Blessed Simplicity: Organization on the Mind

http://blessed-simplicity.blogspot.com/2010/04/organization-on-mind.html

Here's a GREAT, INSPIRATIONAL, ENCOURAGING sharing from Sara. No, it's not like she just has this one over at Blessed Simplicity :o) This particular one just slapped me in the head this morning is all. It's one of those posts that I'm sure EVERYONE can wrap around their own day. It's not that we're all lazy or anything, but you know, some days we just don't feel like doing a routine, or washing up those lunch dishes, or working that last load of laundry. We slip baby step by baby step into the mentality of Scarlett O'Hara and use "I'll think about that tomorrow" as a basis for everything we do.

Of course, we all seem to have plenty of time for things we 'want' to loaf around with...like this computer time. But in taking that little time (or, some days, that long time) we just turn a blind eye to everything that's needful in our day. Dinner becomes thrown together scraps of whatever is quickest to make...or we make nothing and every is allowed to 'graze' all day. We see the laundry, but hey, it'll be there tomorrow right? Yep -- sure will, only more of it. And you might have children wearing 2 or 3 day old clothes!

We quit looking at our Stay at Home life as the blessing it is. Sure, I totally believe that's where Moms belong, but the fact of the matter is, some Moms aren't good at being home. They don't take that privilege seriously, they don't use that potential to it's fullest. I'm certainly one of those types on several occasions. No finger pointing here.

The thing is though, it's a blessing to be home. In the economy of today, it would benefit just about every family to have 2 income sources. Look at us right now -- we have NO income. If I were working, Dewey could relax through this last therapy stint without feeling a little pressure to get back to work. In other families, the mom may be home and not contributing to the income flow, yet she's always out spending, creating outflow. The privilege of being home, the potential she has been given there, is sort of lost and over time, it grows a weak testimony.

I read a lot of blogs and forums where some Moms are list-makers, binder users, organizational junkies. They live and breath a scheduled out to the quarter-hour daily routine. That's great, and honestly, I've seen it work. I mean, I don't always live my day that way, but honestly, the way the world operates, it works. When you're employed you can't just go with the flow, you can't just arrive and leave depending on your own whims, you can't take breaks when you feel like it. LIFE IS SCHEDULED all around us.

So what are we training our children to do if we continually lack some form of responsible schedule at home? Schooling is their priority until they graduate, yet we have no routine, no plan, to our school day. Sure, we don't want everything to be military tight where every step is tightly structured, but the fly by the seat of your pants method only trains them to be be selfish and lazy, those "I want to do what I want to do" adults we have far too many of.

Same with our household tasks. Being at home is a GIFT, a privilege, a blessing. We don't have to have a checklist of every minute we're awake, but then again, perhaps we've gone so far to the other side we NEED that for a while. If we are home all day, why can't we stay on top of the laundry? Why can't we keep the living room cleaned? Why are there always dirty dishes in the kitchen (or elsewhere)? Why is there so much chaos and disorder in our days that at nightfall, we have nothing of worth accomplished? That's just not how it's supposed to be. That isn't using the GIFT we've been given to stay at home. That's rejecting the GIFT with both hands.

I wasn't going to write a single thing here myself. Honestly, I was going to totally cut-n-paste Sara's post. It's already there and sure didn't need my rambles at all. You know how I get, though. I'm nothing if not opinionated and long-winded. I have a gift for rambling I suppose. Ahh, well, that's just me and life rolls on well enough with it...or because of it.

Read Sara's post and truly put yourself into her words. I know there's a lot of us hiding in that post. It isn't just her...or just me. Trust me, I'm not judging or anything, but there's A LOT of us out there who can easily steal her post as our very own. How does the AA mantra go...the first step is in accepting that YOU have the problem.

From there it's all God Strength and Baby Steps :o)