Procrastination ... So Easy, So Fun, So ... ah, What was I doing?

Getting distracted is sooooo easy to do.

Huge fan of SQUIRREL ... of losing focus from time t-SQUIRREL! ... to time.

Ellen DeGeneres did a little bit on her struggles in getting organized and how procrastination leads you down the distracted path of whatever you are attempting to accomplish.



Now that I've spent the last hour or so watching the rest of Ellen's standup, I can get back to business ... uh, what was I doing?

One favorite quotes from Ellen (on hands-free devices):

"If you need both of your hands to do something,
I'm thinking your brain should be in on it too"
What are you procrastinating from doing?

A Book of Tales Like No Other

I'm writing a book.
Crazy.
And it is NOT on organizing.

The working title is:
"Tales, Trials & Turmoil of Divorcing a Nimrod"

Simply documenting the experiences over the past 5 years. None of the stories are made up. These are actual events that unfolded. Many of them are frankly embarassing that they even occured. Some are infuriating and upalling. The fact of the matter, they happened.

A few of the potential chapter titles:
The Fax Machine
The Popcorn Incident
My List
Driveway Chicken
Cookie Dough and the 16 Page Document
Yeah, I've Got Three Holes
Soccer
“Co-parenting” … Ha!
The Drop-n-Flop
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
An Overpaid Nanny
Make-up Parenting Time
A Few Dollars More
Exotic Vacations

At first, my ex-husband's actions got the best of me. Now, I'm pretty much just sitting back kinda watching the train wreck unfold before my eyes. Reaching in my box of popcorn, sipping on my Coke waiting for the next chapter to unfold.
... and takin' notes along the way because Hollywood just can't come up with this stuff.

Oh, thinkin' I might like Jennifer Aniston to play me, perhaps, Christopher Walken to play him.

Open to all of your suggestions for book title, chapters and other ideas.

What story should you tell?

Organizing a Drawer is about as fun ... SQUIRREL!

Getting distracted is sooooo easy to do.

Ellen DeGeneres did a little bit on her struggles in getting organized and how procrastination leads you down the distracted path of whatever you are attempting to accomplish.


Now that I've spent the last hour or so watching the rest of Ellen's standup, I can get back to business ... uh, what was I doing?

One favorite quotes from Ellen (on hands-free devices):
"If you need both of your hands to do something,
I'm thinking your brain should be in on it too"
What are you procrastinating from doing?

SNAP! Did Not See This Coming

Whiplash.
That's how I would describe the feeling of what happened.

Went from my son's 5 year old birthday party to "I'm having an affair and I want a divorce" the very next morning. My life began spinning out of control.

Hey. I did not sign up for this.
Can I get a refund? mulligan? some store credit?
Ya' gotta give me something.

Everything seem to be stripped away from me as my ex-husband's affair burst out, through the divorce process and dealing with the aftermath of it all. Like so many newly divorced women, I pretty much felt trampled and at a lost of the future.

That was 5 years ago.

The divorce might have been the best thing I ever did for myself because not only did I gain myself back, life just feels better.

In the past 5 years I have:
-Two amazing young men.
We so ROCK!!
-Started our own business
(Our = me & my boys)
-Jumped off a 50 ft cliff into the ocean in Jamaica
-Spontaneous road trip to Chicago for Christmas (twice)
-Travelled the Florida Keys and Cancun, just me and my boys
-My very own 7 piece drum set to jam on
-Solo soul-searching trips to Key Largo and Cancun
-Gone to dozens of concerts including backstage on the Paul Simon tour buses
-Rolled down a mountain in Alaska
-Introduced my boys to the art of road trips: Michigan UP, Cleveland, Mammoth Caves, Louisville, St. Louis, Indy ...
-Journeyed to Australia
-Built homes in Guatemala
-Learned to scuba dive (and dive in 35 degF water)
-Won the Toledo 20 Under 40 Award
-Laid on the white sand bottom at 105 ft below surface
and just listened to my heartbeat in Bonaire
-Regained my friends and made so, so many more
-Created this blog
-Shot a video whose rooster call audio is featured
on Andrew Zuckerman's website
-A beautiful home in a perfect neighborhood
-Realized I am a rocket scientist
-Less money and more freedom

So, if you are in the midst of chaos in your life, rest assured that it is all for the good. Because no matter what happens, it will add to you. I know it pretty much sucks now.

Know that you will come back stronger than ever.

What have you done in 5 years?

When's the Last Time You Said Something Kind?

"I like your hair."
"You make me laugh."
"I love your shirt."
"You are a good speller."
"I like your smile."
"You are my best friend."
"You're a good person."

These are just a few comments I heard from my son's 3rd grade class as they turned in their homework to another classmate. I stood in awe of these 8-9 year old kids standing in line, looking into the eyes of another kid and complimenting that person in some way before moving on to the next assignment.

One boy took too long, "Sorry, too long. Go to the end of the line," the girl kindly stated. When the boy approached her again he said, "You have very pretty eyes."

WOW!

These kids are practicing a skill that most adults have no clue in how to pay a compliment to each another with the expection of nothing in return.

As adults, we can go days, weeks ... sadly months, without acknowledging someone's hair, skin, eyes or personality for no particular reason except it is the right thing to do.

Imagine the impact you will have on someone as they scan your grocery items and you say something nice to them, "You have a great smile." or "I like your shirt." (sad thing is, they might think your weird or creepy).

Getting past the creep factor ... Now imagine if they were then compelled to do the same to someone else. What if we all started being just a little bit nicer to each other? I don't mean kind and respectful, these are actions that are easy.

I'm thinking we look at each other in our eyes and give a compliment to whom ever we are with. If a bunch of 3rd graders can do this every day turning in their homework, we can certainly do this as we work through our day, too.

Who did you compliment today?

Please Stop , You Might Be Missing Something

Life does not have to be more complicated than it was years ago. We make life more complicated by our demands and needs. Once the basics for life shelter, food and water are met, then you've got friends and family (and yeah, family can complicate things). It's all the other stuff that makes life zip past us in a flash.

I believe in enjoying the moment, and will stop in a heartbeat for a great laugh, appreciate an amazing sunset or climb a tree. When my boys recognize a beautiful flower or a dragon shaped cloud, I beam with pride because I do not want them lost in the world of headphones, cellphones, and looking at the ground as you walk around all day.

Here is a story I recently found:

Perception

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?

Take time today and just stop.

What did you find today?

Thank You Mom

In the darkest hours and the brightest moments, I knew to never question my mom's love and pride for me.

She has made me who I am today: strong, confident, happy, peaceful, funny, bold, loyal, determined, brave, fabulous, trustworthy and ... the best damn my mom in the world for my boys.


You're my mother. I would have no other.
I love you mom.

How has your mom shaped you?

I am the Lorax, I Speak For the Trees

As a child, I remember spending hours walking through the neighborhood woods. Not sure my mom knows how often I did this. Thinking about it today, I probably would not want my boys walking alone in the woods.

Even today though, one of my favorite activities is just walking and taking in the feelings of the trees, bushes and sounds of nature.

After watching " The Happening" and reading "Anastasia" from the Ringing Cedars series, I'm really beginnning to think that nature truly needs a bit of attention.

It is a proven fact that all things emit an energy. Animals and children are especially sensitive to unexpressed emotions.

On the way to the dentist today, I noticed how the trees are just beginning to wake up. My boys and I started yelling, "Wake up trees!" as we drove down the road. "Hey, mom. I think that one there heard us. I saw it move." (Moments like this make me so proud to be a mom)

"The Lorax" is one of my favorite books. I pretty much have it memorized. If you have not read it, you should.

I wonder how the world would feel if we all took a brief moment and said hello to a tree. Give it a shot. What do you have to lose? Break into a little conversation with a tree, betcha feel a bit better after.

I'll hop off my stump now...........

What book inspires you?

Heavy Stuff on Bottom, Lighter Stuff on Top

Grocery bagger was my dream job when I was 10 years old. When we went grocery shopping, I was in awe at the bagger's ability to get so many items into a bag and the bananas did not get smashed by the can goods. Perhaps my organization skills were just beginning to blossom.

As I got older, the grocery stores went to a split bagging area at checkout eliminating "professional baggers." The intention was to speed up the line by having one customer bagging their paid groceries while ringing up another customer. Well, I was in heaven because I got to bag (hey, I always said it doesn't take much to please me).

Today, we are back to baggers at most grocery stores, though we now have these plastic bags. Watching my bagger do her 'magic' on my groceries I noticed: Baggers today have no idea how to pack groceries. I almost would rather bag my groceries myself so I don't end up with 15 plastic bags with 1-2 items in each one. It's ridiculous.

Paper or plastic bags, does not matter. I could save grocery stores millions (well, maybe not millions) of dollars by teaching a course on Bagging 101. Personally, I prefer paper because you can load it up, the groceries don't fall out all over your car, they are more enviromentally friendlier and they make great costumes.

When I get to my car, I am consolidating my bags into each other so when I get home I don't have to carry in so many bags. Typically I could have walked out of the grocery store with about half the number of bags used. Think about if we are all doing something similar.
** WARNING Math Problem **
Say you use 4 plastic bags less each time you shop. There are 4 lines open at your favorite grocery store. Every 5 minutes a new customer checks out (12 customers/hour in each line). Say your grocery store is open 12 hours each day, 363 days in a year.

4 bags x 4 lines x 12 customers/hr x 12 hours x 363 days/year x 10 cents/bag =
$83,635/yr savings... and this is just for one grocery store.
There are over 115,000 supermarket/major grocery stores in the USA.

Oh my, perhaps this is the solution to the worldwide financial crisis.

What was your dream job as a kid?

We All Could Use One Day Of Only Positive Stories

I have been dealing with a lot of customer service counters in the past couple weeks, and the experiences have all been wonderful. Perhaps these encounters were all lessons for me to remember when dealing with clients, friends, family or random strangers.

1. Best Buy - Never good when you have to take back a camera for repair within the first year. Since I purchased the extended warranty (I tend to be a bit rough on small electrical items), no added expenses incurred. Well, Best Buy guy John blew me away when he handed me a brand new camera off the floor. Better features than I had in my broken camera. Thank you John!

2. Verizon - After a new client phone call asking why is number long distance, I decided to add a second phone number to Organized Solutions. Verizon was incredibly accomodating, even sync'd my contact lists with my now TWO phones - one SE Michigan and one NW Ohio. Jennifer rocks!

3. Lowe's - A long 3 day search for a new dishwasher ended at Lowe's. I went to 3 different stores only to find insulting sales staff. (if you are a guy, you don't understand). At these stores, the men talked to me like I was 7 years old incapable of tying my shoes. One guy even told me, I could not install this myself. Another wanted to charge me delivery plus installation and negelected to mention a rebate ... nice. At Lowe's, Darren told me that installation is easy and set me up with right water supply line. Darren is the man!

4. Macy's - Got a bit of an award event to attend tonight and wanted a new outfit. Purchased it, then took back the skirt (I was iffy about it), then Leasa gave me $#&@ and told me to go get it. She's a good friend and I listened to her. Turns out the skirt was on sale and the associate, Michelle, gave me the sale price on the blouse I bought a month ago, too. Dang, I'll be looking good tonight! Thank you Michelle.

5. Belle Tire - My car tires were in need of rotating and Belle Tire helped me replace a tire last summer. I asked them to do an alignment since there was a bit of a pull to the left. Well, turns out no alignment needed, just a rotate. NO CHARGE! Ken, you made my day!

These companies did a great job treating me as a valuable customer. So much negative news going around lately. Spend the day focusing on the positive and good happening around you. Should you hear a negative story or comment, turn the channel, flip the page, get away from that person. Let's make one day of just positive stories.

What is your positive story today?

Lost In Space

Warning! Will Robinson, Warning!

Lost In Space such a classic cheesy TV show that began in 1969 (WOW! yet another reason that is perhaps the greatest year ever. Save that thought for another post)

As I worked with "Dave" he kept making space references as we organized his basement.
"This is like a black hole of stuff"
"These books seem to just orbit around this house."
"I just want to launch this stuff out of here."

These space references got me thinking ...
what has been lost in space?

Unfortunately, the past 45 years of space exploration have generated a lot of junk!

Space junk can be anything from hatches blown off space modules, paint fragments from the space shuttle, or satellites that no longer work. Man-made debris orbits at a speed of roughly 17,500 mi/hr (28,000 km/h)! Think of the damage even a small speck of paint could do if it hit a spacecraft at such a high speed!

This is an image of the junk in space around our beautiful earth. There's even an Orbital Debris Program Office in NASA. This is the space garbage department for our world.

Good to know that Russia, Japan, France, and the European Space Agency have all issued orbital debris guidelines.



Here's a close up shot.
Look at all the stuff circling up there!




The top 10 items circling our lovely planet:
1. A spare space glove
2. Spatula - making eggs in space?
3. Bags o'trash - darn Soviet Mir cosmonauts
4. Camera
5. Toothbrush - definitely time for a new one
6. Pliers
7. Nuclear Fuel - leaking Soviet satellites are driping fuel
8. A rocket - seems NASA forgot about a rocket from 1969
9. A pen
10. Bolts - bet there are some loose screws floating around too

What's been lost in your space?

Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes

I have an admission to make.
My life is in the midst of change, which is why my posts have been slowing down.
All is well. Happiness. Comforts. Health. Security.
Life is good.


"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom." ~Confucius
(ancient chinese philosopher dude)
Guess I've got a mix of soul searching and 'what do I want to be when I grow up' thing going on. The more I think about it, the more I think it is good to wonder what and why you what you do. To just get up every morning and accept what is happening as status quo is a bit unsettling.

It's not that I want more.
Geez, I'm in a pretty damn good spot.
I'm quite thankful.

I've just got this feeling that something very good is about to happen.
But I also have this notion that it is a 'right-turn' from the path I have been on.

"Trust your gut" is something I have always believed.

I don't believe in chance.
Flipping a coin never solves a problem.
The problem is solved,
you just can't see the solution.

So, I ask you to please be patient.
All this will sort out for the best.

As David Bowie sings, "Turn and face the strange."

How do you sort out changes in life?

Windmill Cookies

Happy thoughts of my childhood today.
Going to grandma's house, laughing and playing. Snacking on chips, candy, cookies ... pretty much whatever my brother and I wanted (afterall, we were at Grandma and Pa's house).

And eating Windmill Cookies!

Geez, I cannot remember the last time I ate one.

While working with a family today, I was offered a Windmill cookie (that project story to follow later this week).

It was amazing. All I could think about was my Grandma and how much fun I had with her. The games we would play, stories she shared, the cookies she baked and all the time spent at her and Pa's home.

Eating that windmill cookie today brought back so many wonderful memories. I find it very interesting how a cookie can trigger such feelings.

My grandma passed away 5 years ago on Christmas evening. Perhaps with the holiday approaching, I am remembering her. I just find it quite interesting to eat that windmill cookie today.

I am thankful my boys have a very close relationship with my mom. I wonder what they will remember about their grandma when they are 38 years old.

What memory do you have about your grandma?