’s kind of like changing the course of a huge cruise ship. It can change, but it’s a slow process. Nice simile.

We really are transforming our lives. And that takes time. And patience.

Bob is toasting his nuts in a skillet right now. You know, since the oven isn’t working…yet.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit of overwhelm. Yesterday was a very busy day, and I didn’t get to tie all the lose ends up. 

I reminded myself of some 12-step wisdom. One day at a time. One foot in front of the other.

It’s great to have long term visions. The main value I find in them is they keep you moving in a coherent direction and help to prioritize the next step. As long as they don’t impose an incompatible preconceived plan of an on-the-ground reality, they keep you focused – and help you avoid trying to do everything at once.

This weekend, my friend and and assistant Angela shared her new structure for her nutritional consulting business. She emphasizes each step. It starts with neuroendocrine (communication system of the body) support, and digestive support. She reminds clients where they are in the process and doesn’t try to fix everything at once. Like that, in my own program, I’m focused on developing flora now. The diet for that caused me to lose a bit too much weight – but I’ll worry about that later. Adding weight is part of the long term vision, but not the stage I’m at now. 

That clear focus makes the process manageable.

I woke up today feeling a bit of overwhelm. I feel like a juggler who is capable of juggling four balls and suddenly tried to juggle six. That’s okay. I will do today’s work today and leave tomorrow’s work for tomorrow. 

That’s not slacking. It’s simplicity. It’s also effectiveness. What isn’t effective is trying to get it all done at once.

Love Sally Forth today. See it below. They have a realistic goal – but it seems they could hit their target more quickly if they could develop a better process to acheive it.

“I want my closet to look like yours!” Sharon exclaimed. Those are words I never expected to hear from anyone. My closets were a source of shame. Not anymore.

“There’s breathing room! It flows!” Angela exclaimed. Angela was particularly excited because she was there when I stared my Lean2Life adventure. Now she made specific observations about how the items in my closet flow/transition from one item to the next.

The first post I ever did about the need to de-clutter and organize my home according to lean principles was titled “our house if full.” Even a Christmas card felt like an imposition because there was no place to put it where it added to the overall flow of our home.

Things are different now. Last week my friend Sherry sold and emptied her second home and that meant lots of great gifts for me. I came home with a car full of goodies from clothes in my colors to brass lamps to teas. Even an ironing board.

None of it became clutter. It all found its place because there is Space for Grace – which means there is room to receive. 

I love my closet. I love having everything where I can see it. I love just looking at it. I love getting dressed in the morning.

Like any good “stream-leaning” process, “completing” the set-up is only the beginning. Living with the system will lead to all kinds of adaptations. I’ll see what I actually wear, what doesn’t work like I thought and what I might still need. I’ll weed and pair and play with it until I die, most likely.

But now my closet is ready to “come out of the closet.” No way I would have posted pictures of the “before” version. This closet reflects both who I am and who I aspire to be. Nice, huh!