Decisions, decisions

I didn’t do my kitchen chores last night when I came home from work. I was ready to, but the problem is I’ve gotten into the habit of giving the cats a treat when I get home. (It’s a long story about how that got started.) If I make any kind of noise, the girls get skittish and run off. Then the guy eats their treats. So I got on the computer and just never got up to do the kitchen. (Oh! I did stop for some groceries on the way home from work, so the evening wasn’t totally wasted.)

I decided if I did two rounds of kitchen work today, I’d give myself credit for yesterday. So this morning I finished cleaning out the cupboard/pantry, throwing away enough expired food to feed a small army. But I can now see all the items that remain, so hopefully I’ll be inspired to use them up before they go bad.

I just now finished going through the 2nd cabinet with food prep equipment. I debated whether to go through the cupboard with the dishes or the cabinet. But just by looking at the dishes, I knew I was going to have difficulties making decisions about them, so I picked the cabinet.

It’s larger than the other cabinet, and more difficult to get into. Consequently, it had more stuff in it and took longer to clear out. Now everything is out on the kitchen floor. And I’m really having trouble deciding what to keep & what to give/throw away. I already have about 4 bags of trash to go out tomorrow, and the thought of adding more is very daunting.

I there were a few things I’d forgotten I had, like the fondue pot I’d given my mother for Christmas one year. We used it every year at Christmas (Christmas Eve fondue after church became one of our traditions). But I haven’t used in many years, if ever. And there are some platters and serving bowls that I could use, but haven’t.  I’m afraid that if I give them away, I’ll need them sometime. Perhaps if I sleep on it, I’ll realize they need to go.

The “official” progress report for Jan 08

In order to get rid of old habits, you have to get rid of old thinking.

I was doing quite well with my revised January schedule. However, after the progress reported in my last post, I took Wednesday off. And that led to taking Thursday off. So I didn’t get all my packages wrapped and none of them mailed.

Last weekend I was on the verge of getting my bills paid up to date. I’d even tallied up all the credit card expenses. But I guess because I time to spare, I didn’t finish. And now I’m behind the due date for the credit card bill—not by much, but probably enough to warrant an interest fee.

And I’d made great progress with the laundry. Except that I didn’t get the get the last load out to dry. And now I have to do them all over again because they stink.

What held me back? I was out of my comfort zone. I’m not used to making progress, or being on time, or being successful. So I stopped because it didn’t feel “right.”

So now, instead of moving on to the next big task at hand, I have to play catch-up. Hopefully at some point making progress won’t feel so foreign to me and I won’t “feel the need” to backslide.

Roadblock resync

With my broken foot, I have to rethink my overall clean-up plan. I had thought that I’d be able to pick up where I left off once I got off the crutches and into a boot. The good news is I do have a boot now and can walk around the house crutches-free. However, the boot isn’t quite as convenient as I thought it’d be.

The biggest problem is the stairs. I live on the top floor of a garden-style condo building with no elevator. There are 36 steps I have to negotiate every day. It turns out the boot is bigger than the step, and I have to go down sideways. I also have to hold onto the railing and really concentrate on where I plant my foot.

That means I’m unable to carry a box of give-aways to the car. I wouldn’t be able to use the handrail, nor would I be able to see where my feet are. I can carry plastic bags down, but those would never stand up to small kitchen appliances like a blender.

Obviously, I need to rethink my schedule. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around stopping with the kitchen and starting elsewhere, but that’s one of the options I have. This might be a good opportunity to go through all the papers I have to file (mostly medical and investment related).

Another option is to continue with the kitchen, setting the give-away boxes aside to take down once I’m able. Or I could even ask for help (not something I’m very good at).

I think a great goal for the rest of January is to wrap & pack all the Christmas presents I still have to send. At first I thought I couldn’t do it until I cleared off the dining room table, since that’s my preferred wrapping location. But I realized I have cleared off the kitchen table. So really, I have no excuses.

Roadblock ahead

Wouldn’t you know it? The one time I actually make a plan and start acting on it, I get a major hurdle thrown in my way. On Monday, I fell down the steps at work and broke my foot. I’m in a splint (sort of temporary cast) and on crutches. The splint has all the other inconveniences of a cast, too, e.g., I can’t get it wet. I’m only just now beginning to feel better, less pain, better adjustment to the crutches. But the crutches still don’t allow me to carry things, let alone handle the large itemsI’d be pulling out of the cabinets. (I actually tried doing it, but it didn’t work.)

The old me would have given up and said, “Screw everything” and gone into a deep funk. But instead, I’m finding other, more sedentary ways to work at the clean up, such as balancing my bank accounts, folding laundry.

I’m hoping that once I have my follow-up appointment with the orthopedic doctor (which is being held up because of workers compensation paperwork), I’ll be in a boot or some other contraption that allows me to be hands free. Then I’ll be able to pick up where I left off. I may have to adjust my schedule somewhat, but I’m willing to be flexible. It’s not “all or nothing” thinking anymore.