Flow-like-water clutter, unhappy comparisons and going up and down the stairs
U is for unique and unexpected
No amount of following decluttering advice on social media takes the place of physically doing something about it. But let me tell you, putting in the time and effort to go through your stuff and deciding what to keep and what to let go is quite an undertaking. And then to get the unwanted/pre-loved things OUT is a different matter all together.
Like, last year before my overnight visitors came (in May!), I cleared out the guest room cupboards so that they could comfortably hang their clothes. I reorganised, purged and grouped what could go to the second-hand shop and what could go to the dump. Good job, me.
But then the clearing out process stopped and the black bags sat stacked against the garage wall. This meant that we really had to keep our wits about us when we parked in said garage: You want to get as close as possible to the left wall without scraping the side mirror so that you don’t bump the stack when you climb out on the right. [Also keep in mind that the width needed for a tall slim person is not the same as the width needed for a short round person. But that’s a topic for another day.]
The point is that I never get to a point of totally clearing out the garage.
Despite this, I’m extremely and disproportionately happy to report that I took four of the bags to Hospice this week. After 455 and ¾ days of balancing against the garage wall, they are now, I’m imagining, ecstatically exploring other vistas and feeling enthusiastic about finding a purpose again.
Why did it take so long for me to get them OUT of the garage?
What does all this have to do with U?
I’ll give a short answer to the first question: Procrastination.
The longer answer to the second question is this:
Edwin C Bliss talks about the causes of procrastination in his book Doing it Now!
Unwillingness to tolerate discomfort – things to do with your attitude
Unclear priorities – things to do with what you think and how you understand the situation
Unmanageable workloads – things to do with the environment or external factors
Unwellness – things to do with your body, like fatigue, stress or illness
Bliss says when you’re procrastinating, the cause is one (or a combination) of these. Fact is: There will be times when U don’t do what U have the best of intentions to do.
I say: Cut yourself some slack. You’ll get to them when you’re good and ready.
U for Ury
I liked this quote about happiness by Logan Ury, a behavioural scientist turned dating coach and writer of “How not to die alone”:
“We’re less committed to choices we think we can reverse …
commitment is crucial for happiness.”
It made me think of this one by Montesquieu, a French philosopher (who was married but died alone anyway, as far as I can tell):
“If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy;
but we want to be happier than other people,
which is difficult, since we think them happier than they are.”
U is for Up and down the stairs
[This pattern is from The new crochet stitch dictionary (Nele Braas and Eveline Hetty-Burkart)]
Just when I thought I would have to find wool in a colour like umber, ultra red or ultramarine, I happened on this up and down pattern!
If you’re in a party mood, here’s the link to a dance song from Vengaboys called Up & Down.
Unique and unexpected
Ufology: The study of unidentified flying objects is a thing! Check it out here.
Have you ever wondered whether you could use an umbrella instead of a parachute? Is it just me? Check it out here.
I enjoyed this mash-up of dances from old movies to the beat of Uptown Funk.
I’ve rediscovered Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten – I’m pretty sure you’d want to sing along and maybe even pull out some dance moves:
Feel the rain on your skin! No one else can feel it for you. Only you can let it in.
No one else, no one else, can speak the words on your lips!And rather unexpectedly, this video tells the story of “OK”, which originated in the 1830s as a misspelled abbreviation joke. It stands for “Oll Korrect”. It’s become part and parcel of everyday language – I can’t imagine a day without one! It was probably the first word said by a human on the moon.
That’s that for this week. Uhuru to us all!
D