Mental monkeys - get lost!

I get quite a chuckle from some of your comments! I'll be responding later, but not this morning, as it's Monday, and I'm limited in time before I have to get my butt to spin class! 

As for comments -- some people can comment on the blog, and others cannot. We chatted about some of the possibilities the other day, and I was going to post that. Do you think I can remember this morning? It had something to do with having a Google account. One guess would be that you have to be logged in to comment. I have a Google account, and whenever I'm logged in, which is ALL the time, I see my account in the top right-hand corner of my web browser. My profile picture is there; if I move my mouse over it, I see my email address. I use Google, not any other web browser, so I wonder if that could also be a factor? 

My Google Account

OH -- I remember now what the other thing was. If you read my blog through a feed system (Follow-It, Blog Lovin', or any other service), I doubt you can comment on the blog. I believe, and that was the conclusion of our discussion -- comments can only be made on the blog through a web browser (like Google), not when you read it in your email, and not when you read it through one of those feed systems. I think you can read the post in the feed service or by clicking on the post; it'll open in a web browser. I could be wrong about that. 

Some people have created a shortcut to the blog (https://crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com/), and then they just have to hit the shortcut button each day rather than get it as an email. 

So that might be something to try --- see if you can comment and let me know if you are logged in. And when some people post - they can only post as "anonymous" rather than their name. Who knows how some of this stuff works -- do they make manuals? No -- is there a fast place to find an answer - not that I'm aware of! 

Send me an email (elainetheriault@gmail.com) or attempt to post, and let me know how you're reading the blog -- directly on the website (logged in or not) or through a feed service. Let's try to resolve this darn issue!

We had two great UFO sessions yesterday; however, a few people "failed" and have already forfeited money. Oops -- that's not a good way to start the year. 

But here's a question that came up several times, and I'm pretty sure all of you can relate to it. Why is every FLAT surface in our houses, especially our sewing rooms, a disaster? 

We need a space to work or drop our stuff when we arrive home or finish a task or whatever we are doing. The big question is -- are you processing the things you dumped? You need to find a home for it, and if it doesn't, you need to ask yourself some serious questions. Why doesn't it have a home? Do I want to keep it, or perhaps I can donate, trash, or recycle it. But the most important thing you should do with that stuff - is NEVER leave it there to create clutter. 

I've got the kitchen counters down perfectly. The kitchen table does, from time to time, have crap on it. The office is a whole different story -- NOW, but that will change. 

Some people are very good at dealing with everything that comes into their house. If you have kids or a significant other, this can be a disaster because they leave their stuff for you to deal with! Teach them early how to make decisions. Teach them what is recyclable, or worth donating, or whatever. Make it a team effort. 

This has been my biggest issue. Remember the boxes in the office? The ones where I shoved stuff I didn't have the time or mental capacity to deal with? That's what I have to deal with in this space. It's much better, but not quite there yet. 

And the same thing happened in the sewing areas, and I had ZERO room to work or walk. I've made a HUGE conscious effort to tidy up all that clutter. It was like a debris field, and it took a very long time to deal with it. There is still more stuff that could go, but at least the "like" items are together (more or less), projects are somewhat neatly stored (not always labeled), backings are measured and labeled, and so on. 

Making the tools and resources that I own more accessible to me, I've stopped shopping! Guess what happens when you stop shopping? You bring less into the house. Less in the house means less on that dumping ground you have to deal with! I've also stopped picking up freebie stuff unless I know I can use it. Guess what? Less in the house, less to deal with. 

Those new habits don't make cleaning up the old any easier - well, that's a lie. It makes it easier because you don't have to deal with the old and a ton of new simultaneously. 

Here's a typical day in Studio B. I might be working on a project or sorting or cleaning upstairs, and I have things that belong in Studio B. I may not have time to deal with it then, so it gets piled on the cutting table. This is what ended up on the cutting table yesterday. 

The stuff that got dumped on the cutting table yesterday

At one point, I sorted that stuff and put it away if it had a home. I have a pile of handwork that I leave on the table for Zoom calls. Some of the stuff on the cutting table got added to the handwork pile. We have Monday Zoom today, so I'll work on some of that. I see that the basket is overflowing, so guess what? It's time to focus on this so it doesn't get out of control! 

The handwork pile is overflowing

And after about 15 minutes (probably less), the cutting table was clear. Well, at least the half that is always clear. The other half has a few projects I want to work on; technically, they should be elsewhere. If I move them, I'm afraid they'll get lost in the "current" project table mess. I'm better, but not out of the woods yet!

The cutting table

I'm hoping that I'll be able to get to them soon. And one of the piles is part of the prep work for a weekend class. 

I will say one thing -- I'm thrilled with the extra leisure time! There will be NO going back to a super busy schedule for me! I know there will be times when my "day job" gets busy, and I need to be at the long arm, but if I can help keep the schedule easy, I'm all for it. I've never been so relaxed in my life! 

So, while some of you talked about your monkey to get off your back, perhaps your schedule is part of the problem. While one wants to be helpful, you really need to evaluate every task you do and ask yourself -- do I want to do this? If you don't, ask yourself some other questions. Does it even have to be done? Can I pay someone else to do it? Can I find a way to avoid it, make it easier, or break it into chunks to make the task easier? 

Do you keep toxic people in your life that suck the life out of you? Do you need to keep them? If not, let them go. You don't even have to say anything; just step back! Even family members can be toxic. Do NOT let them ruin your life and fill it with unnecessary drama. 

What about committees? Guild meetings? Other meetings? Volunteer work? Why are you doing it if none of it brings you pleasure? Someone recently mentioned the words "Catholic guilt" when I asked about something they were doing. Do NOT let anyone or any organization guilt you into doing something you do not want to do or make you feel guilty because you're not doing something. This is a tough habit to break, but seriously? On your deathbed, will anyone say, "Oh, thank goodness you continued to do all those things you were guilted into or didn't want to do!" 

We get complacent, and we sit back. We don't want to change or rock the boat, but then we complain. I'm tired of the same old and tired of complaining. We can all make our lives BETTER. It will be hard, and we'll have to take baby steps, but it can be done! What small change can you make TODAY? This is the REST OF YOUR LIFE we are talking about here. This is about enjoying every minute of YOUR remaining time, and why should we let someone else dictate our happiness? This is also about getting rid of baggage, and guess what? We might have better mental health, less stress, and many other benefits!

Well, it's a good thing I didn't have anything urgent to tell you, as that topic just popped out of my head! But it's where my head is these days --- every day, I'm one day older, and I want to enjoy each moment of the rest of my life - doing what I want, hanging out with the people I want, and I will NOT be guilted into anything! 

I see it's almost time to get my butt in gear for the gym. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!