Living On The Edge
Saturday, December 30, 2006 at 05:12PM 
You know you're boring when deciding not to clean out your cabinets is an act of rebellion.
Every year I have the same resolutions. Get healthier, get organized, read more, remember birthdays...the basics. I opened my kitchen cabinets today, saw this mess and reflexively said to myself for the millionth time, "I've got to get this cleaned up". Then it occurred to me. WHY? Why do I need to get this cleaned up? This is how my cabinets have looked for 14 years. They get organized once a year when my sister comes to visit and asks me how I can live this way. It's easy. The trick is throwing the pots in and slamming the door all at once, so hard that it forces everything to fall backwards. So after a week, it's back to being a wreck. And even though I don't care, there's always been a part of me that felt guilty for not caring. It made me think about the other areas of my life where I feel compelled to change even when I don't really know why. Like, I've always been one to stay up really late at night. I love the peace and quiet, but I've always beaten myself up for it. I've always thought that somehow "morning people" were better. They were prepared and more productive and had bandaids in their purses. And one day I would grow up and be a morning person too. Again, WHY? Why feel guilty for not fixing something that is working for me? So that is my New Year's resolution: To start asking myself WHY. Am I doing this because it matters to me? Or is it because I think it's supposed to matter?
How about you?
Reader Comments (1)
"This groundbreaking new book from Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freeman overturns accepted wisdom that tight schedules, organization, and neatness are the keys to success, and shows how disorder can lead to creative ideas and new directions. " Made me think of you. :-)