Asking for Help
I did something radical.
I hired a professional organizer.
This may not be a departure for you, but – trust
me – it was for me.
See, the thing is, I’m a pretty darned good
organizer myself.
I’m not going to change the oil in my car. I pay
someone to do that. I have no desire to mend my coats when something rips –
they do that at the dry cleaners. But organizing, I can and will do. At least
once I helped a friend get organized for moving when she was feeling utterly
overwhelmed.
It’s just I saw this post from a colleague on
Facebook that said half off organizing services – regular price $40 per hour,
now $20. And I immediately thought of my spare room. I had been “meaning” to
get to that right after the new year…after the Christmas tree was taken down, the
wrapping paper and ribbons were put away, the boxes I didn’t use to ship
holiday packages were broken down and recycled, etc.
Everything had been piling up in the spare room –
where friends sleep when they come to stay overnight. It had gotten to the point
I had jars and cans of food on the bookshelves, a crock pot, blender and other
kitchen items in there (there isn’t a lot of storage space in my kitchen),
corners were jammed with stuff… It just felt icky in there.
And here comes this Facebook post. So I jumped on
it.
For exactly $40, two hours of Pauline’s time, my
spare room was completely transformed. She found room in closets and the
kitchen I didn’t know was there, and when she was done, the spare room looked
pretty instead of just functional. It feels great now, or as my fiancé worded
it, “The energy has completely changed.”
I have asked friends for help decorating and
moving before, and I have also given it.
This just happens to be the first time I have paid
someone to do something I could very well have done myself.
It was worth it.
Authentically Yours,
Laura
Time after Time
I don’t know about you, but I seem to have an
issue with time. I think I never have enough. There is so much I want to do,
and not enough time to do it.
As you can imagine, boredom is not a word I use or
can relate to. Yet I often find myself looking at the clock, thinking I have to
do M, N and O before P happens. Which just makes me feel stressed and…guess
what? Often late! This is so much horseshit I have been feeding my brain.
When engaged in an activity that sings to your
heart, there is no sense of time. It naturally unfolds.
I knew this when I was a little girl!
The answer is: I have all the time in the world. In
this moment.
The question is: How do I want to spend it?
Authentically Yours,
Laura
Being Visible
It is only
by risking ourselves from one hour to another that we live at all. –William James
Living
through enough, we all come to this understanding, though it is difficult to
accept: No matter what path we choose to honor, there will always be conflict
to negotiate. If we choose to avoid all conflict with others, we will
eventually breed a poisonous conflict within ourselves. Likewise, if we manage
to attend our inner lives, who we are will – sooner or later – create some
discord with those who would rather have us be something else. – Mark Nepo, A BOOK OF AWAKENING; January 17: The
Friction of Being Visible
Learn how to
say no. The art of saying no with grace and ease is one of the most important
skills you can ever develop. The beauty of midlife is that you’ve now paid your
dues and have had enough life experience to know what is likely to drain you
and what will replenish you. In her groundbreaking book THE ART OF EXTREME
SELF-CARE (Hay House, 2009), my colleague Cheryl Richardson writes, “Funny, but
after years of practicing Extreme Self-Care, I’ve realized something ironic: if
you want to live an authentic, meaningful life, you need to master the art of
disappointing and upsetting others, hurting feelings, and living with the
reality that some people just won’t like you. It may not be easy, but it’s
essential if you want your life to reflect your deepest desires, values, and
needs.” I couldn’t agree more. Which is why I loved the chapter in her book
entitled “Let Me Disappoint You”! –
Christiane Northrup, THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE
Being visible in the world as your authentic self
may not always be easy. But who at the end of life will say, “I wish I had
changed myself more to try and make others happy”?
It wouldn’t work anyway.
Authentically Yours,
Laura
