Reflections on a Sunday Morning
It's been a quite morning here on the homestead. Fishing guides have already left for the day. Others are preparing for their day. Coffee has been drunk on the front porch while watching the birds. Corny even got in on the action. I love when I have a slow start to my days and I can just sit and be and reflect. Today's reflection was on how I've been filling up my days doing and not really taking the time to just be. I've been a little overwhelmed recently, I ain't gonna lie. I feel like I've been given this time (because of the pandemic) and I should take full advantage and get things done. But then I'm not really taking the time to sit back and realize all that I've accomplished. And will continue to accomplish. I wake up exhausted. I go to bed exhausted. And sometimes I'm not recharging during the night like we should be doing. I've been run down (last week I had a dizzy spell from not drinking enough water). I just go-go-go. So today's reflection was based off multiple days of thinking "I can't do this anymore" and a very long conversation with a dear friend who keeps telling me 'look at all that you are accomplishing'. But I can't see it because I'm so focused on 'doing' and 'getting things done'. So. Where do these conversations and reflections leave me? They lead me towards a path of balance. I must find a balance or I'm going to really do some long term damage. So. I need a schedule. If I'm working outside of the home I have a schedule, right? I go to work from XYX-ABC. Then I come home and I do a, b, c. But I haven't been doing that. So I'm setting a work schedule and making a list of things I'd like to get done for the week and that's it. No more filling in the time and not getting the important things done.
Here's what it will (hopefully) look like--
Work on Chicken Librarian everyday from 9:30-3:30. Goals for the week:
1. Finish and ship knitted hat
2. Order yarn for 2 commissioned knitting projects
3. Make video (on soapmaking)
4. Organize 2 photo folders
5. 3 blog posts (not including this one. I have 3 already mapped out)
6. Catch up on reading blogs
7. Craft Along Tuesday
8. Make and list one new item in the shop and then promote it
9. Facebook Live Saturday
And for the homestead, I will work around the hours listed above. And it's a pretty short list because I need it to be short:
1. Finish planting garden (dirt into last raised bed, plant tomatoes, squash, radishes, herbs)
2. Spend time with chickens
3. Make soap
4. Clean the house (working on this today. Hopefully get it done today-all the big items and then just do maintenance throughout the week)
That's it. I need it to be short and sweet this week. I need to treat Chicken Librarian like a business. I need to focus. I need to give it my attention, but then walk away for the day like I would if I were leaving the house and going to work. We'll also start our days with walks which is why I've scheduled 'work' to start at 9:30. Anna needs daily walks and attention. So do I. I need to walk daily and I need to give her attention too. And I need to spend time with the chickens. I didn't get them so they would be cooped up in the chicken run all day without any interaction. But that's exactly what's happening. And honestly, the Mister needs more from me than the cursory 'how are you doing?' We've been spending time on the front porch of the evenings, but I have so little left to give that I mostly just sit there. I'd like to have the energy to be more present for him. For me. And for those who need me to. I've been so busy trying to turn this old farmhouse/guide house into a home that I haven't taken the time to really enjoy it. And that's what I want, and need--to enjoy this house that we're turning into a home. SO that's where I'm at and this is what I'll be working on this week and in the coming weeks.
Today is a cleaning day and then mowing day. And the pictures above count as the newly updated front porch tour, right!??! I just bought the metal chairs yesterday. I've long wanted metal chairs like that and I found the perfect ones for a good, fair price yesterday. And my intention is to spend more time out there on that porch, reflecting, enjoying.
I hope you all are well. I miss each and every one of you. I will be working my way to your corner of the world very soon.
'til then
-k
xoxo