Autumn has Fallen

I love how the air starts to feel in October. Even in Santa Barbara, where it's often sunny & seventy degrees, the Autumnal equinox can surely be felt. There's a cool breeze, clouds promising rain, and an overall feeling that change is imminent.

Transitions have always felt refreshing to me. It's a chance to begin anew, try on new thoughts or do something differently than I have before. I am ready for more of that. Bring it on, I say.

When I reflect on what changes I want to make in my life, I immediately think of my kitchen. I have a huge clutter pile there, right next to my stove. I don't know why I use this particular spot to store all my ambiguous junk, but it is home for most of it. My other spot is on the coffee table. I have various unread books and copies of our local free paper, the Independent, strewn about haphazardly. Then I "organize" this pile by stacking all of it together. But I never really find a proper place for it. I even started putting my bills there. At least I have finally begun to pay them on time. This is progress. The big kitchen pile is smack dab in the middle of my prosperity corner. This is not a good sign, according to the feng shui book I have stashed there.

So, what's a single puppy mama to do? When I get home from hanging with teenagers all day, Benji needs a walk or some kind of undivided attention for at least an hour. Then I have that part time job over at Taffy's Pizza, or an AA meeting so I can even have a home in the first place. When I return home, I am ready to plop down in bed and snooze. Then there's the weekend. Don't even get me started. I barely have time for meetings and friends, let alone get to know some new people in my life. So, the pile remains. It even grows with time.

I've heard what I need to do in this type of situation. I need to set aside 15 minutes (or more if I can spare) to focus on clearing this clutter pile. Then, I need to find permanent homes for everything, and make a concerted effort to keep them in their place. After that, I can relax and enjoy a prosperous, clean home with potential for visitors (some of them potential mates, perhaps).

Now that I've written this, I can't back out of it. I have made a commitment. I vow to clear my clutter pile and live free. Yay me!