Wednesday 23 July 2008

3:00 a.m.

Changes come in bursts in my life, or at least it seems that way. The last couple weeks, I’ve been getting next to nothing done. Then, in the last two days, my fire was lit again. I usually know the source of my motivation, but I’m nonplussed this time.

I don’t know that I got much done before Robert came home on Monday; it was my day to call Momma, and I don’t do much when I’m on the phone. I may crochet or send plants in Facebook applications, but I do my best to completely focus on the conversation when I’m on the phone. It’s much more enjoyable and keeps things from being repeated many times.

When Robert came home on Monday evening, we got so much done. We decluttered the pantry first and found that we still had meat items in there. We bagged the food items, and we’ll be trying to find somewhere special to donate them. The kitchen was next, and we were able to get rid of a sizeable roasting pan that we rarely used before we became a pescatarian (Robert) and a vegetarian (me). We followed with the dining room and living room. We actually got rid of a few books; that almost never happens here. We decluttered the guest restroom, which gave nothing, the utility closet, which filled a bag or two all by itself, and the storage closet.

Tuesday was my day to call Wayne. I always look forward to Wayne Tuesdays. In the evening, Robert and I decluttered the office and vacuumed the office floor. (Some fake moss got on the floor when we were decluttering the utility closet.)

Sometime during all the decluttering, I started work on my Autumn blanket. I’m crocheting it for the master bed, and I’ve been wanting to work on it for months now. It’s going to be done in Red Heart in the following pattern: brown (Coffee), red (Claret), orange (Carrot), and gold (Gold). It will basically be large stripes in that order, though I’ve no idea if the stripes will need to repeat or not. I’m happy either way.

Also some time in the last two days, I’ve made a career decision. I’m going to plow straight through to my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) after I get my AASN (Associates of Applied Science in Nursing). Then I will try to get work in an emergency room for a couple years. At that point, I’ll decide whether I want to stay where I am, go to a less stressful job, or go back to school to get a Masters in nursing. I don’t know if I will continue to feel this way, but right now, it’s important to me to work in an emergency room. It’s a large mental shift for me, since I had previously decided to look for work in a doctor’s office.

All of these changes come after two weeks or more of almost nothing. I love being useful and busy, so tackling seven rooms and closets in one night made me feel wonderful. The donations are piled nearly up to my chest in the coat closet, which is amusing for me, and we still have to declutter the car, CDs, DVDs, and computer software. I don’t imagine we’ll donate many of those items, but then again, I didn’t expect to have donations piled three or more feet high in the coat closet. I was more serious about my need to declutter than even I realized.