One of the wonders of tidying, apart from living in less of a mess, is finding little treasures in the bottom of boxes. This one emerged from the depths today. I can’t remember who said it or when, but still seems entirely relevant.
Decide what it is you want. Write that shit down. Make a fucking plan. And work on it. Every. Single. Day. Stop the glorification of busy.
Rediscovering forgotten favourites is one of the joys of tidying up and unpacking boxes. It was rather enjoyable to unpack my CD collection onto the shelf and put my hands on so many wonderful recordings. Among the forgotten gems is Erroll Garner’s fun album, Up In Erroll’s Room. The album was recorded in 1967 with Erroll on piano and a very funky horn section. The Coffee Song, written by Bob Hilliard and Dick Miles, and first recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1946, is my favourite tune on the album,
My house is still a pile of boxes that need unpacking and sorting (it’s only been 6 months since I moved!) and I will confess that the mess is becoming more irritating as the weeks roll by. Mostly because I spend so much time looking for things. Small things, big things, old things, new things, important things and trivial things. I swear I went through every box (some of them twice) looking for my business cards and just when I was about to give up in a cloud of grumpiness, I found the magic box sitting quietly in a corner. In addition to finding the sought after cards, I found two hundred dollars in a pencil case. Hurrah for the joy that the chaos delivers!
I had an unplanned day at home today, which was remarkably productive in tiny ways. I unpacked my CDs (too many to count), picked up things from Bunnings and Officeworks, planted a big pot of basil, watered the garden, installed a new guest bed, and pulled out some weeds. Nothing very impressive, but I feel strangely satisfied, as though I accomplished quite a lot quite unexpectedly.
Going through the cupboards and boxes with the kids can be lots of fun, especially when it includes curious clothes. Fox coat, vintage tuxedo, couture jacket, high heels. The combination of a full wardrobe, an empty room, two kids and a camera make for a few hours of fun dress-ups and posing.
