WHY DOES IT HAVE TO TAKE SO LONG TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE!

Hi Guys,

Life has a funny way of getting in the way of all or many of our 'good intentions'.

I have been down for the count with health and study issues.  I always wondered 'where is my energy?', 'why cannot I find my get up and go?' and so on.  I mean, in my head, I get every thing done, easy peasy.  But the minute I go to 'actually' do what I have envisioned, 'well, it couldn't be further from that vision', is all I can say.  I just found out that I have very little Vitamin D, which now explains much of the fatigue and inertia along with the muscle aches and horrid joint pains.  This should start to improve within 6 to 8 weeks now that I am correcting this lack.  When telling my female friends all said 'oh that, I had the same thing' or 'oh yes my Mum/Sister/Girlfriend had the same thing'.  Why do we not say something.  I was clueless.  All this suffering for something so easily fixed.  You live and learn.

Most persons who find themselves in a similar situation with too much stuff, generally are in their older years with health and family issues attached that greatly affect their effectiveness and ability to do much about it.  Depending on the magnitude of the stuff involved, this then exponentially magnifies the problem and task ahead.  That is why one must be mindful to be 'kind to thyself'.  No one else will be kind to you about your situation so you may as well be.  Instead, you find at times people waving their scrawny finger in your face with judgement and some times even with disdain.  Not a glimmer of support or understanding.  Just assumed falsehoods.

I have come a long way, but I do find the perpetual stop/starts still frustrating no matter how positive I try to remain.  Logically, I decided what is happening with my family has to come first along with looking for work and so on.  But once you have a health issue that stops you in your tracks to working on your project such as decluttering is when I begin to feel hamstrung.

I had a fall the other day at my course on the kitchen floor.  It was wet from the cleaner who forgot to put out a sign to warn others that it was slippery.  I walked in as I always did and whoosh, down I went on my left side trying not to hit my head and save my wrists. Since then I can hardly move and in much pain.  Life still goes on, but I am at a standstill because of this fall.  I still have to get the fundamentals done, but cannot achieve those extras like the purging and getting rid of stuff.

This is where one has to be mindful not to let this get you down and to stay positive.  You tell yourself that it is only for a moment and once well enough you keep on going.  But  you cannot help but see your timeline slipping further away.  But you have to keep studying to retrain for a new career path and is taking up much time with the added study and research and you feel it is taking a toll on your health due to the added stress and now the tumble I took.

When you have a plan, plan on the plan having to change and alter it's course along the way, as that happens often.  This journey I have now been on for some years, has taken much longer than I at first thought.  Never in a million years would I have expected to still be sorting through my Mum and Grandmum's stuff along with mine.

I had fully intended to take advantage of the markets, but the weather has not been kind for me to do and till my back is better I can't even do that.

In the meantime, I have been helped by a friend of mine who has given me some free passes to a pool so that I can go and do some walking and physio in the swimming pool.  That and a few chiro sessions will fix me up.  Lord, please let it be sooner rather than later.

I am a member of a few recycling groups and it never ceases to amaze me what these people find, retrieve to then restore and either use, give or in some few cases on sell for a small fee.  This all helps to keep the land fill to a minimum.  I have gathered that there are those that take umbrage at those who do find, retrieve and save these items.  More good is being done.  No harm no foul.  As I have noticed that many TV sets are being tossed out onto many nature strips at present as the change to digital comes closer and analogue phased out.  Perfectly functioning TVs being tossed.  Such a waste perplexes me.

Christmas is coming and it is the first time I am unable to buy presents.  It makes me feel sad that things have gotten that tight.  I remind myself that many others are worse off and count the blessings I do have.  On the other hand I will not be adding to landfill either.  I have made a pact with one friend that we 'don't give gifts this year' and just spend time together and enjoying the company and laughter. I could go through some of my stuff and give some of the best to those I love.  This sounds like regifting, but it isn't.  I will only do that if the item is truly wonderful or just what they want.  Other than that this Christmas is truly going to be about family and friends who only have love and light in their hearts.

Due to my health issues I must not have 'stress' around me.  Stress is the mortal enemy.

This year I set about eliminating as much stress as possible from my life and have managed to do just that in most cases.  Some were easy to do and others a little harder for certain personal reasons.  Toxic and negativity is just that no matter which way you cut it.  Now I only want those surrounding me to have laughter within and friendship without judgemental strings attached.  I am well on my way to this and I must say life has become brighter and more enjoyable even with these constant stops and starts that I keep experiencing along the way.

I met up with a girlfriend recently, whom I had not seen for some 25 years.  We had so much to catch up on. What amazed me is what she remembered and how comforted by that I was.  She is also on the path to rediscovering her way forward.  All the years washed away and it felt like just yesterday.  The reconnect with kindred spirits is what I now look forward to and embrace a more lighter, softer and kinder connection with all those in my life.

You may be thinking, what has all this got to do with decluttering.  Glad you thought that! Well, how we feel about ourselves is important as to how we function.  We all get battered around while traversing through life and the way you feel will decide the outcomes.

If you are negative and down this will equal that not much good will get done.

If you are positive and feel good about yourself this will equal that you will set out to get things done.

It is quite simple really.

Most of those whom I have spoken to over the last few years that have this issue - and again I will state whether of your own doing or inherited or however it happened - I have noticed a common thread and that is all end up feeling that they have no self worth, lack confidence or develop a deep depression due to being weighed down by the problem and then feeling bad if they are not able to deal with it quickly and expediently.

Life is not perfect and neither are any of us.

So why do we expect to all of a sudden be able to perform miracles?

So I haven't achieved as much as I had wanted.  Big woop!  Who cares!  Am I hurting any one?  Heck no!

So why get down on yourself for something that you have no control over.

If you find yourself in my situation where you cannot get started for a while and fear that you wont keep going, that is where the positive attitude comes in.  It does help.  It is such a simple thing to do.  Yet one of the hardest to achieve.  Once you get this right, so will your ability to deal with the process to get to the finish line.  No matter when that will be.

My finish line is not all that far now, but still have a ways to go to get there even so.  Without my health I cannot get on with what I want to get done and I have chosen to work on my health first in order to then be able to get on with what needs to get done!  Simples.

We just lost a shining light - Nelson Mandela.  So much that he did and lived spoke volumes to me.  His words resonate so much wisdom and have to take the time to share some here. I see much of what he says as being helpful, comforting, uplifting and caring, which is what one needs when on this journey.  One has to have not only positivity, but also determination, endurance and tenacity and if possible calm and a massive sense of humour!

Here are some well known passages from writings and speeches by Nelson Mandela and now famous quotes that I have personally found helpful while on my journey to declutter.

The need to keep on keeping...

Keeping on keeping on and nothing wrong with falling down... no pun intended...

Doing this blog about my 'stuff' issue has helped me enormously to first off deal and face it no matter how confronting and on the way get to know human nature.  I do hope that I have opened some closed eyes/hearts/minds that a situation is not always as it 'looks or seems'...

And it does always seem impossible until you realise you can achieve your way...

Just for interest the history on this sculpture is ... It consists of 50, ten metre high laser cut steel plates set into the landscape, representing the 50 year anniversary of when and where Nelson Mandela was captured and arrested, on August 6 1962, prior to his 27 years of incarceration.
Standing at a particular point the columns come into focus and the image of Nelson Mandela can be seen.

The sculptor is Marco Cianfanelli, of Johannesburg. An amazing creation!

Stop talking.  Just do.  Be your destiny that you would like...

It is always about the choice you make in the end...

Just trying is a good start....

Until I get my energy levels back up, I will just keep on trying, even if it means I have to crawl in order to get it finished.

Once you have made that commitment and decision, it is only full steam ahead, even with all the pit stops and side trips there may have been along the way and to come...

Nothing is going to stop me from realising my promise to my Mum.  The job will get done.

Just like the Tortoise.  I will get there.

All the time remembering, just be kind to thyself.

Cheers to you all
Anita
ps. As that one saying goes 'don't sweat the small stuff', and as I like to tack on to that with... 'as the big stuff needs sweating first!'!