Monday Renewal

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and get ready for a week of fun activities with my grandsons. 

Agenda this week:

1. Read "The Achievement Habit"

2. Health and renewal plans

3. Clearing and Home projects

4. Grandson fun

1. Read "The Achievement Habit":

I'm reading from this book by Bernard Roth (2015), subtitled "Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life". This is a book about design thinking, applied to achieving goals in your life.

Chapter 1 is Nothing is what you think it is. It's about how nothing and nobody in our life has any meaning until we give it meaning; meaning is not preordained and it has endless possibility. "Once you understand that you can choose what meaning and importance to place on something, you also understand that it is you, not external circumstances, who determine the quality of your life."

The real point of this is to not hold on to feelings of betrayal, or anguish, or abandonment, or indignation - because the event has no real meaning except what I assign it. I am the master of my life, not a victim. I can, if I choose, turn personal adversity into a positive experience for myself and for others.

I can think of two ways this affects me right now. The first is to convert the fear and shock that surrounds a cancer diagnosis into something that heals and unifies us as a family; the second is the work I'm doing to shift the paradigm towards awareness, sanctuary, sustainability, and reciprocity for the earth.

2. Health and renewal plans:

Every week I look at my list of renewal ideas and evaluate how I'm doing, and what habits I need to build. This week I want to focus on: 

• Body: Drink more water - aim for 3 glasses daily. 
• Mind: Work a little every day on my N-C project!
• Spirit: Enjoy nature daily with photos and grubbing.
• Heart: Give attention to being calm, stoic, even-tempered, the bedrock for the family.

4. Clearing and Home projects:

In April I've been doing basic housework with integrity, keeping the house clean, and give greater attention to clearing things out of the house. I'm focusing on the studio space, which is so packed as to be almost unusable. We've put most of the big house projects on hold for the time being, but I'm still working on those that affect the look and function of the yard.

My goals this week:

1. Continue to clear the studio cabinet, table, and then the old shelves and my paintings. 
2. Paint last post, plus the studio door trim.
3. Move the fence sections to the duck yard and plan a fence party.
4. Dig up drain field and assess what we need to repair drainage.

3. Grandson fun:

Monday is also my day to prepare for fun kid activities throughout the week. I've let go of the idea of teaching crafts to these boys and adopted the role of modeling handwork; I will schedule something each day that I will work on MYSELF while they are here, and be prepared for them to also play with the same materials. 

This week: 

• T: Mosaic stepper for gift + sand play
• W: Bottle cap snake
• Th: Painting a sign?
• F: Sunflower pot for gift