Yes, I Can. Yes, I Will....

In many ways I dislike the beginning of a new year - it means all the "stuff" that I didn't get done as the old year rolled to an end is still lurking, waiting to trip me, remind me of failures, display my perpetual lack of organisation. I'm sitting here now faced with gathering end of year tax information from a filing system that only someone sadistic could enjoy. I even have a "what the heck" file....nothing in it actually and, a "things to file" file....a lot in that. I've also got numerous boxes and stacks. In my real life, that is outside of my home office, I'm something of a neat and anti-clutter freak...it's only when you open the study door that my secret fear of paperwork is revealed. Throughout my professional life I had secretaries and assistants; nobody ever taught me to file and I'm beginning to think I'm a lost cause. Yes, I told myself this morning, I will read Lorie Marrero's articles and I will put myself on a Clutter Diet.
Diet of the other kind is called for too. Extraordinary that as you age, that wretched metabolism goes into slow motion and the weight coils around the mid section; sit-ups get tougher, knees creak and the temptation to skip cardio is ever present. All right Kissed by an Italian Chef, I am going to send you a couple of my favorite recipes and have you slim them down.
So clean up my act, pay more attention to what I eat and move more are on my resolution sheet. I'm a good cook but have little ability to cook for myself. Throw me a crowd to feed and I go into full love mode and will slave endlessly to delight. I've got to figure out why I can't be that nice to myself...making that step is probably the most important thing I can do this year.
I'm also going to clear out the clutter that comes from negative people latching onto my life and nibbling away at bits of my good humor and tolerance. I'm the one who gets stuck with someone elses' miserable friend at gatherings; I'm the one who attracts the really weird seat mate on international flights. I'm going to say "no" to these situations, really I am. Sylvia Edwards, a regular contributor to Connections for Women, has just sent in an article proposal and it's one that has me curious. It's about the concept of setting goals by writing them down and revisisting at the end of a given time frame.
I had great fun with the small boys up at the cabin over New Year. We (I) figured that my all- wheel - drive could take on a lane with 2ft. of snow. Nah, didn't work. We trudged the quarter mile or so to the cabin like true pioneers. Boys and dog lead the way, I brought up the rear carrying the cat in her carrier. We were up to our knees in snow at some points. Once in I turned up the heat, lit the fire and marshaled my troops for a sled run. We made two trips from the car bringing in supplies on the sled when a neighbor appeared on an ATV and chivalrously took the load and finished the job for us. It's amazing what motivates you. Fire blazing, wet clothes off, dry and warm, I realised that I had left a bottle of good wine in the car. Yep, I suited up and trudged back through the snow to rescue it. Next day I called the garage in the village, got the car towed out and the lane ploughed...cost a bundle but the peace of mind was worth it. Now I hear that a further 12' or so of snow has fallen so if I want to go up again later this week I have to get the lane ploughed ahead of time...either that or convince my son to swap vehicles with me.
The boys had a great time building runs and "sledboarding"...it's got to be the next hot fad! They figured out how to come down the slopes around the cabin , standing on saucer sleds. Most runs ended with spectacular flips. I put a damper on one proposed activity - I overheard plans to open the loft windows and "snowfly" to the ground. That one I knew would get me into big trouble.
This is the second miserable day in a row...unusual for Tucson. It's grey, wet and dismal out, low clouds have covered the Catalina range and I feel out of sorts. The dog doesn't want to go for a walk - I think I'll make tea. Hibernation would be nice too. Cat and dog are curled up on the same bed and both are snoring! 28 years of desert living has left me with little tolerance for miserable weather.
Onwards. The very least I can do today is fill the "what the heck" file. Intellectually I recognise how difficult I make small tasks by not being organised in the office and yet somehow, up until now, with short spurt exceptions, I continue to create my own paper chaos. If there is only one resolution met this year...let it be the anti-paper clutter one.