4 Questions:

You'd think,that if someone had fresh flowers behind her sink, she'd make sure the area in front and beside her sink looked just as nice, no?

Instead of packing the dishwasher and washing the pots and wiping the counters and sweeping the floor and putting away the leftovers, that someone is sitting at her kitchen table, with her back to the mess, and is blogging.

Priorities.

Mine are so simple.

Do what brings you joy. First.

Then clean up later.

See how that works? Happiness before cleanliness.

Works every time.

In order to catch up with the deep questions thingy, I'm going to have to tackle four of them tonight. Expect fabulous answers because it's only midnight and I only have 200 pages to (re-)read before tomorrow as well as attend to those dishes before I go to sleep.

What area of my life needs simplifying and what's one way I could simplify in that area?

I was raised by a bookkeeper. And an opposite-of-a-bookkeeper (did you ever SEE his barns?). And I think I have more messy-barn-like qualities than I like to admit. My filing/keep-track-of-papers system is out of control. I DO NOT LIKE FILING. (I have 6 months of filing to do at work too.) I used to have a to-be-filed pile of papers in a basket on the corner of my desk. Two years ago, I rearranged my life and reassigned the big bottom drawer of my desk as the to-be-filed "holding" area. Out of sight. Out of mind. Every month I take the mail out of the to-be-looked at "holding" drawer, pay everything online, then move the papers to the to-be-filed drawer.

It's sort of organized. Most current paid bills are on the top. Last year's paid bills are at the bottom.

I may need to revisit my system and make some adjustments.

And what could I do to simplify it all?

After I've paid the bills, I could throw them away. And never have to file another piece of paper.

Oh and something else I could simplify? ONE PASSWORD FOR EVERY ONLINE ACCOUNT. I have about a dozen passwords for various online accounts and it makes my head hurt.

Oh and something else I could simplify? My finances. I think I should see an advisor so he can tell me if it's really worthwhile to have this many RRSP accounts. And can I really replace my vehicle? And should I downsize or not? And am I at the best bank for my situation? And should I exchange my Visa Gold for an Avion card?

Oh and something else I could simplify? My bookshelves. Really? Colour-coded? Why don't I organize the books by author's last name like everyone else in the world.

Oh and something else I could simplify? Well, the list just goes on and on, doesn't it? Can you tell I had no one to talk to tonight? It was Drew's turn to be sick ("Don't ever let Clint come home again if all he's going to do is infect us with his germs") and he had a sore throat.

What's the most important need I feel burdened to meet this year?

I feel the need to not be fat.

But I'm not sure I feel burdened enough to meet that need yet.

So another need that I have promised myself I WILL meet, is the need my Compassion kids have to hear from me. Letters. I feel a huge burden to write to them every month. I've even marked it on my calendar. ("Write to Compassion Kids today.") Plus I will send them photos, bookmarks, stickers, pencils, whatever. I feel burdened to do whatever it takes to let them know that there is someone out there who is praying for them. Who believes in them. Who thinks they're great.
What habit would I most like to establish this year?
I would like to start biting my nails again.

And find some way to make my mornings more meaningful. I hate mornings. And I waste alot of time hating mornings.

I would like to develop a habit (anything, really) that makes my mornings more tolerable. Something to look forward to.

Something worth getting up for.

See, every part of a person's morning routine is purely chore-based. No one does anything just-for-fun first thing. It's all about grooming, and cleaning, and preparing, and moving forward. And, really? It's just so much work.

Maybe I should get in the habit of walking every morning? But what if it's raining? Or cold? Or windy? Or snowing? Blech.

Then it goes from "fun" to blech.

Maybe I should watch an episode of Reba every morning? That'd be fun, no? Would I feel guilty about watching a show when real Christians are having devotions in the morning?

Lastly -

Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?

Hmmm. Great question.

A couple answers popped into my mind immediately:

1. My Compassion kids.

2. My mom.

3. My sister.

4. A friend who's husband just left her.

5. People who are struggling with their faith.

How about you?

Have you been playing along at home?

Care to share any of your answers?