Putting my house in order – January 2019
Not one for NY resolutions, I am however really enjoying the surge of energy I’m feeling at the start of 2019. This time last year my Mum had not long died and I felt as if I was crawling into the new year. My only goal at that stage was to have one thing each month to look forward. Those things became my stepping stones through a difficult year.
It took me until October to even start to emerge from my grief. Obviously the grief is still there but it is no longer pulling me under – it’s a part of life but it’s no longer all-consuming. From that point on I had a real drive to ‘catch up’ on the months I had lost and I entered into a phase of frantic DIY which lasted until early December. In hindsight, I realise that it was mostly about being so busy that I didn’t have time to think; it was my way of escaping from the world and staying safe in my house. It left me with newly painted walls and total exhaustion!
Since Christmas I have started on a new DIY project, but this time it feels different. I’m not using it to avoid the world – I’m using it as a way of putting my house in order and the change in focus feels quite nurturing. Resolving problems, clearing out cupboards, reorganising and re-thinking how I use the space I have, has been a really positive process – although the dog is still not happy that his bed is in a different place!!
At the same time I’ve started taking more care of my body – the ‘house’ in which I literally live – by reviewing and overhauling some lazy nutrition and exercise habits:
- I’ve defrosted and sorted through my freezer; stocked up on staple ingredients; batch-cooked some meals and prepped so that healthy meals can be quicker and easier to prepare.
- I’ve been trying to walk at least 5km a day – some days I’ve gone double that distance, some days I haven’t reached it, but over time I hope the average is 35km a week. I’m finding it quite tough – not the distance, but the time it takes to walk the distance – but since I hate running I’m just going to have to find the time required!
- I have also signed up to R.E.D January to nudge me into doing something fitness-related every day (on top of walking). I have become very good (aka bad!) at ‘letting myself off’ my own fitness training over the past few years, armed with some real reasons but mostly lots of excuses, but I am determined that it is going to change this year. I’ve started with short workouts on the basis that 10-15 minutes is an ok place to begin and that done is better than perfect. It’s not too late to sign up to R.E.D January if you need a gentle nudge too
The final part of putting my house in order is finding a word to set my intention for the way ahead. I caught myself thinking I didn’t want to do this because although I think it’s a neat idea, nothing came to mind and I didn’t want to give my energy to it…but my #cy365 photo prompt for Thursday was ‘one word’ and that kind of forced the issue! My first thought was ‘now’ because it was in the title of the book I had just finished reading (‘Goodbye For Now’ by Laurie Frankel) and I decided it was a good reminder about being present – ‘in the now’.
Then as I walked my 4.7km this morning I decided that ‘here’ was perhaps a better reminder to be present in life and so that is what I have settled on. I regularly give myself the chance to opt out of living fully but maybe this year will be different and I will opt-in to the ‘here and now’ more often…
Regardless of the time of year, I think it is always useful to take time for some auditing and life-laundry. Putting my house in order feels like the best way to start the year, and so much better in every way than the way it started last year.
I don’t plan to use these intentions to beat myself up with if I get side-tracked later on, but at their heart these are the things that matter to me and it seems sensible to set out my stall in the quiet moments before I go fully back to work next week.
I’m fed up with not showing up in my own life and I am the only person that can do something about it, so watch this space (or don’t!) – this year I will be HERE!
Jx