My husband and I are musicians. And we’re parents. When we are onstage, we do our best to really be ON stage. But all our “backstage” experiences with our son (our little frog) deeply affect who we are as people, thus musicians. Recent insights:
Sometimes it feels like a brain and heart-full to take care of (and entertain!) my 14-month-old, while also staying connected to family and friends, and also rocking the admin and creative tasks that go along with my music career.
Then I talk to couples without kids who feel just as squeezed for time as I do. Hell, Matt and I were chronically “swamped with work” before Nigel came along. Meanwhile, parents of two and three kids manage to function… and they sometimes seem to have a better sense of humor about it all.
So my husband and I keep experimenting with ways to keep up. And like everybody, as soon as we feel mastery in one area, other systems get ignored (or fall apart).
When I stumbled on Organizing Junkie, of course I got excited. Oh, the promise of new systems! But it’s funny. The more I read, the more I realized that, yes, I do best when I organize my To Do list the day before and I make sure it includes the most effective things I can possibly attend to during my precious and SHORT time in the office. And, yes, I love order in the house and the peace of mind that affords.
But there is opportunity and brightness for me when I also surrender to the idea that I’m not totally in charge of everything. In the past, planning and organizing has given me the defeating idea that I can control things. And I have confused the concept of getting my shit together with really INHABITING my life, my shit, and the inevitable chaos (or at least unexpected bumps) around me with a calm heart.
This nice lady’s “journey toward organization and simplicity” is a lovely mission. Yes: I do support de-cluttering with my whole heart. And I am grateful for resources like Organizing Junkie for those of us trying to make order and sense out of life.
But meanwhile, I am renewing my journey toward more fun and acceptance. (But I’m going to clean the floor first…)