Employing My Teaspoon
There are a million things to do and my house is a genuine wreck, so I decided to do the only logical thing left to do when faced with a mountain...
Sit down and write about it.
Writing is a genuinely soothing thing to do (most of the time) and it's even better therapy than soaking in the tub (which, by the way, needs a good scrubbing) or sitting on my bed with a good book (which, by the way, has the sheets stripped off at the moment.)
Whatever happened to TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Friday)? Shouldn't I be excited about a weekend of work and crossing things off my weighty "to-do" list?
Well, for starters, whoever coined that handy little phrase may have been a homeschooling Mom putting her books away for the weekend, but it certainly wasn't someone who had cleaning the attic on her agenda.
In truth, I am pretty sure it was someone with a maid. Oh, yes...and plans to spend Saturday shopping and sipping coffee at Starbucks.
My reality is a little bit different.
When I go into my bedroom I see dust (and the stripped down model of a bed!)
When I go into the bathroom, I see two-week-old scum and an empty soap dispenser.
When I go into the living room I see a truly amazing assortment of toys, books, jackets and shoes, not to mention a cocoon that refuses to give us a butterfly.
When I open the attic door, I shut it again rather quickly before the stuff piled on the steps starts coming after me.
And when I sit down at my desk? A dried out corsage & several programs and thank-you cards from the wedding, a popsicle scarecrow, a crumpled leaf offering from one of the children, pants and a shirt that belong to the youngest member of the family, several magazines that are destined for the recycling bin, my shopping list, a Ramona Quimby, Age 8 cassette, a rootbeer lollipop (not mine!), and last, but not least, my copy of A Witness to Joy, that just arrived in the mail today!!!
Where to begin? I have a teaspoon of resources and time and energy to deal with this mountain, when what I really need is an excavator!
Well, so be it. If all I have is a teaspoon, then I better put it to work.
I extract a plastic, toy skid loader from under the kitchen table.
I organize the magazine basket and throw a heavy pile of old magazines, newspapers and advertisements into the recycling barrel with a satisfying THUNK.
I swipe the kitchen counter free of crumbs and refill the ice trays.
I clear my desk of all but the things that really belong there at the moment.
I put my teaching materials away from yesterday's co-op class and retire the bag until next week.
I straighten the coat closet and slip jackets back into their proper places.
My teaspoon is beginning to gain respect by now, and I am beginning to wonder: will this thing work so well at attacking dust bunnies and neglected attics?
Maybe...or just maybe I am ready to graduate to the next level of attack.
Ah yes, the snow shovel!!!!
There's only one problem: I have a feeling that I am going to need my teaspoon to extract it from the garage!
Sit down and write about it.
Writing is a genuinely soothing thing to do (most of the time) and it's even better therapy than soaking in the tub (which, by the way, needs a good scrubbing) or sitting on my bed with a good book (which, by the way, has the sheets stripped off at the moment.)
Whatever happened to TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Friday)? Shouldn't I be excited about a weekend of work and crossing things off my weighty "to-do" list?
Well, for starters, whoever coined that handy little phrase may have been a homeschooling Mom putting her books away for the weekend, but it certainly wasn't someone who had cleaning the attic on her agenda.
In truth, I am pretty sure it was someone with a maid. Oh, yes...and plans to spend Saturday shopping and sipping coffee at Starbucks.
My reality is a little bit different.
When I go into my bedroom I see dust (and the stripped down model of a bed!)
When I go into the bathroom, I see two-week-old scum and an empty soap dispenser.
When I go into the living room I see a truly amazing assortment of toys, books, jackets and shoes, not to mention a cocoon that refuses to give us a butterfly.
When I open the attic door, I shut it again rather quickly before the stuff piled on the steps starts coming after me.
And when I sit down at my desk? A dried out corsage & several programs and thank-you cards from the wedding, a popsicle scarecrow, a crumpled leaf offering from one of the children, pants and a shirt that belong to the youngest member of the family, several magazines that are destined for the recycling bin, my shopping list, a Ramona Quimby, Age 8 cassette, a rootbeer lollipop (not mine!), and last, but not least, my copy of A Witness to Joy, that just arrived in the mail today!!!
Where to begin? I have a teaspoon of resources and time and energy to deal with this mountain, when what I really need is an excavator!
Well, so be it. If all I have is a teaspoon, then I better put it to work.
I extract a plastic, toy skid loader from under the kitchen table.
I organize the magazine basket and throw a heavy pile of old magazines, newspapers and advertisements into the recycling barrel with a satisfying THUNK.
I swipe the kitchen counter free of crumbs and refill the ice trays.
I clear my desk of all but the things that really belong there at the moment.
I put my teaching materials away from yesterday's co-op class and retire the bag until next week.
I straighten the coat closet and slip jackets back into their proper places.
My teaspoon is beginning to gain respect by now, and I am beginning to wonder: will this thing work so well at attacking dust bunnies and neglected attics?
Maybe...or just maybe I am ready to graduate to the next level of attack.
Ah yes, the snow shovel!!!!
There's only one problem: I have a feeling that I am going to need my teaspoon to extract it from the garage!
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