Today was a little bit of a fail.
Well, not a fail, exactly. But definitely a disappointing day for my goals.
I stayed up too late again last night, which is one of my biggest temptations. I do love a quiet house.
Then I got distracted researching steamers because I was curious about whether they would work for a cleaning problem I need to solve. They will, and I ordered one.
So I got to work later than I wanted to and I stayed at work a little longer than I intended. I needed to stop at the bank and get groceries on the way home.
I had to make dinner.
It was hot.
I got distracted again because my brain latches on to interesting ideas and I love to follow my curiosity.
My husband was coming home after being away for work, which meant I needed to get the table cleared off because he’s going to work from home tomorrow. And I needed to vacuum.
You know, just a day. And it wasn’t a bad day, just a full one.
Sooo, about Stop Settling September – it’s about making steps forward.
The house
The house task I chose today was my closet.
I pulled everything off of my closet rod and put back only the clothes that fit me andare appropriate for this season. I didn’t get rid of anything. I just moved the things that don’t fit right now downstairs to where I keep out of season clothing.
And I’m going to have to go through my closet again, but this time I will need to think more rather than do a quick once-over. Because I want my clothes to feel more like this new Jaime I’m imagining.
I need to ask things like:
Does this feel like me?
Some of the items in there have been there so long that the idea that I could actually get rid of them feels appalling. And there are some favorites that just don’t fit anymore, but I can’t bear to let them go. And things I wear but don’t love.
They might work but really aren’t things that fit the self image I’m trying to develop. I don’t want to just settle for things, but that’s a really hard mindset to shift.
Where am I settling? I have to keep asking myself this.
I’m plumper than I like right now, but I don’t want to spend September hating my body or waiting until it changes before I let myself enjoy getting dressed.
I want to figure out how to satisfyingly clothe the body I have right now.
Health
I also got distracted researching anti-inflammatory diet because my body just isn’t feeling great right now. So technically, I guess that’s another distraction that was actually moving me toward one of my goals.
I’m trying to pay more attention to what makes me feel good.
Today I cooked breakfast and ate actual nourishing food.
I didn’t eat a lot of sugar.
And I made a pot of tea. A whole pot of tea.
This is a small thing, but it made me happy. I don’t always make a pot of tea on workdays, and I love the ritual of it. It’s luxurious. And my teapot is adorable and a reminder of my husband, who bought it for me.
Etsy
My Etsy achievement today was not exactly impressive. I made one small change to a listing that hasn’t been doing very well. That’s it.
It may not even be a listing I keep. I think it may have cost me more to keep it up than it has been worth.But I did something, and I think that’s important.
I’m trying to learn the difference between not doing enough and doing the next thing. Today, I did the next thing.
So Day Two wasn’t spectacular.
I didn’t have some amazing breakthrough or out of this world productivity, but I did move a few things forward.
- I made progress in my closet.
- I made breakfast.
- I delighted in my pot of tea.
- I made one little Etsy tweak.
- I ordered something I need to get things clean.
- I noticed what my body is asking for.
- My husband arrived home.
Reinvention doesn’t need to look like a miracle in one day. One step at a time, even if it is a tiny one, moves you toward your goal. Being a bit less willing to ignore the things that aren’t working and then doing something about them is a good place to start.
Even when the day is hot and distracting and disappointing.
Tomorrow is another day and there are no mistakes in it yet.
