Temporary

Today marks another move for us in the last three and half months.  This time it’s only for two nights, but still.  I find it to be quite a nuisance to organize our temporary luggage—one piece for David, one for me—and stage all the other stuff to be packed in storage.  Ah well, I guess that’s a cross I’ll have to bear while we continue this little adventure. 

This temporary move was a little more challenging than previous ones, not because we had more stuff—in fact, we have less—but because I was not going with David.  He was flying north for a business trip and I was spending some quality time with a friend here in town.  As soon as David returns from the trip we establish ourselves at “headquarters” once again, only to fly out to visit my aunt and uncle in Boston.  So we have a crazy week ahead of us! 

Regardless of the complications, I managed to solve this little challenge.  We essentially have three things to pack: 1) our temporary leave, 2) our leisure trip to Boston, and 3) the rest of our stuff meant to stay packed in storage during the travel.  At first I was overwhelmed by having to decide my outfits ahead of time.  After all, I’m slightly emotional when it comes to what I wear—I mean, this body is not what I’m used to anymore.  *blarg* 

Eventually I managed to find several outfits that made me happy.  I sorted all of David’s and my clothes in four piles which would be loaded into three different suitcases; one each for our temporary travels and a third to easily access when we pack for Boston upon our return to headquarters.  David had already packed his work clothes in his garment bag, so I proceeded to fill our two ginormous duffel bags with shoes, clothes we weren’t planning to wear, and all our “other” things (personal care, batteries, chargers we wouldn’t need, books, DVD’s, etc.).  Those clothes for Boston and the last “other” items (finance folder, knitting, my flute, etc.) were going to have to fit in our last giant suitcase.  Carefully, the puzzle pieces squished together, and voila!  Packed. 

Packed for our temporary travels
(Cold day - time for winter coats!)

Packed for storage
(Box: all things laundry and pantry)

When we get back to headquarters I’ll know exactly where our Boston clothes are and can quickly transition.  Should be a whirlwind of a week!  

Lazy Days

Some days I really don’t have the motivation to be productive.  Today is/was one of them.  These kinds of days frustrate me to no end because I feel lousy about myself.  If I’m being productive—you know, accomplishing things, checking off my to-dos, finishing a “product” to show what I’ve done with myself all day—that kind of productivity makes me feel worthy.  I like myself so much better.

This is much like how I felt this morning.

This morning started out by crawling back into bed after eating breakfast with David at the early hour of 6:30.  So it’s not really that unreasonable to crawl back in bed.  It’s unreasonable when I stay in bed watching the Today Show.  I think about getting out of bed.  I look over at the shower, knowing that would be a great jumpstart.  I ponder the idea of checking email or reviewing my to-do list.  I even think about writing about my to-do list.  But I ignore all these thoughts.  Don’t we all have days like this?  Even if you don’t, I’m going to pretend you do to make myself feel better.

At any rate, it took some time (probably a good three hours) before I mustered up the motivation to crawl out of bed.  I needed to—actually, wanted to—figure out how to make this a better day. 

One baby step at a time.  So I checked my email.  Great!  That’s easy to do and feels good when the inbox is empty.  Of course I needed to be conscientious about not falling into the time-suck called Pinterest, or Facebook, or online window shopping…  So I gave myself a time limit.  At 11:00, I would walk away from the computer.  I’ve found that setting a time limit can be a gentle way of forcing myself to do the things I’m are not motivated to do.  Today my “I-don’t-wanna” compromised with the To-Do list.     

As my lazy time ended, I decided to make today more than a blue jeans day.  Today was going to be a sweater dress, tights and boots day!!  Oh, how I love fall.  I don’t care that I may not see any other human life today, but it would feel good to wear something snazzier than the norm.  I would even do my hair (you know, more than just the wet bun straight out of the shower).  Then I made sure to make the bed with absolute perfection.  Psychologists say a tidy bed is one of the best ways to start your day.  It’s a sign that you have things in order and therefore will be more productive and content with yourself. 

Those last two things took me about 45 minutes.  That’s all.  And my lazy day turned into a productive one.  I now have two new volunteer opportunities set up for next week.  I tidied the hotel / apartment.  I ate a healthy lunch.  I followed up on some incorrect insurance claims.  And I took a long walk in the fall air!  

Immune to humans.

Gorgeous tree, stripped of its leaves
and ready for winter.

With a few more hours left in the afternoon, I think I'll find a way to further enjoy the fall. A steaming cup of hot chocolate and a knitting project piled up in my lap.  I guess today didn't turn out to be such a lazy day after all.  J