Finding My Bliss: Getting Started

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Starting. This is probably my biggest challenge in life. I am so amazing at coming up with great ideas, making lists, dreaming up brilliant plans, getting my adrenaline pumping with excitement over the life-changing project I am about to take on. And then it's time to start....and all I want to do is take a nap.

You may wonder why "bedbethandtheblog?" I honestly sat for a long time, debating between "beth" and "bath"...because my bed and bath are the two places where I would choose to spend the majority of my time. (So sorry for those who might come to this blog thinking "ooh!! "Bedbeth"...this is going to be one scandalous and racy read!") I suppose if the idea of a 42 year old woman wearing sweats, surrounded by dogs, crossword puzzles and magazines, festering in her bed is your idea of sexy scandal, then this IS your dream come true!!.

Back to my topic. Let me give you an example of how I attempt to get "started". When my house is a complete disaster (98.9% of the time) I like to find ways to motivate myself to clean it. My typical routine is to go to my magazine archives. (yes, I am organized enough to have magazine archives, but I spend at least 3-5 minutes every day trying to figure out where the hell my purse is.) I choose a couple of season appropriate selections, run myself a lovely bubble bath, and peruse inspirational photos of beautiful homes. I have learned that it is always a good idea to get my hair washing and shaving out of the way prior to the magazine viewing, as sometimes looking at those photos really gets my juices flowing...and it just is never fun to have to jump out of the tub to use the facilities and then get back in. The bubble bath magic is gone.

So, once I am good and inspired (this usually happens before I even get to the end of the magazine) I am ready to get to work! Unfortunately, I still have to go through the whole "get ready" routine. Drying off, getting dressed, blah blah blah. This takes far too much time. Once I am finally ready, my cleaning mojo has pretty much evaporated with the bath water. So, I make my way to my bed to look at just ONE more magazine and get re-inspired. A few years ago, we invested in a king-sized, memory foam mattress, and topped it off with a 2 inch memory foam pad. Needless to say, my bed is heaven. It beckons me. It pulls me toward it at all hours of the day and night. It is my best friend and greatest enemy. My bed is the reason I get NOTHING done. Once I give in to it's beguiling ways, it's all over. I am done. And then something even worse happens. That bed whispers in my ear...quietly, yet oh so furtively..."turn on the TV." And with that, my "start" becomes a definitive "end".

Today is my husband's birthday. Most fortunately, he ordered his gift from me a few weeks ago. All I had to do was gather all of the the checks I had hoarded from my side jobs over the past couple months and deposit them in the bank. (Happy Birthday honey!) He bought a "fat bike" and is planning to bike to work everyday...regardless of the weather. I will not be asking for the same when my birthday comes around.

One would think my job as a good wife is done, but alas, this is not the case. I have ingredients for 4 different meals in the refrigerator, as well as a couple of desserts. My family is not being helpful in any way as far as choosing what they would prefer. It is almost noon, and my goal for the day is to get the house looking festive and lovely, make a stunning dessert (or two?) and prepare a meal worthy of kings.(Which meal that will be still remains a mystery.) Oh, I also had hoped to create a "stunningly beautiful mud room" area out of our little back entry disaster. So far, I have taken a bath, looked at Facebook about a dozen times, sold a bike on craigslist (yay! that was productive!) and...that's all. I am obviously struggling to get started. So in an effort to hold myself accountable, I will post "before" pics, and share the nightmare (that is currently my life) with you. And, if I can tear myself away from the computer, this evening, you will have the pleasure of viewing my amazing transformation. This, of course, is assuming that my evil bed does not lure me back into it's devious (yet oh so fabulous) lair.