The Soundtrack of Your Life

For some reason, I’ve been thinking a lot about music lately.  I had a discussion with one of the trainers at my gym yesterday morning about the importance of the music during the workout and as I thought about it I realized the music played an integral role.  The quality of my workout wasn’t dependent upon my mood or level of energy.  If the music was good, my workout was great.  If the music wasn’t as good, well, let’s just say I make it through. 

Music can profoundly affect our bodies.  It influences our heart rate, our blood pressure, and our respiration.  It can slow you down or rev you up.   

Music is intricately connected with our memories.  When I hear Kim Mitchell belting out Go for a Soda I am instantly transported to 1985 when a friend and I used to go for a “cruise” on warm summer days with that song blasting out the open windows. 

My life has changed somewhat since 1985.  The other day my daughter and I were in the car and we were both belting out Do You Know The Muffin Man? at the top of our lungs (by the way, I do, in fact, know the Muffin Man.  He lives in

Drury Lane

.)  Then, just like in 1985, the guys in the car next to me gestured for me to roll down the window.  Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to turn the music off before rolling down the window.  Now, Do You Know The Muffin Man? is not one of my top-rated songs but I do expect that it is now locked in my memory banks as a cue for remembering that great day I spent with my daughter (and, since my mind is my own and I can create any memory I want, those guys in the car next to me wanted to tell me I was cute instead of asking me whether I had a lighter). 

So what does the soundtrack of your life look like?  Do you have a theme song?  Do you have a play list of songs you can listen to when you’re feeling down?  A play list for when you’re feeling up? 

I encourage you to pick a theme song for your life.  Pick a song that reminds you of who you are.  There’s the classic I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.  You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore.  If You’re Happy And You Know It.  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.  I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. The possibilities are endless.  This theme song will connect you with who you are or what you’re trying to accomplish at this point in your life. 

The theme song for my relationship is I Was Made For Loving You by KISS except my husband sings it like The Count from Sesame Street (go ahead and sing it to yourself now: I vas made for lovink you baby, you ver made for lovink me…).  

Go ahead and have fun with this.  Who are you now or who do you want to be?  Your mind is your own so you can pick any song you like. Sing it (out loud or in your head) when you need a reminder of how great you are or what you’re working towards. 

Until the next chapter,Lisa 

Tame The Dreaded Junk Drawer

March 24, 2007 

Tame the Dreaded Junk Drawer 

Admit it.  We all have one.  That drawer in your kitchen or home office where homeless items go to die.  A place where we store our rubber bands, breath mints, pens, paper clips, pennies, stamps, screwdrivers, twist ties, rolls of tape, bits of string, buttons that popped off that we’ve been meaning to sew back on.  The list goes on and on.  Did you find yourself nodding your head as you read through the list? 

I’m all for the junk drawer.  I think every home needs one because, let’s face it, there just can’t be a place for everything and everything in its place for every single item in your house.   

So while the junk drawer is a necessity, the “junkiness” of it isn’t.  If you once threw a knife in there and now you’re lopping off a finger every time you put your hand in, then it’s time to tame your drawer. 

1.      Take everything out of the drawer and assess it.  Is this drawer where it should stay or is there a better place?  Is this an item you need to keep at all?  I don’t know about you but it seems that the moment a paper clip enters my junk drawer it can kiss its proper shape good-bye.  There is some weird force in the drawer that bends it all out of shape so as to render it useless. 

2.      Wipe the drawer out.  The dust and dirt congregates in there, clinging together for safety.     

3.      Sort the items.  Put all the rubber bands together, all the pens and so on.  Inevitably, you’ll find some odd nut or bolt that you cannot identify.  Make sure you ask all members of your household whether they can identify it before you throw it out.  Trust me on this one.  I once threw out some rubber gasket thing that was an integral part of an air nailer.  My poor husband had to go digging through the garbage, his lips pressed together so tightly they turned white.  I can’t resist another tip:  don’t stand on the deck, drink in hand, shouting helpful encouragement. 

4.      Find containers you can use to sort everything.  I like to use old chequebook boxes and those handy Ziploc storage containers.  Other containers that would work include ice cube trays,
Dixie cups, muffin tins, and your ashtray collection from the 1970’s. 

5.      Put all the items into an appropriately-sized container and place in drawer. 

Congratulations!  You have tamed your junk drawer!   

Now, if anyone knows the name of that paper clip bending force, please let me know. 

Until the next chapter,Lisa 

Earn Your Merit Badge!

March 15, 2007 

Newton’s First Law: An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted on by an unbalanced force. 

My goal today is to act as that unbalanced force.  If you are currently an object at rest when it comes to organizing, then this is the newsletter for you! 

The idea for today’s newsletter is taken from You Can Do It: The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-Up Girls.  This book was a labour of love for Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas who “imagined a book that would boost women’s self-esteem by helping them achieve their goals, realize their dreams, and embrace life’s joys and challenges to the fullest.”  Tragically, Lauren was killed in the events of September 11, 2001 before she could realize her own dream of seeing her book roll off the printing press.  Her sisters found her notes for the book and carried on the work she had started. 

In honour of Lauren and her dream, I’m encouraging each and every one of you to earn your organizing badge. 

Badge Steps 

1. Choose a space.

Choose an area that you can tackle within a short period of time.  It may be a shelf, a drawer or, if you’re like me, that pile of papers that grows out of control on the end of the dining room table.  This isn’t about organizing your entire home.  We’re just trying to become objects in motion.  Pick something small. 

1. Gather supplies.

You may need garbage bags, cleaning supplies, boxes for sorting (think give away, garbage and keep).  This is not the time to run out and buy storage containers.  You may want to do that when you have an idea of what you’re going to store or you may decide to use containers or items you already have in your home.  Also think about the supplies that make the job easier such as a cup of coffee or tea and some good music. 

1. Clear everything out of the space.

Remove everything from your drawer, shelf or closet and then clean the space you’ve emptied. 

1. Sort.

Go through everything you’ve cleared out of the space.  Decide what you’ll keep, what belongs elsewhere and what you want to get rid of.  Deciding what to get rid of is usually the toughest part.  Anything you’re not keeping should be either recycled or given away as much as possible.  I prefer to use garbage as a last resort.  Anything with your personal information on it should be shredded.  Items you’re keeping should be put where you use them most. 

1. Organize your space.

You’re left with a clean, empty space and only the items that should go there.  Is there anything you need to sort the items (i.e. clean containers, divider trays, hooks, baskets)?  Many household items can be re-purposed as divider trays (small boxes for jewelry or chequebooks, old ashtrays, unused muffin tins).  Put the items back in the space in a way that makes sense. 

1. Celebrate.

Have a look at your work and congratulate yourself. Doesn’t it feel good to have this clean space? 

You’ve earned your merit badge!!  Print it out and put it somewhere where you can see it and remind yourself how great it felt to accomplish this goal.  Stick it to your fridge, smack it on your car’s bumper or slap it on your forehead. 

YOU DID IT! 

 

 

Until the next chapter,Lisa