Do you have an outdoor room? Even a little balcony or porch? This, too, brings its own Everies. The good news is they are particularly rewarding, especially at this time of the Australian year. [Which is the same as years in other countries – still 365 days, only we have the happy weather in the right place, most days.] I’m coming to the end of a secret holiday-at-home (shhh...) and have spent some time properly creating my outdoor room. It’s very modest & only half-way there, but spending the day ‘in’ it today was pure bliss. With a jaunty breeze circulating, birds and dragonflies dropping by, and the scents and sounds of other life gently reaching me, I couldn't resist taking all my meals and snacks outside, along with any tasks I could reasonably move outdoors. I know I will soon have to deal with the ants, but they’re only just catching on. If you have an outdoor room, spruce it up, dust it off regularly and keep it as uncluttered as possible. If you don’t have an outdoor room and none seems possible, make yourself a window seat where that wonderful sense of space, and communion with outside life, are somehow both reinvigorating and calming. If that’s not possible either,
find a special place in a park or public garden nearby, and make it your own ;-)
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My heart goes out to those affected by recent events of violence in the news. With respect, therefore, I address the remainder of this 'everyday' post to those outside the affected zones. Considering global events of the past few days, now might be an appropriate time to mention a theory I have about how to ward off illness or bad moods. Have you noticed that after you read bad news, bear the brunt of someone’s road rage, or lose something, you later get that ‘I wonder if I might be coming down with something’ feeling? Perhaps it’s only a generalised ‘blah’ effect, with a dull awareness that things have been ruined. Should we give in to gloom? Or brush it off & stumble forward as if nothing happened? Here’s my theory: that’s a second step to needing the medicine cabinet a few days later when you've ‘forgotten about it’. Instead, I have 3 suggestions:
You can even use the Kit as a reward for the end of major projects or commitments! Extend the Kit into the kitchen
with lemons and other immune-system boosters . Maybe you can help me figure something out. I’m working hard on writing my 2016 Everies Reminder Diary™ for you. It’s a bit more than a diary, covering a lot of ground, so I’m having to define a few terms. The hardest one to condense into a single definition is Vaastu. Have you heard of it? It’s a shortened term for one of the placement arts – those bodies of knowledge related to ideal placement of ... all things, really! The more one reads, the more these subjects explode. Generally, though, they form a vast background to architecture and design. Many Professional Organisers also have an affinity for them, with some even specialising in Feng Shui particularly. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of that, right? In my case, I always look for the logic in things. I’m fascinated by how 3 of these arts (or sciences, in some respects) are so closely linked to modern sustainability principles, and have (just) survived some pretty complicated events in history. Which brings me back to Vaastu – its proper name as regards placement (it has other applications) is Vaastu Shastra, which loosely translates into ‘habitat or dwelling know-how’. It pre-dates Chinese Feng Shui (Wind, Water), and comes to us from India, where it is enjoying a revival after it had been thrown into a long period of disuse by certain aforesaid events. It’s similar but different to Feng Shui, and I only touch upon these topics in my diary (if you've read my Assessment (Specialist Service 2) page, you’ll see where I stand on them). For now, I’m still working on that single definition, which will probably have to have about 10 references... Ugh, but thanks for listening! What does all this have to do with Reminders? Try this: If you know something needs changing but you're not sure what, walk around your home or property and notice any parts that are awkward, ugly or produce an ill-feeling. It’s just possible there’s something illogical about them! You would know some of these: too much back-and-forth in the kitchen for cooking tasks to flow smoothly, the wheelie bin blocking your view outside, or garden tools tucked behind boxes in the shed. Have a go at making your place more logical – to you,
and you will have become that little bit more of a placement artist :-) Did you write your Monthly Plan for November? If so – great work! Make sure you included regular activity from your Quarterly Plan in it. If it’s not done yet, write your November Plan now. Remember that, often, this can be achieved simply by diarising. It doesn’t have to be a long, sit-and-think process. You can quickly jot entries into the appropriate pages in your diary, to remind yourself to carry out steps already planned for the whole quarter. Do at least one thing from your Monthly Plan today.
Then sign it off! It's a great feeling :-) Besides keeping your physical exercise going, engage in some mental challenge regularly. For the best workout, choose something that is outside your usual way of thinking:
Even eating new and different foods does the job!
Bet you never thought of that as exercise, did you? Seeing as I'm in the Southern Hemisphere, I move that October 31st become Reverse Halloween here:
If you’re reading this in the Northern Hemisphere,
you might prefer to reverse Halloween on November 1 :-) |
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