Now that this blog is in its fourth year (yay!) I’ve been posting entries on a fairly regular schedule. Usually I write three (optimistically four) posts a week: a Clutter Comedy post every Sunday, a Nurturing Thursday post every Thursday, and one or two articles or stories in between. That’s mostly good because my blog now has more content than it had in past years, and the posts that I write for my two regular feature days flow pretty easily because they’re short and structured.

But if Wednesday evening arrives and I haven’t yet written the miscellaneous early-week post, then I feel as if I’m slacking off because my readers will expect me to stay on my regular schedule. Yes, I know that’s a silly thing to worry about. I never had any plans to make money from my blog, so there’s certainly no reason to think of it as having a production schedule like work; and in reality, I don’t believe I have such a demanding audience.

If I slack off once, though, I might do it again, and then this blog could end up as just another derelict hulk adrift in cyberspace. It’s the slippery slope worry—once you start slipping, there’s just no telling where you might end up!
 

Waterfall over steep, slippery rocks.

(Creative Commons image via flickr)
 

Earlier today, when I didn’t have anything in mind to write, I got those slacking-off feelings and then started giving myself a lecture on how ridiculous it was to worry about staying on a schedule that I had just invented last year for no particular reason. Life in the modern world already has too many randomly imposed expectations, so why add more?

I had just about decided it was time to apply to the Court of Conscience for official permission to slack off, when I realized that everything I had been telling myself would work just fine as a blog entry! So as it turned out, there’s a post for Wednesday after all, and no need to get myself an excuse note just yet.

April 5, 2015 · 4 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags:

This week’s clutter blog comes to you from the depths of the toy and school supplies closet in the room that used to be my kids’ study. Next to a pair of portable intercom devices, which are old enough that the white plastic is turning yellow, I found a tiny phone. Although it plugs into a jack and is usable, I would call it a toy, and a very antiquated one at that.
 

Set of two portable intercom devices and a toy phone. 

I don’t quite remember when my daughter got the tiny blue phone, but it must have been before she had a mobile phone—she certainly wouldn’t have had any interest in it after that! So I’m guessing it sat on the closet shelf without anyone using it ever since we moved into this house. And I’m pretty sure the kids never talked to each other on the intercoms after getting their own phones, either. Time marches on, like it always does; and it certainly marched past this stuff long ago!

About Clutter Comedy: Every Sunday (which I envision as a day of rest after a productive week of de-cluttering) I post a Clutter Comedy article describing my most memorable clutter discovery of the week. Other bloggers who wish to join in are welcome—just post a link in the comments! There’s no need to publish any “before” photos of your clutter, if they are too embarrassing. The idea is simply to get motivated to clean it up, while having a bit of fun too!

When my daughter bought her puppy, she got a plain set of metal food and water bowls in a plastic holder. That seemed just fine at the time, and we didn’t think about other possibilities until my husband mentioned that it would be good to have two sets, so that one could be put in the dishwasher while another was left out for the dog. He went to the pet store and bought a colorful placemat with two sets of sturdy ceramic bowls.
 

Ceramic food and water bowls for the dog, on a mat decorated with brightly colored bones. 

The new dog accessories really brightened up the kitchen! Today’s consumer society, even with all its flaws, can be a resource for better nurturing when we buy things that make our surroundings more pleasant. Of course, we need to be careful not to let spending get out of control or let clutter pile up; but within those constraints, buying cheerful little things can go a long way toward improving one’s mood! The old set of bowls is already in the trunk of my car waiting to be taken to the thrift store.

And if you are wondering—yes, that is a small piece of banana on top of the dog food. I often eat a banana in the morning, and Diva Dog decided she likes it, so I usually break off a piece for her. She is definitely a pampered puppy!

Nurturing Thursday was started by Becca Givens and seeks to “give this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.” Visit her site to find more Nurturing Thursday posts and a list of frequent contributors.

April 1, 2015 · 4 comments · Categories: Musings · Tags: ,

Last night I had a very vivid dream in which I was driving along a narrow country road in the dark of winter. It was a lonely road and I wasn’t sure where I was going. After a while I felt sure that I had gone the wrong way and should be on a different road, so I turned my car around.
 

Car on a lonely road on a winter night.

(Creative Commons image via flickr)
 

When I woke up, it felt like my subconscious mind had sent me some kind of message about changing direction, but it wasn’t entirely clear. I didn’t know whether the dream was telling me that it’s time to change something I am doing in the present, or whether it was reflecting anxiety about possibly making a wrong choice in the future. So I decided to turn it into a blog post and ask for suggestions in the comments.

Readers, have you ever had a wrong-way dream, and what did you feel that it was telling you? How did things turn out afterward? Did you realize that you had made a wrong choice somewhere and then make a change of direction in your real life? Or did you decide that you’d had the dream because of worrying about a future choice you would have to make?