I am someone who has always thrived in chaos. What looked like a mess to everyone else has always 
been my comfort zone. ‘Order’, on the other hand, has traditionally given me a rash. Until very recently.
Precipitated by a desire to move, the constant sighs of my cleaning lady, and more clutter than even I could bear I finally attacked every square inch of my apartment. Went through absolutely everything, discarding the unwanted Continue reading
To some degree I think we all fall into patterns. You know, keep doing the same thing, the same way, day after day, week after 
week, month after month, even year after year. I don’t think we’re always even aware of it. It just becomes part of who we are. Part of our routine.
For example, I do the same thing every morning. I take my shower first, then wash my face and then brush my teeth. I’ve been performing these tasks, in this order, for as long as I can remember. I feed my cats first, then I have breakfast. Then I clean Continue reading
I did it for years. At some point around this time of year, I’d think back over the past eleven months. Shake my head, ‘tsk tsking’ at all the things I’d wanted to do, 
but didn’t. I’d pat myself on the back for whatever I had managed to get done. Being the kind-hearted person I am, I’d forgive myself for my transgressions. Then I’d revel in all my ‘triumphs’.
You know what comes next, don’t ya? I’d start making ‘the list’. The new list. Next year’s.
The list. You know. “This year I’m going to lose twenty pounds. This year I’ll stop smoking. This year I’ll clean out the garage. This year I’ll be a better friend. This year I’ll leave that lying, cheating s.o.b. This year I’ll finally learn to speak Italian. This year I’ll get a better job. This year we’ll finish the basement. This year I’ll save some money. This year I’ll finally take that vacation.”
We’ve all done it. We’ve all made those lists.
But. How many of us can honestly cross each ‘promise’ off our lists? Done. Tick. Done. Tick. Done. Tick. Done. Tick.
Not me. You? You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. Hell, you don’t even have to admit it to yourself. All Continue reading
365 And Counting 