I can’t believe I forgot to write my Wobbly post last week. I’m also quite impressed I made it to week 46 before I did that. I am not very good at sustaining long term goals, as you can tell seeing that I am now at exactly the same weight as when I started this journey 47 weeks ago. I lost 10 kilos and put 10 kilos straight back on and now I’m starting the cycle all over from the beginning. I am now one kilo down… AGAIN. Yet, I’m in a better place, I have stopped drinking caffeine, roller-skate regularly, go on bike rides, walk more and have even started taking tiny steps towards learning to run. I’d like to be able to run 5kms. That’s my aim for the next 12 months. Now, I’ve written it down, I’ll have to stick to it.
This week has been one of clearing out the clutter. I find that I get a little overwhelmed when my world gets out of control. My clothes were falling out of my wardrobe, I’d just stuff them in there. No folding, they were just crammed in. This, of course, is when I could be bothered actually putting them away at all. Shoes would tumble out every time I opened the door and papers had piled up on my desk. The busier the days have gotten, the less inclined I’ve been to tidy the hidden messes. The more mess, the more cluttered my brain becomes and thus I feel like the responsibilities of being a grown up start closing in on me. Something had to be done.
This week I took the first steps to organising my personal spaces in a bid to also make my head clearer. I have a heap of work to finish off before the end of the year and much Xmas preparation and still one more week of school to guide the kids through. Days are filled with “to-do” chores. I’m longing to be sitting in my fold out chair out the front of Audrey the caravan, guzzling a Coppers Pale Ale, my unruly hair tucked under my baseball cap and my feet resting in the grass.
So, I tackled the task of decluttering head-on, while Twiggy was away on Kangaroo Island photographing a beautiful wedding. Three days wrangling tired kids was going to be tricky enough so I thought I might as well pull out the contents of my kids and my wardrobes and reorganise everything. Three garbage bags full of clothes to donate to charity later and I started to breath with a newfound lightness. I just have my bedside table and my jeweller drawers to go and I’ll be sorted. Then I’ll start on the other rooms with a vengeance. I want to start 2015 with a house clear of clutter, all my commissioned stories completed and a clear head to face the year with a renewed spring in my step. I want to enjoy January – have a break.
This week I will write and write and write. I will clean out those pesky drawers full of random things and hopefully find my missing pair of Ray Bans. I’m determined to start the year the way I want to finish it, under control, motivated and calm.
Every day matters. Don’t waste it contemplating what you could be doing, just do it.
As we head towards the end of 2014, crawling on our hands and knees, grasping at some time to relax and breath, I just have to remind myself that every moment I am here working towards something is a gift. My worries or exhaustion or niggling doubts are nothing compared to others who are really doing it tough. Compassion, understanding and gratitude is vital. And action. Get your world under control, set goals, work hard and make connections. And then take the time out to recharge your soul. Every little step doing the mundane shit it a step closer towards regeneration.
Not long to go.
How are you going? Are you overwhelmed or have you got things under control?
Bianca
Hi, I'm Bianca Wordley, I write about life.
Oh a good decluttering is so therapeutic isn’t it?
I need help with my wardrobe – things stick in there, and I can’t seem to let them go. It’s frustrating. I’ve pared down quite a bit this year but there are some things that my brain won’t let me chuck. I need the space not those things.
When my desk is clear, my head feels better. Same in the kitchen, hallway and living areas. And when the laundry is put away, heaven!
Just chuck and run – go on do it! x
Oh god, you could be describing my wardrobe. It is a shocker. We finished a reno just before our baby arrived (3 months ago) and had yet to unpack books out of the attic so the shelves stood all sad and empty – til today. My husband spent all day carting boxes from the attic and as soon as my little bear goes to bed I’m going start going through it and making a ‘chuck’ and ‘keep’ pile.
The wardrobe will be later in the week… but thanks for the inspiration! I love that ‘lighter’ feeling that comes with a massive declutter.
oh sounds like a lot of work – I so hope you made it through! x
There’s a Buddhist principle that our life reflects our environment. So if our environment is cluttered and messy, that’s kind of how our mind will be too. Decluttering is cleansing not just for the home, but for the soul too, don’t you think? I’m hoping to address my Wardrobe of Shame over Christmas because I’m in danger of being buried under an avalanche of ill fitting clothes or shoes that I never wear and my brain is just full of crap, just like my closet. And you’re totally right, it’s all about moving forward. As Muhammad Ali said, “don’t count the days, make the days count.”
I really feel better when I have a clean space around me – a have a much clearer head x
now go and clean your closet xx
There’s nothing better than a declutter to beat the overwhelm. I’m just taking it easy on myself and trying hard to just get back to simple. Bad days happen, but the sun always rises in the morning. 🙂
That’s a great idea too – taking it easy on yourself. Make sure you take time to chill x
Thanks Bianca – you’ve just motivated me to finish the report I’m writing (rather than messing around reading blogs!) and to get stuck into my massive ‘to do’ list. Love de-cluttering – always feel calmer after a good declutter.
Cool – hope you got it done! x
Just a suggestion regarding the running. Let me start by saying I am not a runner. Never was a runner, never gonna be a runner. It is not something I enjoy and I doubt I ever will. I have never found that euphoric place that ‘real’ runners swear to me exists where you stop thinking about the effort you are expelling and are able to free your mind and think about more things than the next breath and enjoy the run. Enough people have sworn to me it does happen, but I don’t think I will ever apply the commitment required to experience it. I find running basically hard yakka. However – one day I had a similar declaration that I was going to run 5km’s and thus began my non runner journey.
The best advice I can offer is to download the Couch to 5km app (or similar). It takes you from not being able to run longer than 1 consecutive minute, to being able to do 5km non stop. Sounds like a load of bollocks eh?! Well that’s what I thought when someone had this conversation with me, but turns out it’s true. Oh yeah, and in 30 days (with many break days in between). It comes second only to naturally birthing an 11 pound 12 baby, as the most empowering thing I’ve ever done. All of the thinking gets taken out of it as the program does it for you. I definitely recommend it.
I’ve heard that before actually and have downloaded the app. Really keen to give it a go, yet I feel I too will be hating every step although feeling empowered at the same time! Much like you x
Bicanca,
I bought the book “The Happiness Project” in the middle of the year – it’s a great book but it’s probably best to buy at the beginning of the year. Because it takes you through all the things most of us want to achieve – i.e. sing in the morning, clean our closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun… on a month-by-month basis. Each month, the book tackles a different task: January – Boost Energy, February – Remember Love, March – Aim Higher… and so on. The author is Gretchen Rubin.
I am going to start in January and see where it leads me…
Regards
The Hipsterette
What a fabulous idea. I’ll have to check it out – sounds great. I hope you get a lot out of it x
“Every day matters. Don’t waste it contemplating what you could be doing, just do it.” Amen lady! So very well said. x
thanks Sonia x