mindful moments

what a beautiful Autumn day!
clear blue sky and a delicious crispness in the air.

after the kids were ferried off to school and my lovely other had left for 

college this morning I wasn't really sure what to do with myself.

although yesterday was a productive day, having no clear 

goals or plan left me feeling a little deflated.

I had a drink of water, took my medication and grabbed a bowl of cereal

 to munch on while I searched the web for inspiration.

don't get me wrong here, there were a load of things that

 I SHOULD have been doing, but in the vagueness of my low

 mood and chaotic mental state, reality just seems to be on 

the other side of the bubble.

 I came across this blog again:

slow your home

it has an amazing list of 21 simple things to do to kick-start

 your way to a life of simplicity.

...which then led me to a TED talk by carl honore

although I know I should start with a list of some sort, 

I wasn't really in the head space for deep contemplation

 and soul searching, and because there is all sorts of clutter

 to be dealt with in our house, I decided to start on my 

own front doorstep, literally.

every time I come home lately, it depresses me.

the front door is covered in grubby marks and spiderwebs,

 steps have become filthy and covered with rotting autumn leaves. 

the screen door is turning green from mould.

I feel embarrassed to think that is the first impression of our home.

yes, we are renting.

yes, the house is in bad structural repair.

does that mean I shouldn't care?

does that mean I can't keep it clean?

does that mean I can't have pride in my home?

no.  elbow grease is free, after all.

besides, I want to set a good example for my chidren.

to appreciate our blessings and make the most of what we have.

I even had a moment of mindfulness.

I stopped scrubbing to listen to the warbles of the magpies. 

 it is my very favourite birdsong.

several buckets of hot soapy water later I realised that 

this might be my plan... for the house, anyway.

to maybe work my way through the house,

one square metre at a time.

there are a lot of things that don't belong in our

 front porch that I don't even notice anymore.

and it is the closest space to the door to get rid of stuff!

there are a lot of other facets in my life I want to improve upon.

hopefully they will come to me, as pleasantly as this one did!