Take a look at this beauty, otherwise known as the inside of my daughter’s desk cabinet. We’ve been trying to get to this for days. At least I have. She could care less. While one would think I have so much more time to get to clearing out and organizing, it winds up I’m spending a large portion of each day engaging with the kids, making sure they are not constantly on their devices. Some days I marvel at my parenting skills and other days I simply fail spectacularly. But hey, it all evens out.
As I look at the disarray inside the cabinet I am reminded of the same muddle I feel inside, during the chaos of this time. Items are all over the place. At times, so are my thoughts: focus on the kids, report for work via zoom, worry about my parents, figure out stimulating quarantine activities, watch the stock market plummet…ping ping ping, Ricochet Rabbit! Remember that cartoon? That’s what it’s like inside my mind sometimes and I think we can all relate.
Looking at the bin again, I see there are some things in there that are no longer needed. Crusty old pencils and erasers, sticky pencil cases and dried out markers. They no longer function or serve their purpose. We tossed them, just like I let go of those thoughts which are not needed, the worry and concern that serve no purpose and do nothing to make the situation better. I’ve been reading a book called Time Warrior, and author Steve Chandler talks about sadness and negativity taking energy away from what we could be doing. And what I could be doing is making these quarantine quarters a semi-fun place to be, showing my kids how we get through tough times, and maybe even getting to do some of the things I don’t normally get to do. I see my friends and people in my neighborhood doing a spectacular job at this, and I like to think I’m on that same bandwagon.
There’s also a lot of scrap paper and notebooks in there to be recycled, and turned into something new. Similarly, how can I shift my thoughts to create new, more purposeful musings, that will serve me? My parents are older and of course I am concerned. Will my worrying help? Nope. But I can FaceTime them every day, have distanced driveway visits (6 feet baby!) and send them tons of love and positive energy. That is more productive and feels so much better.
I spot a forgotten book in the bin. Yay, something to soothe the spinning mind. Karl started that one and never got around to finishing it. Well I can just put that on the list of quarantine activities, and we can all veg out together in the evening, reading. I’m not gong to lie, the kids give a lot of pushback when it’s time to read (sooo not fun!), but it is definitely a calming activity. I have a running list of all the things that calm me down and reading is one of them. Some others include diffusing my oils, writing, walking, yoga and biking. Do you have your own collection of “go to’s” that will calm you? When the fear and anxiety sets in, go to your list!
We don’t have to be Ricochet Rabbit or his buddy, Droop-a-long, during this time. Racing minds and negative thoughts will get us nowhere. Release the negativity, turn it into something positive and if you still feel overwhelmed, do something you love. It’s a tall order but with practice, we can do it.
As I look at Karlie’s re-ordered bin there is a sense of satisfaction for both of us. Everything has its place (at least for the next 24 hours) and we cleared out the stagnant, making way for wonderful new things to come. If you look closely you will see the bin is still a bit broken, just like the the world we are living in. However, it is still there serving its purpose until we can make it more bright and beautiful. Again, just like the world we are living in.
Chaos to Calm 