So, I’m really getting into this half-time stuff. Today was the first Monday I’ve looked forward to in a lllooonnnggg time. I mean, decades. And why was this Monday so worthy? Simply put: the whole world was going back to work and I would have some quiet time to get things caught up.
And that’s exactly what happened. Today, its been mostly the kitties and me, cleaning up the house, mowing the lawn and taking naps. I cleaned the house and mowed the lawn; they napped. I also did some work today but not that overwhelming level of work that marked the first five months of the year. Instead, it was work “at pace”. I took my time, did things thoroughly, followed up on details… actually “adulted” at work today.
As I sit back and reflect on my new life, I can see where right now I’m currently so busy just getting caught up and that this will be the status quo for awhile. I also see that there’s another wave after this one – the “I finally caught up and now I have to get to these other lingering projects” wave. I’m not positive but I suspect there is at least one more – the “hey look what I forgot” wave – yet to come. In a way, it’s like taking off blinders and suddenly realizing that what you thought was the situation is really only a partial view. And then, the random thought came to me: just how long have I been phoning it in in my real life? It truly scares me to think about it.
Yet, this Monday is a good sign of things to come. There were little things I could do that would make the rest of the week easier and I methodically ticked them off the list. Mow and spin trim the backyard before the rain sets in? Tick. Cut up veggies so it’s easy to throw together a salad? Tick. Wash and hang sheets on the line because the weather’s good? Tick. Mother-in-law’s Mother’s Day Gift? Tick. Flooring from the refinisher? Tick. Get the little mower and spin trimmer set up for tonight’s garden work? Tick. Again, these were not earth-shattering things to have gotten done and in all, probably took about two-and-a-half hours. But they each have a cumulative effect on our ability to get things done at pace this week and potentially have the rare gem of a day off this weekend. (I’m told other people get at least a day off every weekend, but I don’t believe it.)
Now, we are set up to at least get the sweet potatoes planted tonight and possibly other parts of the garden actually tilled. If that’s the case, maybe peppers or celery go into the ground, too, sometime during the week. At that point? We are closing in on “caught up” as it relates to gardening. Yes, at least one day of the weekend will be needed to finish wrangling the garden into shape and to direct seed beans, carrots and beets. We also need to get the corn plastic around everything to reduce the need to weed, which is a huge labor saver all summer long. But the other day this weekend? I’m not seeing anything urgent on the list.
Now, that’s not to say that we are in any way shape or form “caught up.” We have a list of 40 tasks that have to be done just to get the house projects done. Outside, Darryl needs to rebuild the compost bins to add a third bin (using, cooking and working bins). We have had on our list for several years a project to build out a storage shed for the compost materials and we still have a basement that needs cleaned out once construction ends.
But here and now? My goal currently is just to get ahead of the urgent things. Once I can achieve that, I want to get control of the “soon will be urgent” things and the “prevent me and I won’t become urgent” things. Finally, the real goal – which I can genuinely see is months into my future – is having a firmly established routine that prevents urgencies and supports a steady pace with plenty of weekends for real life to occur.
It’s going to take some time. Again, I see the veneers of stability everywhere around here. Yes, the guest bed in my office is made but yes, the quilt likely needs washed. Sure, the landing now looks neat and trim, but the vacuum needs run. The curtains in our bedroom haven’t been washed since they were installed six years ago. The new couch hasn’t been moved out of the way and dusted behind it for at least two years. The woodshed is doing double duty as compost storage. The basement has become the family dumping ground, covered by a layer of construction dust.
It will eventually be okay. Again, once I get past this first wave, I’ve got at least two to go before I can sit back again and take stock of what it will take to move the ball even farther. But on this Monday? Yep, I can see how to get there. It may be daunting, but it’s also doable.
The Yuppie Homesteader 