Goals

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3
Jan 10

Two organizing tasks, many more to go!

Project #1: Our new collectible cubbie cabinet!

Project #1: Our new collectible cubbie cabinet!

Today I completed two more small projects on my quest to excavate all corners of my home during 2010.

Project #1:  Our Cubbie Cabinet

The first involved hanging a small cabinet (or whatever you want to call it) used to display collectibles.  John was sweet enough to take some time to hang it for me then I had lots of fun arranging several collectible items in each of the cubbies.  This made me very happy.  Why so?

1. I move something useful out of our garage and put it to good use.  This shelf had been living in our garage for about 2.5 years.  I liked it and couldn’t bear to get rid of it but I didn’t have a proper home for it (hence, the garage–the home for the homeless.)  John recently removed a picture from our wall that he gave to his mother (she loved it so much) and, voila!, I found a perfect new home for the shelf.

2. I have a beautiful new home for several collectibles that are very meaningful to me and John.  I am not a huge fan of collectibles but these are all items that have meaning, are beautiful and have mostly come from our families (silver baby cups from my Aunt Mary and her sister; John’s engraved silver napkin ring–yes, you read correctly;  a decorative dish that belonged to my Auntie Pauline; a saki set John’s Auntie Anne gave to him–you get the idea.)

3. This project encouraged me to dig out some collectibles from boxes and dark corners of the closet to give them a proper home.  What’s the purpose of having these items if  you just hide them and never get to see and enjoy them?

4. It also encouraged me to get out the silver polish and clean some tarnished items that were in need of a good shine. (I still have some more work to do in that area but I’ve gotten a good start.)   It felt good to take tender loving care of some of our beautiful things.

Now each day we’ll enjoy the fruits of our labor!

Project #2:  Organizing my Necklaces

My necklaces hanging inside my linen cupboard door.

My necklaces hanging inside my linen cupboard door.

The second project was organizing my necklaces. This Christmas I received several necklaces thanks to my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law.  Add those to my old favorites and some recent purchases I made (thanks to a recent Lia Sophia party….you know how that goes) and I was overflowing in necklaces.

Recently I saw a magazine photo of necklaces hanging from clever little hooks, all on display so as not to be forgotten and easy to reach.  I loved the idea but where could I possibly hang my necklaces in such a small bathroom/dressing area?   Ah ha!  The back of my linen closet door!  Our bathroom has a tall narrow linen closet with two cabinet doors.  I bought a package of small hooks with adhesive (that is supposed to come off easily in case I want to ever remove them–we’ll see about that.)  I hung two rows of hooks and added my collection of necklaces.

Organizing heaven!

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2
Jan 10

2010 Projects


The star lights we bought in Healdsburg that finally got hung this week

The star lights we bought in Healdsburg that finally got hung this week!

I love this time of year.  For me it’s always a time of reflection on the past year and excitement about my hopes for the New Year.

Last night I saw the movie Julie & Julia (or is it the other way around?) and I loved it.  I was so inspired by Julie’s commitment to her one-year challenge of cooking all 524 of the recipes in Julia Child’s first cookbook and recording her journey on her blog.  It got me to thinking about the year ahead of me and what challenges I could take on that would be fun, significant (to me) and maybe even worthy of recording on my own blog.  (My poor neglected blog that is in desperate need of rejuvenation and focus.)

Two ideas came to mind pretty quickly.  The first–spending the next year excavating every corner and object in my house to clean out, organize, repair, give away, polish, clean, make use of, use up (and anything else you can do to stuff) so in the end, my home is tidy and clean and contains only things that I love or are useful.   (I’ve actually gotten a great head start on this project which is why this one came so quickly to mind–more to come on that.)  The second idea is spending the next year reconnecting and/or connecting more closely with friends and family I haven’t been in connect with in a long time (I’ll also include here doing a much better job of remembering birthdays, spending more time with my girlfriends who I’ve neglected since I got married, calling family I haven’t talked to in ages–you get the idea.)  The first idea appeals to my orderly side.  It would be lots of work but I would feel soooooo good with the end result (and I do have a huge desire to declutter, pare down and get organized.)  The second idea is definitely more worthwhile in the grand scheme of things (people before stuff) but I know it will be a  far greater challenge–in many instances, I’ll have to plunge into the deep waters of fear (of rejection) and that’s a hugely scary thought.  Yikes.  (What if my old high school friends don’t want to reconnect with  me?)

For the past 24 hours these ideas have been tossing and turning in my head–one I’d love to do, the other I should do/need to do.  One that feels frivolous and unimportant (but I know it’s not really–my home is my safe haven and the more positive energy I can create the better) and the other that feels somewhat heavy and daunting but also potentially exciting and I know it will bring me tremendous emotional rewards and enrich my life immensely.

So, why do I need to choose?  Why not do both?  Maybe that’s just what I’ll do.  I’ll noodle on that idea for a few days.

I mentioned earlier that I’ve already started my home excavation project.  Here are a few things I’ve done:

1.  We had a big basket on top of our refrigerator.  It held a dozen Ball canning jars and lids.  They were covered in about 4+ years’ worth of dust.  Yuk.  I took them down, washed them all in the dishwasher then took the clean jars and put them in a box that was covered tight (to keep the dust out) and stored them neatly in the garage.  I told John that if they weren’t used within the next year, we’d toss them.  (His mom is visiting and she is talking about making lemon marmalade with lemons from our tree.  Maybe they will get used after all.)

2. I helped my youngest step-son start to clean out his room.  He already set aside two bags of clothing and other items to take to Goodwill and filled two more bags with trash.  We’ve got a lot more work to do but we’re off to a good start.  I was so happy when he told me he wanted to keep his room “simple.”  He only uses his room to sleep (he prefers to hang out in the den where the TV and computer are) so he doesn’t want any extra furniture or stuff in his room.  Wow, if he can learn to keep things simple at this age, he’ll be way ahead of the game.

3. John and I bought two beautiful, star-shaped decorative lights.  The light bulb goes inside the stars and the light shines through cut outs that are covered with tissue paper.  (Not so easy to describe, are they? See the photo!)  We  had one for three years, gathering dust on a shelf yet to be hung.  The other we bought at the same store (in Healdsburg, Sonoma County) just a few weeks ago during our Thanksgiving road trip.  We hung them both together in the den this week and they look super cool.  After three years, a project is complete.

Cleaning, decluttering and putting our stuff to good use.  I can feel the positive energy in the house already!

Goals / Life / Relationships — 2 Comments
22
Feb 09

StoryCorps: Listening is an Act of Love

Where were you at 7:30 am on Thursday, February 19? Or 4:50 pm that same day? I was listening to my StoryCorps interview on KPCC, 89.3.  Yep, my interview.

 

Another huge goal accomplished for 2009! 

 

This one actually exceeded my hopes and intentions—not only did I record an interview with StoryCorps, a short segement of the interview was selected to air on our Los Angeles NPR station!  Talk about the icing on the cake.

 

I’ve been a big fan of StoryCorps for quite a while now.  The Friday morning stories, aired nationally on NPR, are a highlight of my radio-listening week.  They are all beautiful stories and several have even moved me to tears.

 

Not heard of StoryCorps? Here’s their mission, taken from their webpage:  “The mission of StoryCorps is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. We accomplish this by providing access both to the StoryCorps interview experience and to the content that emerges from these interviews.  StoryCorps reminds us of the importance of listening to and learning from those around us. It celebrates our shared humanity. It tells people that their lives matter and they won’t be forgotten. Through StoryCorps, we hope to create a kinder, more thoughtful and compassionate nation.”

 

Wow.  This is powerful stuff.

 

My friend Laura is a huge fan as well.  So when I learned that a StoryCorps mobile station was coming to east LA, there was no doubt in my mind I’d sign up and would ask Laura to be my partner. Laura agreed to participate immediately and enthusiastically and I made sure I was at my computer at 10 am sharp on the day reservations opened.  The first appointment I wanted was swooped away (they booked super fast) but I got my second choice—Sunday, February 1 at 10: 30 am.

 

On the drive up to LA, Laura and I decided we’d talk about our friendship and that she would interview me.  We borrowed several questions from the list of ideas published on the StoryCorps website and she added several she made up on her own (which remained secret to me until our interview.)  Laura and I have a deep and complex relationship so I had no doubt we’d find plenty to talk about and that it would be real and honest.  

 

 

I’d never been in a recording studio so the experience of recording our interview (40 minutes worth) was new.  I thought for sure the huge microphones in front of us would be a distraction, as well as the girl sitting behind me manning the audio equipment.  Both faded away within minutes and for 40 minutes (or what is just 10 minutes?), it was just me and Laura talking openly and honestly about our friendship. 

 

A few weeks later, when KPCC called to get our permission to air a segment of our conversation, I about fell off my chair.  This couldn’t be true!  It was.  Although it only aired in LA and not nationally, that was more than fine with me.  I really didn’t care who heard it, if anyone. (Three colleagues at work heard it!) What I cared about what that the universe was giving me thumbs up for deciding to participate in a project that had great meaning for me.  Rather than sit on the sidelines and think about what it would be like to participate, I took the initiative and made it happen. And the universe decided to affirm my decision by putting it on the air for anyone who wanted to listen.  How cool is that?

 

If you want to hear or read our two-minute segment, here you go:    http://www.scpr.org/news/stories/2009/02/19/08_storycorps_teer_0219.html.  Oh, yeah, all StoryCorps stories will be permanently archived in the Library of Congress so if this link doesn’t work, you can check it out, all 40 minutes worth, the next time you’re in Washington, D.C.

Animals / Goals / Life / Passions — 1 Comment
22
Feb 09

By the Grace of Gracie

Today things started to click.  I was actually able to get Gracie to move where I wanted her to to and to trot when I asked her!  After three horseback riding lessons, I’m excited about my progress—and even more importantly, I really enjoyed my lesson.

Learning to ride a horse is a major goal of mine for 2009.  I found a wonderful instructor, Denise, through Elizabeth, a volunteer and donor I interact a lot with at work.  She and her husband have several horses that are stabled on their property at home.  Elizabeth is a total horse person—she spends summers at her second home in Idaho, with the horses.  I told Elizabeth about my plans to learn to ride and asked if she knew of a good instructor.  She immediately suggested Denise.  (Ask and you shall receive.)  When I contacted Denise and she told me she worked at the “Beverly Hillbilly” stable at Coto de Caza (vs. the much larger Beverly Hills stable), I knew she would be a good match for me.     

Today was lesson number three, my second session with Gracie.  (Last week was Billy Joe Bob on a trail ride.) She is a beautiful quarter horse—chestnut colored with a white stripe down her nose.  She is gentle and sweet and very patient with novices like me.  I felt at ease with Gracie the first time I met her.  Today I groomed her and walked her on her lead into the arena for our lesson then back to her stall at the end of the day.  (Heck, if you were watching, you might have thought I actually knew what I was doing.  The whole idea of “acting as if” can actually work!)   

I love the feeling of competency that’s growing as I spend more time around the horses and learn to ride.  I’m setting my fears aside—fear of the horses, fear of failure, fear of looking like a fool—to be in the moment, feel myself, feel the horse and to just go for it.  I was really surprised today with how well I did riding Gracie around the arena and getting her to go from a walk to a trot and back to a walk again.  We even did figure eights in the arena to test my ability to get her to move where I wanted her to go.  I must say, we did pretty well for a first try. And Denise, my instructor, complimented me on my riding form and acknowledged that I had come a long way since my first lesson. She must know how much I appreciate praise, maybe even more so than Gracie!

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11
Jan 09

Visiting the Horses Today

Today John and I took a motorcycle ride through Santiago and Trabuco Canyons–one of our favorite rides.  We stopped at a horse stable and riding school in Silverado Canyon.  John found this place yesterday on a bike ride and stopped there to take photographs.  One of my goals in 2009 is to go horseback riding so I asked him if we could go back and check it out today.

Leave it to John–within 5 minutes we met two very nice women who were eager to help us.  They gave me the name and number of a trainer who teaches western style riding and who they both like. (I’m going to call her tomorrow!)  Then Ann, one of the women we met, introduced me to Ben, one of the horses the trainer uses for teaching her new students.  I said hello to Ben and gave him lots of pats on the head and cheek. He was a sweet fella.  I wondered if he was disappointed that I didn’t have any carrots in hand. I wondered, too, if he could tell that I was a little scared.  I love animals and I think horses are particularly beautiful but I’ve always been a little afraid of them.  I think that’s partly why I want to learn to ride, so I can face that fear .  (One more fear I can tick off the list hopefully!) And riding combines two of my passions–animals and the outdoors–so it seems a natural thing for me to do.  I loved being at the stables–touching the horses, smelling the earth and animals, seeing the beautiful mountains and countryside and feeling the breeze of the fresh air.  I’m hoping Ben and I will get to know one another better in the near future.