Slowly Shifting Gears

Taking a Pause

I had grand plans last week, after finding my schedule suddenly wide open. What I planned, and what I did looked decidedly different. I learned shifting gears as dramatically as I did required a lengthy cooling 0ff period. Instead of tackling the chores I’d neglected, I spent the week reading, playing computer games, watching TV, and best of all, snuggling with my cats. The cats, by the way, were big fans and have expressed an interest in having last week’s schedule continue indefinitely.

Unfortunately, reality sets in; the house needs cleaning, and weekly errands still have to happen. Between visits from the plumber, feeding and medicating my brood, and scheduling appointments for myself, life is once again picking up the pace, though at a slower one than I’ve followed for the last few months. I’m taking advantage of the time to do some heavy housework as I know it’s only a temporary respite, at best. While work duties will only take up to 34 hours a month between now and April 17, my personal books were neglected all last year.

Added to the chaos is a switch from Quickbooks desktop to Quickbooks online, as I’m unwilling to pay Intuit $1000 a year for a POS program that crashes every five minutes. I’ve lost a lot of functionality since I’m unwilling to spring for anything but their cheapest, most basic plan, but work-arounds are my specialty, so I’ll make it work until I find something else to migrate to.

Getting Chores Done

Though housework may not be my favorite task, the cats have me beat, hands down, in their dislike of the activity. The vacuum cleaner alone drives them berserk, and this time, Miss Mulan of the private quarters had to suffer it too. Needless to say, I’ll have a lot of comforting in my future to de-stress her from a few minutes of vacuuming in her abode even without Ishtar’s unwelcome visits every time I open the door. As for the others, they’ve learned the vacuum cleaner typically stays on the ground, so the bed, or the back of the couch are usually safe. I say “usually” because next on the list is moving the furniture, and vacuuming the tops and sides of the sofas and chairs. I may need an extra round of treats tonight.

Meanwhile, walking, circuit training, and weekly volunteer hours with the rescue cats continue, while dancing remains sporadic, at best. I haven’t been able to work up the desire, much less, the excitement I used to have about going to my formerly usual place for an evening of dancing and community. Sadly, once I realized the community was a figment of my imagination, the joy disappeared.

Though the likelihood of running out of chores isn’t good, I’d like to work in a couple days a week at the gym, at some point. I dislike having unused resources, especially when they’re paid for by someone else! And heaven knows, my body could always use more exercise! It’s not that I feel uncomfortable, nor that I can’t find anyone to sit with between dances. Instead, it’s a lack of motivation to clean myself up after my afternoon walk to go where I was never as important as I’d hoped in the first place. The joy of dancing is still there, and I’m finding it in different places, just not on a regular basis right now.

Nevertheless, while the relative quiet continues, so does my restlessness. I need to be doing something productive, but my options are on my least enjoyable list, for the most part. I do enjoy walking on non-crunchy floors, however, so maybe I can learn to find joy in cleaning at this late date in my life. Something tells me, my options will open up once I complete a few household chores, and maybe a project or two I’ve been putting off for too long.

Grateful for the Peace and Quiet

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for being able to continue my independence, even if it includes doing my own housework. I have to remind myself what a blessing it is I can still vacuum, mop, and move furniture by myself.
2. I’m grateful for a short respite before my world goes back to its usual, crazy self.
3. I’m grateful for the consistencies in my life, even if some of the ones I believed in turned out to be facades.
4. I’m grateful for knowing when to cut cords. Not all benefits are worth having if the strings attached are skewed towards someone else.
5. I’m grateful for sticking to certain routines, even on days I’d rather lay around doing nothing.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful. In her spare time, she’s also an accountant with extensive experience in Government Contracting.