Snow

Here we are, the first weekend of spring, and in the middle of a snowstorm.  I got “kidnapped” this morning for a couple of hours, and went driving with my “captor” to get a tea and snack and a long chat.  It was good, as we haven’t seen each other for a while, so today was fun.  We managed to get home just as the first ice pellets started to fall, so she avoided slippery roads and we were tucked up and warm quite quickly.  Jerry, as you see, was examining the snow and playing for a bit; he’s now shaking the remains of one of his toys and settling in to play for a while.  Don was busy “watching” hockey today and is now sorting out some wings for dinner for us.

I’m pleased to report that I haven’t needed to take my sleep aids for almost a full week now, and I’m able to sleep pretty well.  I’m managing about 5 hours, which is a little less than I’d like, but is reasonable.  I still have to deal with my personal issue of not sleeping in the day — Auntie Ming never slept during the day, a habit she’d picked up from her grandmother and that I sort of absorbed.  I feel guilty about sleeping in the afternoon, which is ridiculous I know, but I do struggle with that.  It’s worse when I don’t sleep well at night, as I’m often sluggish and tired during the day.  I’ll have to practice taking an afternoon nap, and persuade the voice of Auntie Ming in my head that it’s allowable.

Do you have “special” things?  You know the things that you keep for guests or for gala events?  I’ve got, like everyone else that I know, the “nice” things that aren’t for everyday use, which tend to spend most of their lives either packed carefully in boxes in a cupboard or else hanging in zippered dress bags.  I went to my jewellery box to put on a pair of earrings and had put back 2 pairs as being too fancy to wear at home. As I put down the second pair and searched for a “plain” one I suddenly wondered why I couldn’t wear the long, sparkly earrings.  They’re mine.  I paid for, or received them as gifts, and I can wear them anytime or place that I want, right?  Why do we do that to ourselves?  In the middle of this, too, we’d gone through my mother’s things following her death.  She’d carefully packed away her wedding gifts of glasses and never used them because one broke at a party shortly after they’d married.  In the 45+ years of their marriage, we’d never seen or used those glasses; my younger sister moved them into the kitchen and they’re used daily now.  I’ve got a set of dishes that I bought because I really liked them, but then decided that they were too precious for daily use.  I carefully packed them and pampered them, and use them for meals like Christmas or Easter.  That’s all great, except one day one of the mugs broke, and I was on the brink of having a meltdown when I came to the realization that it was a MUG.  It was pretty, and of a satisfying heft, but it’s not a living being, nor is it essential to my life and health.  I’m going to start using the special items and actually get enjoyment out of them. I tried, once, arguing to my elder sister that my handmade crochet tablecloth wouldn’t be used daily because it might get stained or torn or otherwise damaged.  She pointed out, rightly, that I’d spent months of my time making it, and leaving it wrapped in tissue in the linen closet meant that nobody enjoyed it.  So I pulled it out, and it did get stained by someone’s carelessness with a cup of coffee and I can’t get it out.  But it’s in rotation (it gets dry cleaned, not thrown in the washing machine) so I get some use of it.  I’m working on the other cloth, which I hope to complete and put in use by my birthday.

Anyway, today’s commitment is to make use of all my stuff and not keep putting things aside for later.  If I can’t use them, for whatever reason, I’ll work on decluttering.  I find it difficult to get rid of some sentimental items, mostly things like cards and letters,  a few particular gifts (there’s a list) and my books, which fill 4 bookcases and there’s room for a fifth, but someone (no names) put his foot down about the number of bookcases.  At least he knows better than to try to get rid of any of them!  Stand by for an announcement of a purging of stuff, as that will probably need to be documented for posterity.  Someone recommended going through stuff like you were moving and had a limit on weight and number of boxes.  I might try that.  Please, no Marie Kondo.  She does not spark joy.  I’ll set the small monster on anyone who suggests her, and I’ll be sure to have them smell of weed.  He doesn’t like that smell at all 😈 Good night!