It's a secret, so don't tell anyone, but about three weeks ago I was about an inch and a half from having a nervous breakdown. Every day, I had someone I was supposed to be doing something for, tring to get home in time for Sandy to leave in time to teach a class, watching my work orders get back logged, my theatre company go to hell in a bucket, and still way over due on a remodel project that well...you know the rest.
I stopped answering my phone. I would go to work and despite my short time span allotted to the people who give me almost enough money to stay out of debt, would spend the majority of it playing minesweeper. I finally got a little dose of wisdom (or self preservation) and told the theater company that at least its warm in hell,went home, and spent a week doing my sons hoemwork with him and cleaning house.
I have no wisdom to share except that for me, there are now twety four hours in a day. No more, and no less. I will now spend at least six of them sleeping, and the rest finishing all the old projects with no new ones till they are all done. I Would love to have done Dickens. But not till your bathroom is finished.
tie a knot and hold on. Make it a Celtic knot becuase I don't think you have ever taken the effort to make anything without making it in someway beautiful, but make it none the less.
Love
L de Lioncourt et al
The third load of dishs are going in the dishwasher and the sink is empty. All the left-overs are shrink wrapped in the mega-fridge, and the last cup of warmed over coffee is sitting next to me. All is well in the McKeithan house.
We did Thanksgiving in-house this time around. Had the Mom-in-Law over for Turkey etc. I am a firm believer that at least once a month you should have company over. Not only does it keep you socially in contact with the rest of the world, but it forces you to clean the house up! With luck, tomorrow we will go through the pile of papers and cloths stacked in hidden corners of the house and toss most of it, then pay the bills that were hidden amid the junk mail and scratch notes. But of all the happy successes of this suprisingly non-stresses holiday, the best one started at the end of last night.
It's been 25 hours since I walked out of a retail establishment. May not seem like a big deal to you, but personal success can be private major victories.
My closest friends (read that freinds if you know my style) have a personal commitment avoid products made in China when ever they can. It's a child labor boycot. It's a poor labor conditions boycot. And it's a royaly difficult task and a life changing descision. They get annoyed complaints from those set to the task who don't like the niggling shadow on there own concious but not from me. I like the situation becuase there is NO CHALLENGE quiet like trying to find a non-chinese toy in a retail store in America.
But back to My Sucess. I believe very strongly in hollidays. Chances to spend time off work and out of the normal stresses of every day work. I think it is sad that people have to shlep into Safeway on a day like Thanksgiving, to wait on those of us who had no idea that there is not a roasting pan in the house that will hold a Turkey bigger than just about any pet I've ever owned.
So my committment is this: If it's a government holiday, I will not shop if at all possible. I will not by gas, I will not browse for CD's, and I will not go down to Chevy's for a quick bight to eat.
I'm only about 50% faithful to my pledge at this point, but it's a start. Wednesday night at 11:58 I pushed my shopping cart out of the grocery store praying to God I had everything we would need for our personal feast. The lady at the checkout was at the end of her shift but would be back tomorrow.
She'll be working next thanksgiving too, becuase there are way more shoppers out there than holiday anti-retail zealots, but I can go to bed tonight knowing that at least this time around, I wasn't one of them.
My
I SAID VOTE!!!!!!!!!
go to the polls, take whatever time it takes, even if you only vote on the propositions and canidates that you recognize and have an opinion about, DO IT.
I just spent three hours blurring my vision over legal arguements and typefaced SHOUTING about how PROP X is BAD FOR YOU no wait DONT BELIEVE THOSE LIERS PROP X IS GOOD FOR YOU etc etc. And I am as informed as I am ever gonna get on the issues. You don't have to be an expert to help make the choices that effect this countries future, but you do have to show up.
did I mention that you need to VOTE?!
thank you
Charles