Some Personal Goals

While on the subject of goals, I thought I would share two personal goals with you. I have been finding it hard to come up with goals this year, not knowing Boyo's work situation yet. But these two, I can do anywhere!

1. Keep the dining table clear.

2. Have flowers somewhere in the house at almost all times.

There. Pretty simple, huh? Not quite. Our unit is small (well, okay big for a unit, but still a unit). We don't have a lot of storage space, nor $$ to organise more right now. The dining table seems to end up with a pile of stuff on it. Stuff to be attended to. Stuff that needs to be put away. Stuff that should be in the rubbish or recycling bin. You get the idea: lots of stuff. I find it messes with my head. I actually like things tidy. But I am messy. I admit it, I am not good at keeping things tidy. But I find the dining table particularly important. It is the symbol of family to me, I guess, as we always ate as a family when I was growing up, and Boyo and I have mostly done that too. I hate sitting down to eat (even if it is just lunch on my own) and having to stare at last week's junk mail, or that bill we still have to pay, or the box of panadol that still hasn't made it back into the cupboard. I find it unsettling. A clean table, on the other hand, leaves me with a deep sigh of contentment. My world is somehow in order if my dining table is.

The issue has been that there's not been anywhere to put things that are 'in process' so we end up with a growing pile, that just too easily gets added to. I had given up on it. Then I realised: most of the stuff actually doesn't need to be there. It is there from laziness. Some stuff does, but most I can easily find other homes for. I have therefore decided to add 'clear dining table' to my housekeeping responsibilities on Wednesday nights (which currenly consist of the usual post-baby tidy up and cleaning the bathroom and loo). I figure if I get in the habit of doing it every week, it won't take long. Boyo got home to a pile of stuff sitting on his computer for him to sort through this week. Grin. There's still stuff on the table. But way less. And I can handle that. At least now I don't have to push things out of the way to put my plate down.

Flowers in the house has been something I've been umm-ing and ahh-ing about for ages. I love fresh flowers! But I keep thinking that I should be spending money on something more 'important.' Like food, for instance. But flowers are food. They are food for my soul. Every time I walk past a vase of fresh flowers, I drink in their beauty, savour their colour and shape. I am satisfied. My soul is somehow filled with good things. I have therefore decided that flowers are an acceptable investment of my money. Not lots of money, just a little every few weeks. With a few flowers in the garden, and flowers bought at the local farmers market (for just $4-5 a bunch!), I should be able to have fresh flowers somewhere in the house right through summer. I currently have a bunch of asters sitting on the dining table. Deep pink, dark purple, and creamy purple/white with gorgeous yellow centres. I smile whenever I look at them. Which is often.

Amy

Sunday, 20th February, 2011