Day 17 - When you see something....

Do something... My kids could probably tell you that I have a cleaning disease. What I have is not so much a disease, as something that compels me to clean up everything and and everywhere..all the time, all day. I just can't sit down and watch TV if there is even a folded pile of laundry in front of me. I will at least throw it in a basket and keep it behind the couch, so I can't see it. Some things I can be completely oblivious to, as my spouse can attest. Different degrees of sensitivity...

De-cluttering the mind space

The popular slogan in New York subways is "if you see something, say something", and I have modified to my own purposes for "if you see something, do something". The usual suspect is the shoe stand as we call it back home, or the shoe shelf. People walk in, throw the shoes around. I would like it picked up and stashed. You see, the shoe shelf is right behind the front door, and shoes left on the mat, are likely to prevent the door from being opened fully. Guess who is walking in the door with an armful of groceries, and cannot get the door to open fully, while also skillfully manipulating the screen door? You are right, it is me. If that is not a trigger for me to go off the deep end, I don't know what is...

So why all this talk about the shoe stand, you ask? Well, it is about clutter overall. I recently read an article on yahoo that talks about clutter and that it takes up space not only in the house but also in the mind, as some sort of emotional baggage. Yikes! Not liking that part at all. Once I pick up the shoes, and de-clutter that space, I take a deep breath, and feel like all is well (yes, like that popular song)... Have I emptied some emotional garbage while I cleaned ? I don't know for sure, but it sure makes me feel good!

Report for the day

The final worksheet for Math before the test... And Ben did awesome. He improvised the underlining, and instead drew out the objects and marked the height etc. I did not want to discourage that, but at the back of my head, I felt like we have to get a process down pat, before improvising. But that is definitely for another day. He was stumped with one question though, where the area was part rectangle and part semicircle. All I did was mark the 4 sides of the rectangle, before I heard the familiar, Aah! I got it, the radius is 4 he says, and is off like a rabbit, and has the answer in his head, before I looked up! The little pieces when they click, it is nothing short of wonderful...

I did an hour of yoga/stretching to some awesome David Lanz music. I did my walk (although on the treadmill, 3.5 miles this time), with some Shakira to help me through the rough patches... Hey, I am taking all the help I can get! After 62 minutes (yes, I am watching it the whole time), I just cannot continue on the treadmill. Outdoors is a whole another thing, I can walk for 2 hours and not get antsy. It is a far cry from when I could only walk one mile, so I am just keeping on keeping on...

Meditation Moment

Welcome to Day 17 - Living Carefree

Our centering thought for today is:

"I move through my days light-hearted and carefree, knowing all is well."

Today's Sanskrit mantra and its English essence are:

Sat, Chit, Ananda
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss

Link to article I mentioned earlier

Why clutter matters and decluttering is difficult | Spaces - Yahoo! Homes

"I feel like if I could just get rid of all this clutter, I could go on to do great things," I say as I am pouring out my heart to Jennifer Hunter, a perfect stranger who happens to be a professional organizer. "Maybe that's why you keep the clutter," she says, without any hesitation. [...]