Time to Come Clean

Hello gentle readers!



It is time for me to check in.


We went to the ocean this weekend. When we got home I went into my office and dropped a bunch of stuff on my desk. This is what it looked like when I went in Monday morning:

Well, yuck. My flowers are dead, the work surface is covered and I had no room to write my morning pages. I like coming in to a clean desk in the morning. It is wonderful, I feel like I'm getting a fresh start every day. When I come in to a cluttered work space I feel overwhelmed before I even get started.

Yesterday I worked at the computer wayyyy too long. I was past ready to stop. I just wanted to get out of my office. However, no matter how tired I was, I knew that I wanted to come in and find a clean desk in the morning. So, I cleaned up my desk top...you might say I "tucked it in" for the night. Here's the pic:

Now, I need accountability for something else. No, let me put it this way: I WANT (gulp) accountability. (Its funny how using the word "want" instead of the word "need" makes such a difference to my perspective. Try it sometime.)

I have a big pile of stuff in my kitchen that I want to get sorted, given away and cleaned out. It has been sitting there since O 9-1-1. I walk past it over and over again.

I think, "If you cleaned out two rooms in your house in three days, surely you can get this stuff sorted and dealt with. What's going on with you?!?" If nothing else, I want to get rid of it so that I stop passing judgment on my self every time I walk past it.

And so, dear readers, I put myself before you once again. I want to take care of this by the end of this week. I will post pictures of the space when I have it clean.

I'm thinking there may be a few guidelines here for me to consider:

* Flat areas are not for storage.

* If I don't know where to keep it, I probably don't need it.

* If I'm going to give something away, get it out of the house right away.

Thank you for sharing my journey.

Blessings,

Kelly

What a Wonderful Whirlwind!

I am typing this from my computer in my NEW OFFICE! Yay! This is going to be an "off the cuff" posting, dear readers. Can you imagine how tired I am? I know that you will give me grace.

I made 1.6 billion decisions on day one. My wonderful team arrived right on time and set up staging/sorting areas in the kitchen (two tables) and in my living room (one table). We created a pile of garbage in the yard and sorted into two piles on my deck. Did I mention that we did a lot of sorting??? Whew.

The trade agent, Summer, showed up and she is so wonderful! I'll post a link with her info soon. She took all my stamps and e-bay items. Poof! Just like that! She'll do all the listing and shipping labor and she will send me a check. Yay! Sort and sell, sort and sell.


I started sorting goodies to go to a little girl who is starting scrapbooking. Well, there is TOO much to give to this little girl and I need to face that. I suppose I'll box up a bunch of the decorative paper scraps and give them to a school...or two, or three. Sort, sort, sort!

I have boxes and boxes of paper and office supplies to go with Sherry to school. Yay! More sorting accomplished!

I did best when I just kept my head down and focused on what they put in front of me. If I looked up the big picture overwhelmed me. My wonderful team, headed by Linda and Denise, had their sorting boxes all figured out for the big picture. I learned that I can trust them with the big picture. Sort, sort, sort.

I was so exhausted by the end of day one that all I could do is exercise a little, eat and fall into bed. My back hurt and my brain hurt. I went to bed early and woke up sore and bleary-brained.

After a hot shower, I put on the Thermacare heat pack my hubby brought me home, had a protein drink and some power chocolate...and some coffee...and went back at it! Soon I was engaged in the intensity of the project, fully awake and back to the sorting, sorting, sorting.

By the end of day two the sorting is getting easier because I'm so burned out from choosing what to do with stuff that I mostly just toss or donate stuff. Sort, sort, sort.

It is so amazing how the rooms are taking shape. When I lift up my head and look around I'm not overwhelmed.

Would you like to see some pictures showing the progress over the last two days? Follow this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7742059@N02/sets/72157614947593028/

It's time for me to pour this tired, tired body into bed so that I'm ready to go tomorrow!

Blessings,
Kelly

Peek-A-Boo!

Now you see me, now you...see me

Isn’t it interesting that there can be so many facets to one experience?

Just a few days ago I wrote about the fear I have about needing all this stuff in order to be seen.

Lately I’ve become aware that I am hidden by all this stuff. Remember, I’m not only talking household clutter here, I’m talking about my inner clutter as well.

I heard an organizer on Oprah say, “The more you get rid of here, the more room you have over here.” This both thrilled and excited me!

I am excited because I am making room for something new. I may not even be fully aware of all that I am making room for; but I have a great sense of expectancy. I am cleaning out a junk room to create a nursery. The nursery is where I will nurture my spirit and soul through art; and where I will nurture my passion-driven business.

I have a new awareness that the more I get rid of, the more I am revealed. Wow. 180 degrees from where I was at a few days ago! The more I get rid of the more likely I am to be seen. Once the stuff is gone I am free to show up more fully; I show up more authentic, less guarded, and certainly less scattered.

Again, this is both thrilling and exciting. I want to show up authentically. I love to show up authentically! And I also feel anxious from time to time at the risk of being rejected. Those anxieties are just more boxes of junk to sort through and deal with once and for all. I have no illusions that the process will ever be complete. I’m okay with that; as long as I’m learning I’m not rotting.

The Oprah organizer also said, “Remove the clutter and honor and respect the things you truly love.” Oh how this is true of my heart and soul and mind! Living out this analogy makes application nearly impossible. That’s okay with me. I want to apply this to my life like slathering a nice thick layer of sticky peanut butter on a piece of bread. Have you ever tried to scrape peanut butter off bread? It is not easy. That’s how I want these revelations to stick to my life.

And, finally, another question that I am answering: “What do you want from this space?” What a wonder to consider this question with awareness and intention! When I was in labor with my kids I was encouraged to have a focus point to use during contractions. My dream of what I want for my office and art studio will be the focal point for me to get through the contractions of the organization process itself.

What about my soul, my spirit, my mind? What about my inner space? What do I want from this space? I want to show up fully and authentically. I want to make room for what is most precious and discard what does not contribute life to my life. I want to dream new dreams and give birth to inspiring books and art. I want to be an inspiration and encouragement to others. I want to nourish relationships that are mutually life-giving. I want to connect people to people and people to their dreams. These, then, are my focal point for these contractions of my inner organization process. This is where I focus the eyes of my heart.

How about you? What is the focus of the eyes of your heart?

Blessings,
Kelly

Time Keeps on Slipping Into the Future

Hello gentle readers,

Have you checked out the counter over there on the left?

It just hit me that it is just a little over a week before O-Days!!!!

Right now my heart is beating so fast and my brain is racing. I'm excited and nervous. I admit that I'm more than a little scared about the process.

My determination to be free is not wavering one bit.

I am keeping my eyes on the prize! I am hanging on and staying with the flow of the WHOLE process.

Today I sent a box full of educational games out the door. Yay me! My friend Kathy is taking them to the Special Ed teacher at her school. The teacher sounds so excited to receive them. This kind of purposeful giving brings joy to my process of releasing.

Holey-moley this is getting real, real, real! Will you please send lots of prayers and warm thoughts my way? I'm going to need them over the coming two weeks.

Thank you. It is nice to know that I'm not alone on this journey.

Big hugs,
Kelly