I Get To ....

"Organizing is what you do before you do something,
so that when you do it, it's not all mixed up."
A.A. Milne

I haven't gotten too far into my stack of Christmas books. However, I did pick up The Awe-Manac, A Daily Dose of Wonder and read through the first few pages. In her own words, Jill Badonsky says,
The Awe-manac, [is] sort of like an "almanac" but with that sublime state of "awe" instead of the overwhelming state of "al". Awe in this particular awe-rena, means the wonder and cultivation of the mind's possibilities.
I stopped on page 5 to marvel at how the universe is already reminding me about my word, focus. There is was plain as day, item #1 on a list of things the Awe-manac will You Do ...
retain your thinking to focus on thoughts that make you more confident, creative and joy-filled.

A rather large mission for a book, don't you think? But, even if I don't do anything but look at all the pictures I think I will be on my way to adding more joy to my world and maybe, while I'm at it, get a little more focused.

In her directions on how to use the Awe-manac, Badonsky suggest using the "I Get to" spell. The point being, " to energetically shifting to looking forward to your day rather than dreading it." I tried it before I went to sleep last night. I said to myself, "Self, tomorrow you get to organize your half of the office." I kind of wanted to add, "because it looks like a tornado blew through and you can't tell what's what and the clutter is driving you crazy, so why don't you get in there and get to it." I refrained from this self-defeating harangue as I thought it totally ruined the "I Get to Spell."

So this morning, which was really closer to afternoon than morning, I walked into the lion's den and got started. I should have taken before and after pictures to document my work, but I don't think you'd be able to tell the difference. My kind of organizing is kind of like shuffling cards, just rearranging the clutter. I know I've made some progress, though, because there is a full trash can beside me, my shredder has whirred itself to a grinding halt, and several notebooks are now labeled with articles I've saved neatly filed by order of date. Alas, there are also piles of papers to be put somewhere else. There are calendars and note pads to send to the Seaman's Institute. There are papers I don't know what to do with but can't bring myself to toss out just yet.

In the midst of all this sorting an old, faded, sepia-toned picture fell down from one of the shelves above my desk. I don't know where it came from and for quite awhile I had no idea who might be in the picture that I might know. It is a group of men, perhaps a high school graduating class, all in suits, backs straight, hands neatly folded in front of them, hair combed with a touch of pommade. I suspected my grandfather could be in the mix though it's hard to see any of the faces. So I got out a magnifying glass and scanned the rows for someone that looked familiar. To my surprise I found a young version of my father in the back row. I was going to toss away, because really, what's the point of keeping a picture of people you don't know. No one in generations to come is going to know who is in the picture either. But now I look at it, and see the man my father once was - handsome, dark haired, without glasses. There is a hint of the man I knew as Daddy, but the eyes seem to be searching rather than resigned, a touch of wanderlust perhaps, as if he's ready to make his mark in the world. I've gone through several boxes of photographs and slides in the last year. Things I can't bring myself to get rid of, yet I wonder who really cares? Keeping them in a box for someone to go through when I die doesn't make much sense.

The picture now lies on top of one of the new piles, next to a box of staples, and papers that still need to be organized. I guess that's where they'll stay til tomorrow when I "get" to continue making my little corner of the world just a little bit neater.

Today I'm grateful for a fabulous facial and neck massage. I'm not sure it get's much better than an hour of pampering.

Wishing for you opportunities to create joy,
Merry ME

*The Awe-Manac A Daily Dose of Wonder, Jill Badonsky, Running Press, 2008

Comments

Fire Byrd said…
I like spells that motivate us.There is nothing like using them to achieve some sort of cleansing to feel good about the world again.
January 4, 2012 at 9:38 AM
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