Progress Not Perfection

I have one more day before my family descends upon me from both coasts, and I am in panic mode at the moment. My house will never be as minimalistic as I want it to be. Never. It is a disappointment that things aren't going to be as organized and polished as I want them to be, but that is not who I am. I am not polished or fancy.

I was watching a tv show called High Potential the other day, and the main character mentioned several organization types based on insects. Apparently this is based on the ideas of Cas Aarssen and the ClutterBug philosophy. This is an interesting way to think about my biggest challenge here at home - organization. I thought that I am a butterfly organizer, but the quiz I just took told me I am a bee when it comes to organizing. I can see it when I read through more information. 

I want to be tidy and organized, but I do not do that well. This clean-up process has lasted way too long, and I want to better than I am at the moment. At the moment, I am focusing on progress rather than perfection.

I have three days until my next medical procedure, and I am being taken over by anxious moments. I don't like it, but cleaning has helped with that situation. My closets are crammed full of things I haven't been able to get to yet, but everyone has a place to sleep, and we all have chairs to sit in while we watch tv or just talk. Time to get back to it all...

Be right back.

Okay - a couple of minutes there and then a couple of minutes here.

Today's mantra is "progress, not perfection." My driving family joked that they might arrive much earlier than expected. My stress level jumped significantly. I already have to leave earlier than I had planned so I can pick up my flying family when they arrive, so I am already facing less time than I was hoping for. So, I am going for progress. If my family doesn't know already, then they are going to know that I am not a neatnik AT ALL!

I wonder if I will ever change my organization in a way that makes it easier to clean when it is time to clean. At this point right now, I work all day and then crawl into my bed when I get home. I am in too much pain most of the time to do anything but lie down on the bed to take the pressure off my back. I need to lose weight, I need to work more on my house, I need to do so much, but I just can't do it. It is exhaustion, decision difficulty, and lack of motivation that contributes to all of this. I am tired and in pain most of the time. So, progress, not perfection.

Okay. I am on break, but it doesn't feel like it. I have been putting things away and trying to throw things out (I have filled up the recycling bin and one of my two trash cans. On to trash can #2!

See you after I finish up the stuff I can get done...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday Song - That One Billie Eilish Song, You Know the One...

Image
So... I feel like I need to be totally transparent about something from the get-go of this particular series... I am not good with identifying songs with their performers. I can't identify the song names, but I can almost always sing the song. As I was trying to figure out what song to select for this series, I remembered being in a session last week, listening to a song by Billie Eilish. I really liked the lyrics to the song, but for the life of me, I cannot remember which song it was. I remember thinking, "that would be a great song for our self-awareness monthly theme," but I cannot find the words that I remember in the lyrics search that I am doing of Billie's songs.  This is a common situation for me, but it's also common for my music therapy clients. We can remember things about songs but can't remember names or musicians. We spend lots of time engaged in clue hunting. I ask questions like, "Is the singer a man or a woman?" (I know, those aren...
Read more

Songwriting Sunday: Client Goals First and Foremost

Image
When I am writing music, I tend to do one of two things. I either start with a specific client in mind and write for that client's goals and objectives, or I start with an idea and let the idea grow regardless of the clients that I am serving at the time. I spend time with lots of hypothetical clients - thinking about the vast number of clients and their unique goals as I develop songs and therapeutic music experiences (TMEs). Today, though, I would like to start with the first focus - that of a specific client and his or her or their goals. Currently, I am sharing a wall with a class of students who are experiencing lots of life and school changes. Two students have transferred from residential care to home care and are now day students. One student is brand new to the classroom. Another student recently left the class. All of these changes have shifted the dynamics in the classroom group, and old behaviors of concern have reemerged as well as finding new behaviors to contribute. ...
Read more

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea...
Read more