Craigslist Craze

Holy cow! Less than 36 hours after I posted a heap of both useless and useful things on craigslist, everything was gone. It's utterly amazing. What's frustrating about the things I was selling is the fact that I'm totally convinced I could have gotten more money for them. There was no negotiating. People were more than willing to give me what I was asking... telltale signs that money was left on the table. Better luck next time. Now as for the endless supply of things I was giving away, I'm thoroughly amazed what people will take. As a friend of mine said, one man's trash... Oh, it is so true. Now there is still plenty laying around that I neither gave away nor sold. In fact, as I was piling this stuff in a box to give away, I came to the general conclusion that I need to have a garage sale. My first ever. Weekend after next. Time to fish or cut bait. Everything must go. All dark depths of closets with be cleaned out. The clutter will be sold or donated. This should be a cleansing process. That, and truly exhausting.

Clutter

Clutter, clutter everywhere and not a drop to drink... oh wait, that's water. Ever notice how you can't think clearly when there's chaos around you? That's precisely me. I used to think I was an organized slob. My desk at the office was always layers upon layers of scattered paper, and if someone asked me a question about something, I knew exactly which pile to forage through and how deep I needed delve. Well, something must have happened on the way to the forum, because nowadays, clutter is my worst enemy. When surrounded by a mess, I lose focus, productivity, and motivation. I get so distracted at times, that I'm almost paralyzed. Perhaps this is what leads to what I like to call my slothiness. It always seems as though there are endless closets to clean out, never ending chores to be done, and countless unfinished projects. How can you move forward by leaps and bounds with all this crap weighing you down? That's where I feel like I am now. Wanting desperately to move forward and make progress, but perpetually hindered by this clutter.

I can remember when I was in grad school (for the record not all that long ago) whenever I was faced with a serious deadline, be it an exam or paper, my apartment always got really clean. It's like I couldn't get started studying or writing before everything was put away and in its proper place. (Perhaps this is another argument to go back to school, yet again.) The difference is back then the cleaning frenzy was mostly an act of procrastination, once everything was in place there was nothing else to distract me. Now, it needs to be a conscious, deliberate act to free myself from this mess. I am finding that the more I do, the more inspired I am to accomplish more things and the more at peace I am with my surroundings.

So, that being said, it's time to have a heyday on craigslist. Clutter be gone, once and for all!

Changes in Attitude

A good attitude is not by coincidence but by choice. I am reminded of a bumper sticker my father prominently displayed on the refrigerator during my teenage years. Keep a good attitude. It's a very simple sentiment, but to a moody adolescent, it's a lost cause. Fast forward 10-20 some odd years... I'm not sure just how many it really has been, and I really don't want to be reminded right now. But it's been several to say the least, and at this stage of my life, I have no excuse. A good attitude is absolutely by choice, all legal (and illegal) mood enhancing drugs aside. I am in control of my own circumstances. If something is not working I can change it. Well, that's all well and good, but putting it into practice is another thing. Over the years, I have been both personally and professionally unsatisfied, and I have done very little about it. Thankfully, professionally, things have taken a fantastic turn for the better. I hate that I have to keep reminding myself of that fact on those days where I find myself grumbling at the office. Luckily they are fewer and farther between, but to tie me over between good days, I have found a new solution. Running! After an exquisitely tough run last night, I found myself on this ridiculous runner's high all day today. I was like a giddy school girl at the office. I was on cloud nine, and there was nothing anyone could do to derail that. It's a lovely thing.

The times they are a changin'

One season inevitably fades into the next. Just as winter thaws into spring, spring always warms into summer. The days are getting longer, and the chill is almost completely out of the air. We are on the cusp of summer, and I refuse to be the grasshopper. Many changes have come my way over the years, and they continue to surprise me daily. In the words of Jimmy Buffett, changes in attitude, changes in latitude... where is my margarita? Change always presents opportunities for failure and success, and I've certainly had my fair share of both. But I think this summer I shall be the ant. Time for a little experiment. I want there to be much success and not simply by chance, but by hard, concerted effort. Wish me luck.