Who Needs Help?!
Posted by Joanna on Dec 26, 2008
Ever since August, after my husband and I had painted and cleaned an apartment we are managing for my daughter, our own basement has(had) been a mess. Paint cans and rollers and paint trays and a box that arrived with that sort of balloon like “bubble wrap” which Bob had left on the floor after opening up the box. Mind you- I only see the basement when I go down to do the laundry.
In Feng Shui however, they say that the basement is like your unconscious… bothers you even when you aren’t aware of it. And I definitely had a sense of being plagued – at least each time I went down with the wash.
But life is real and there’s TONS else that’s more important to do. No question about that! Whenever I thought about dealing with the basement it was a no-go. No matter how many times I put it on my TO DO list -it just sat there. YUCK!
Finally last week, despite the holidays just around the corner – I’d HAD IT with the basement. I phoned my friend Suzette, who used to be my assistant, to ask if she could possibly come over and help ME.
Well, it took us FOUR hours last Friday working together! No way would I have done it on my own ! At one point, Suzette asked me what was in the old work bench with drawers. NOTHING! It’s been
sitting there with a bit of gardening stuff on it since we moved in. Well she said, ““What about THAT for paint brushes, rollers, scrapers, clean rags etc etc.” So we put the stuff in the drawers and labeled the drawers. Not rocket science but feels BRILLIANT!
You wouldn’t believe how much better I feel. I have a yummy sense of the order and calm that are down there below me! And there was clearly NO WAY I was going to get it done by myself .
I am SOOOOOOOOOOO glad I asked for help and can start the New Year with an UN-annoying basement. I think most of us have more than enough good intentions! And then bang our heads into whatever it is that makes it hard to DO what we intend! Thus my advice to myself and you is: if you are STUCK in any way ASK FOR HELP! That, in fact, is going to be my ONLY New Year’s Resolution! Want to join me?
Wishing you an incredible 2009!
What’s in here? Use LABELS!
Posted by Joanna on Oct 13, 2007
You are looking for that gift you’ve been planning as a Sweet 16 present.
Maybe it’s up in the closet. You look at that box on the closet shelf. You
can feel your forehead tighten.
The wheels start turning … what’s in THAT box? Let’s see, well it was
probably two summers ago when you put it up there… hmmm. Tick tick tick
whrrrrrr buzzzzzzzz. Hmm- well maybe the present is in the other closet! This
box isn’t the right size - but what’s in it? No time to take it down now…
supper has to be on the table in minutes and then there’s the Committee Meeting.
As you drive to the meeting you find yourself thinking about that box. As you
head to bed you feel your stomach clench as you think about that present - maybe
it IS in the box on the shelf. Grrrrr. Tomorrow you will take the time to
pull out the step ladder and get down the box AND see!
How could you save yourself all this? LABELS!!! A plain old black marker
can save you so much unconcious and concious time. When you stash anything in a box-
LABEL it! Write BIG and where you will see it — perhaps several places top/side.
If it is a present and you don’t want the world to know what’s in the box - mark
it in some way that YOU will understand instantly.
That’s the whole thing. Life is too busy and there’s too much of value to do to
take a bunch of energy (and time) trying to figure out what’s in a box!
LABEL IT!
You know that one box is not a major issue but the fact is that they multiply-especially if they DON’T
have labels! And the time you spend trying to figure out what’s in a box could easily be used
to do something that really matters to you!
REMEMBER - This October- try labels!!!
Miracles - July 17 /Earthwide
Posted by Joanna on Jul 15, 2007
I figure (that at the least ) it can’t hurt to have as many people as possible at the same time praying/meditating for our Earth and it’s people. Thus I am sending this to you:
Dios los Bendiga, (God bless you) Joanna
___________________________________________________________________________
Fire the Grid….07/17/07 www.firethegrid.org
YouTube.com - Shelley Yates-Fire the
Grid-Part 1
We ALL Make a Difference
Everything Counts!
Let’s all Believe in Miracles
As We Believe We Create more of them!!
You need no particular beliefs to consider the following.
This is a story and a plan, and I love it! It absolutely resonated
with me. The basic story follows.
We will participate in the largest meditation/prayer/energy
exchange on behalf of our precious planet this world has ever
experienced. Join us for one hour at 11:11 GMT (4:11 AM pacific
coast US people, all you other beauties can use a time chart)
July 17, 2007 to Fire the Grid, or, as I see it, pour our
energies into turning the tide from destruction and chaos to
Creativity and Love for our Mother Earth.
Read the basic story:
One of the places Shelley Yates told of her near-death experience
on May 5, 2007 was as a speaker sponsored by Virginia Beach
Friends of IANDS (International Association of Near Death
Studies). She has also told her story countless times all over
the world, and you can read about her story or hear her story via
the links below: Highlights of her story are that she began
hearing a calming, angelic voice while she was drowning in a
freak car accident in a lake with her 4-year-old son in 2002. The
voice told her that she and her son would be rescued and that
they would recover. She was under water for about 15 minutes. Her
son was under the water for 30 minutes before being rescued.
The doctors at the hospital said that he was brain-dead, and
recommended that he be removed from life-support. The voice told
Shelley that he could be brought back to health if people would
place their hands on him and share the energy of their auras by
touching him and talking to him, sharing their joys in life. So
Shelley called everyone to help. After 72 hours her son awoke and
recognized his mother. He is a healthy and exceptional boy
today.
Then the voice said that Earth needs to be brought back to
health, and that what happened with her son with a small group of
people could happen to Earth with a large group. Shelley was
told to invite people around the world to share their energy
with Earth from 7:11 - 8:11 Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday,
July 17, (4:11 AM Pacific Daylight Time) 2007. That hour will be
the peak of a daylong energy flow from the center of our galaxy.
Those who participate by praying, meditating, or just doing what
they love to do with gratitude, will be energized. They will
light up. Their energy will be raised equal to 10 years of
meditation. Also, Earth will light up. That’s why the project is
called Fire the Grid. Each one of us is a hexagon in the Grid.
This will begin a new era in human history in which all persons
will have basic needs met. And it’s about time.
The message is that the one-hour of focused sharing of energy
with intention will change the history of Earth. This is the
first time that such a great number of the human family will be
joining together mentally and spiritually to create a harmonious
future. Millions of people are already involved. Currently
Shelley’s website has 1.5 million hits a month and hundreds of
groups have formed around the world.
Organize a group meditation in your home, church or community!!
Set your alarm clock! And let’s do this thing: Fire the Grid, the
Earth Grid, with your Loving attention!
There are several ways in which you can learn more about Shelley
Yates and Fire the Grid:
* A five-minute video about sharing our energy to heal Earth can
be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA1t-nyA0v4. Also, in
8 parts is Shelly herself on one of her lecture tours
telling her incredible story and giving out great details. I’ve
personally been enjoying the You Tube Talks, where she shares
with humor, humility, and no-nonsense approach.
* The official web site for Fire the Grid is www.firethegrid.com
* Shelley told her story at the Friends of IANDS group
(International Association for Near-Death Studies) in Madison,
Wisconsin on May 10, 2007, and the audio of that presentation is
available at
http://madisoniands.org/wp/.
It lasts about an hour and 45 minutes, and is INCREDIBLE!
* Shelley appeared as a guest on WorldPuja Internet Radio on
uesday, June 5, 2007. You can hear her without cost from the
archives at http://www.worldpuja.org/power-of-life.php
Also:
You can obtain a copy of the video of her presentation in
Virginia Beach by making a donation to VBIANDS. Simply notify
Dick Dinges that you wish to receive a copy, make out a check for
$12 to VBIANDS and mail it to Dick Dinges, 1285 Paramore Drive,
Virginia Beach, VA 23454. Your copy will be mailed as soon as
your receive your request. DVD and audiotape cassette are also
available.
* You can enter “Shelley Yates” in a search window such as Google
and find many interesting articles. One is:
http:// forums.firehouse.com/archive/index.php/t-42567.html.
Scroll down to the seventh story.
What would it cost us by praying or mediating or drumming, or
listening to good music while sending the earth love for one
hour? Absolutely nothing. But we all have everything to gain for
our children, the children of our future and for our Home.
Daily Green Tips and You
Posted by Joanna on Jul 13, 2007
It appears that (so far) I am a once-a-month blogger.
Yes, I know that that is hardly what REAL bloggers do. But I don’t seem to be able to wrap my brain around hours and hours of reading and writing on the computer.
I write and read personal email and subscribe to a couple of newsletters but surfing the web for hours??? Doesn’t seem that it will ever click for me.
I have chosen to get only ONE daily advice letter– from IDEAL BITE. If it doesn’t seem immediately relevant I delete it but they have a bunch of good advice; given that I would like our Earth to continue for a long time I figure we need all the help we can get.
Do have a look and see what you think. And by the way- Happy July! Joanna
p.s. If you haven’t yet, you are certainly invited to sign up for my free bi-weekly organizing tips.
WOW- a NEW place to put stuff
Posted by Joanna on Jun 15, 2007
A friend sent me this link … wait till you see the latest in storage places.
Also a interesting site for lots of organizing info … I’m amazed at how much some people manage to write — not sure how they do it but here’s a link worth looking at .. and my kudos to the folks who produce the site! Surprise - you are walking up storage…
Resistance to decluttering(wisdom from Mark)
Posted by Joanna on May 18, 2007
You know when you are TRYING to get organized and it just doesn’t happen, over and over?
You may tell yourself it’s just your RESISTANCE.
I’ve just read a wonderful article by Mark Silver on resistance which seems to me could be helpful to anyone who is getting stuck on ANY project including decluttering and organizing.
If you keep getting stuck when trying to get organized, go have a look at his blog article on Resistance and see if it doesn’t help.
http://heartofbusiness.com/wordpress/
Hoarding ?
Posted by Joanna on May 11, 2007
Hoarding in the Encarta Dictionary: To collect and store, often secretly, a large quantity of something such as food or money for use in the future.
You may have read some of the studies on hoarding. Psychology Professor Randy Frost at Smith College has recently been recognized as a pioneer in the subject.
Sometime soon I hope to read his book Buried in Treasures. An article on Frost’s work refers to the website with mulitple resources. http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/
The closet that’s WAY too full of clothes and still you buy more; dozens of unused tools in the garage. It’s not necessarily full blown “hoarding” but there’s an element of hoarding in that…especially if you don’t want anyone to know you’ve brought in that one more thing.
Do you or anyone you know have a tendency to hoard? What is the difference between hoarding and keeping stuff? At what point does it become a problem?
“Everybody’s Talking at Me …
Posted by Joanna on Apr 26, 2007
Don’t hear a word they say - only a shadow on my mind…”
That may not be the exact quote but that’s how I remember it and rather than go searching I thought I’d say hello.
There’s so much information “talking at us” all the time that I have been pondering the purpose of this blog as related to all the messages you already get; thinking how Breathing Space and I can best use this space.
I think I have finally figured out how this blog will be different from the organizing tips I send out to folks who ask for them. The tips are available and over time I will make them more so … an RSS feed etc and so forth…
But, I do want to talk about organzing and world issues somewhere; about specific ways in which we humans can make small differences that add up - and this blog can officially be that place.
As you who have visited my website know, for me, the main reason for spending any time on organizing is to make it more possible to do what you really love and care about. And the STUFF we have AND what we do with it are also very much linked to how the world-at-large functions.
ELECTRICITY!!!
The most recent world helping/organizing tip that I have heard is about saving electricity by plugging in your electronic devises to a power strip. When you leave your work space - or entertainment space - TV etc. even if you have turned off individual machines - it saves more electricity if you also turn off the power strip.
Most electronic devices have some electric pull even when you turn them off. Those little red lights inform you that SOME electricity is being used simply in order to tell you that the device is NOT being used! Do you need that?
The investment for a power strip is as low as $4.99 and you will save a bit of electricity every day. Every bit adds up!
Do you have other tips that have worked for you? please share!
What to do with old computers?
Posted by Joanna on Apr 6, 2007
I just discovered this resource! Hurrah! You may, like so many of us, have a large collection of unwanted computers and computer equipment taking up space in your garage,basement,attic or your office. Would you like to get rid of them in a earth friendly and people friendly way?
In case you don’t get my weekly tips- here’s the scoop. (Go to www.dell.com/recycle to get the full story.)
” Donate
Dell provides consumers a donation option for old computers. When you are ready for a new system there are neighbors in your community who could make use of your old one. Through Dell Recycling,consumers can donate their computers to the National Cristina Foundation to help disabled and economically disadvantaged children and adults in your own community. The foundation will pick up your computer at your door and put it to good use in your community.
Recycle
If recycling your computer is your preference, Dell offers an environmentally friendly method to dispose of outdated computer equipment that no longer has useful life.
Dell is happy to accept any brand of computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor or printer. And Dell will pick it up at your home. ”
WOW! That’s what they are promising. Give it a try during your spring decluttering! And please let us know what happens!
The Clutter of Causes…Guantanamo
Posted by Joanna on Apr 5, 2007
No- not the other way around.
I am not writing about the causes of clutter though I could and should at some time.
But rather - once again a major concern has crossed my desk. In some ways causes do feel like clutter. There are endless numbers of causes; you can only think about so many before your mind and heart become overwhelmed.
At the same time- there are some things that each of us decides to let in. And today for me it is the issue of Guantanamo prison. Here is what avaaz is saying about it. Seems like a pretty timely cause for this week — what with Passover and Easter. It’s something that CAN be changed!
Here is the info from the Avaaz email:
Adel Hamad grew up in a small village in Sudan. Through hard work, he became a schoolteacher and hospital assistant. To support his family he took a better job at a community hospital in Afghanistan. Then late one night he was torn from his bed and sent to hell, as Guantanamo Bay Detainee #940.
Adel Hamad has had no trial. He has seen no family members for four years. Even US military officers reviewing his situation have called his detention “unconscionable.” But he and nearly 400 other prisoners are still trapped at Guantanamo. Last week US Defense Secretary Robert Gates finally said Guantanamo should be closed. President Bush’s advisors are split down the middle on this issue — a massive global outcry could tip the balance, and push Bush to close Guantanamo forever. Click below to sign the Close Guantanamo petition, and we’ll run ads next week in major US papers announcing the number of signatures:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo
It’s now clear that many of the detainees are simply innocent people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Guantanamo’s former commander General Jay Hood has admitted, “Sometimes we just didn’t get the right folks.” This is what happens when people are held without charge or trial.
After being held for five years, last week Australian David Hicks was finally charged — and sentenced to just 9 months in an Australian prison. This hardly looks like the “worst of the worst” - words the Bush Administration used to justify ignoring basic standards of justice. Meanwhile, as regimes around the world use Guantanamo to excuse their own human rights abuses, international law keeps taking a beating.
Sign the petition calling on the US government to close Guantanamo , and for its inmates to be tried in a legitimate court or set free. Let’s run ads in Washington DC and show that citizens from every country on earth want this injustice to end:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo
In hope,
Ricken, Milena, Tom, Graziela and the Avaaz Team
