A few weeks ago I had a realization. After 3 weeks of being sick and one week of recovering from 2 different types of illness I came to the firm realization that I had fallen off the rails. …for basically a month! Oh boy. When I came out of it, not only did I have a pile of laundry hiding in my closet waiting to be put away from the week before, there was a dirty house, a full laundry hamper, and barely any food in our refrigerator. Thank goodness we have a freezer with vegetables in it! And the plans to start homeschooling my daughter were the first thing to go! I was so jazzed to start that after Christmas too. Another project for another day. We have time. She’s not even 3. Oh, and the great decluttering of 2017? Ho ho ho…NO! I did manage to clear out 2 bankers boxes of papers before the super bowl but because we were having a party. The sorting boxes got shoved out of site until a time I felt like going through papers again. (Maybe next year!) I did manage to keep up some minimum standards for survival during the 3 week of sickness and recovery like breakfast, lunch, dinner, doctors appointments and chiropractic but that was about it besides the ever important recovery tool – binge watching TV. Hey, don’t judge. I’m on a spiritual path over here, I’m not a saint! When I came out of my binge watching haze it felt like I just finished the ice bucket challenge and screamed “What just happened?!” Oh, right…this is what things look like when you fall off the rails.
YOU’VE FALLEN OFF THE RAILS. NOW WHAT?!
Step 1) LOOK IN THE MIRROR – Literally. There is a chance that you may need to shower or at least brush your teeth and hair.
All the yoga pant moms out there will raise their hands when I ask, “Ever gone to the bathroom at noon only to realize you have yet to brush your hair after getting out of bed?” Oh yes. This is the territory I’m talking about. For the men reading this, “How’s the 10 am 48-hour shadow looking?” Brushed your teeth recently? You get the picture.
TAKE CARE OF YOU FIRST. WHY? You will immediately feel so much better about things because you will feel human again! Put on a nice outfit complete with shoes, do your hair and makeup, and then go get yourself something to eat.
Step 2) LOOK IN THE FRIDGE – EAT SOMETHING WHILE YOU WRITE A GROCERY LIST. WHY? You will immediately feel like you accomplished something. What’s for dinner tonight? Do you have milk or any other staples? After you eat, clean up your dishes. Hooray, 2 tasks done! You don’t have food in the fridge you say? It’s all rotten? Grab the garbage can and clean that stuff out! Pitch it and clean.
Step 3) PUT IN A LOAD OF LAUNDRY – You know you don’t have any clean clothes after 3 weeks. And by clothes I mean underwear. No you may not just go out and buy more. (People do that I hear.)
Step 4) WRITE A TO DO LIST – Rank them by order of urgency. Numbers 1 & 2 will probably be laundry and groceries. Number3 could be take out the trash since you cleaned out the fridge. You cleaned out the fridge, right?
Step 5) DO THE LIST. – It’s at this point you’re probably thinking, really? This is really simple stuff. Yes, it is. This is basic survival stuff because when you come to after a crazy derailing event you have to do the basics first. I mention it because I have been there! If you have a spouse or partner in life you may not be in bad shape like I mentioned above. My husband did the errand running for us and always kept our fridge happy. He also knows how to monitor his own underwear/clothing levels and uses the washer and dryer on a regular basis. I’m blessed and I know it.
PHASE 1 IS COMPLETE! – IF you are past the basic levels of survival and have showered, fed, and clothed yourself…CONGRATULATIONS!
If you’ve gone grocery shopping too, I hope you feel HAPPY! Baby steps can take us far, even if it’s only one step a day. If you can only manage 1 or 2 of these things that’s GREAT too! I have been there. Sometimes just peeling yourself out of bed and taking a shower is a MAJOR step in the right direction. That’s what this journey is all about after all. One step, one, breath, one day at a time. Just keep trying. And if you couldn’t try today, I have good news. Tomorrow is a brand spankin’ new day. Every day is a fresh start. You just have to decide to take action. When you are ready move on to Phase 2!
PHASE 2 – BUILDING YOUR RAILWAY – Move beyond basic survival to setting up systems to keep yourself Happy in your Home.What are “rails”? Your Railway is the guiding rhythms and patterns that keep life running along efficiently and orderly…or as close as we can come. Basically it’s a routine that keeps life humming along smoothly. You have morning routines, evening routines, and the hours in between which you use to make sure you have clean clothes, food, and accomplish all the other things in life that are important to you so you live the life you choose. That will be our next topic so topic so stay tuned! (I’ll post a link once it’s up.) I’ll keep you posted on Facebook and Instagram with a daily dose of Happiness.
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Have a Happy Day.
Love,
M.A.P.