Month: March 2013

New Year’s Resolution – Done

Done. Finally. I have finished cleaning out my files. For the last three, no, four years, my New Year’s Resolution has been to clean out my files. It’s sad to say, but my files consist of only six drawers. You’d think that taking four years to clean them out, I must have ten five-drawer filing cabinets. It  has taken me this long to get it done, because for the majority of the time I haven’t even worked on it. Procrastination. However, I’ve tried to be more discerning about the papers I decide to keep and file them right away. So the in-going side of filing has been a little more organized than the out-going side. Extra-sad to say that it’s about time to start at the first drawer and do it all over again. Good grief! Will the madness ever end.

There is a website that I found several years ago when I was beginning to feel the need to get my house in order. It’s called FLYlady.net. Much of what I learned on the website and started to incorporate into my house-organization lifestyle has been forgotten. However, I did pick up two especially useful hints for organizing that I”ve found can be applied to almost anything that needs to be done in life. One is “baby steps” and the other is “You can do anything for 15 minutes”. For instance, applied to cleaning out my files: I would take a big load of files out of a drawer and put them in a plastic file box. That was my goal for that session, to get through just those files. It was baby steps. If I only had a few minutes, I would do what I could for 15 minutes or even just 5 minutes. This kept me from feeling like I had to do the whole job at once. It felt good just getting something, even the smallest bit, done. The fact that it took me four years to get through with the job was not a result of trying to do too much at one time; it was a matter of becoming overwhelmed when I forgot about baby steps and 15 minutes.

Of course, files are paper and lots of it. Some paper needs to be kept; some paper can be recycled and some paper needs to be shredded, obliterating whatever was recorded on the paper. The basic goal of cleaning out my files was to get rid of paper while at the same time figuring out what must be kept and then organizing it in the most efficient way. One of the things that needs to be kept is Explanation of Benefits for our medical insurance. The most efficient way to handle them is to clip them to the doctor’s bill; however, that’s not always possible. So they build up. Even before I started this project, I knew I had a lot of them. It surprised me to find out that I had some from last century. What to do with them? How long should they be kept? In comes the good ol’ internet. I googled it and found that EOBs should be kept for only 2 to 3 years. One site suggested scanning them to alleviate filing the paper. What a great idea. So I wrote myself an EBO policy: keep two previous years along with the current year, scanning them as they come in so that eventually I’ll only have scanned ones. No more paper! And peace of mind knowing I made a good sound decision about something that is necessary to keep.

As I made progress through the file drawers, I realized I needed to face some facts (other than the procrastination thing, but I’ll do that later). There are some things I need to get over and stop hanging onto. I needed to get over all the photos of decorating ideas I had clipped from magazines What was I thinking! Never would I put some of those objects in my house or use those colors. Out, out ridiculous photos and articles and things-to-do that belonged to the person I used to be twenty years ago. That made room to file photos and articles and things-to-do that reflect the person I am now. That’s OK. It was done in a methodical fashion with thought. I didn’t just stuff in more paper because I didn’t want to make a decision which is what got me into the filing mess in the first place.

Another fact I had to face is that I am not the designated keeper of records for every committee I’ve ever served on. Cleaning out those files resulted in lots of shredding and paper for the recycler. Besides just clearing out the paper, my soul felt cleansed. It was like taking off an old smelly coat. I felt liberated. I let go of that self-imposed designation. No one has ever come to me and asked what happened ten years ago on the “Best Fundraising Event Ever” committee or on the “Endless, Thankless Work” committee. Never. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s going to happen in the future. When my biography is written, that part will just have to be left out.

Ah-h-h! Open my file drawers now and you’ll see neatly labeled folders that have plenty of wiggle room in the drawer. No more smelly coat! From now on it’s baby steps and 15-minute timer and good decisions about paper.

Now, what’s the next New Year’s Resolution on the list?

Do You Care?

I am a member of Toastmasters which is an international organization designed to help members become better leaders as well as better communicators. In an effort to improve our vocabularies, at each of our weekly meetings the Wordmaster selects a Word of the Day. Each time members speak they are to use the word. When the Wordmaster introduces the word he or she tells the definition and uses it in a sentence. Today, I am playing Wordmaster and I have a Word of the Day for you. It is “care”: a simple word packed with meaning.

Definition:

Noun 1: suffering of mind, grief; 2 a: a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility b: a cause for such anxiety; 3 a: painstaking or watchful attention b: maintenance <floor-care products> 4: regard coming from desire or esteem 5: charge, supervision <under a doctor’s care> 6: a person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety, or solicitude

Intransitive verb: 1 a: to feel trouble or anxiety b: to feel interest or concern <care about freedom> 2 : to give care <care for the sick> 3 a: to have a liking, fondness, or taste <don’t care for your attitude> b: to have an inclination <would you care for some pie>

Transitive verb: 1: to be concerned about or to the extent of <don’t care what they say> <doesn’t care a damn> 2: wish <if you care to go>

Three Examples of Care:

Example 1: After church, my husband, Butch, and I went to a local restaurant for lunch. It’s one of those places where you order and then sit down. When your order is ready, they call your name and you pick it up at the counter. They were busy, however, as we waited in line, we noticed that there were lots of tables open, more than enough for the people in front of us.  We ordered, got our drinks, turned around and there were no tables at all. No tables! There was one large party–probably friends from the same church–who were using three tables pushed together. They had all finished their food and were sitting there talking. My husband slowly walked around the restaurant. No tables. The problem was that people in line behind us had gotten tables before ordering their food and one of those was another large party who had pushed tables together. Butch and I sat on the patio where it was chillier than we like for outside dining, but we persevered.

Diners, care about other diners who are coming in behind you. If you see that they don’t have a comfortable table and you’ve finished eating, get up and offer your table to them. Care about the people around you, even if they are strangers.

Example 2: I have made a decision to stop reading articles in the paper–yes, I’m old-fashioned, I read the printed paper–or on the internet regarding the sequestering, budget, and deficit battles between the Democrats and Republicans because it raises my blood pressure each time. I can feel my heart rate increasing and my breathing quicken. It is not healthy. Not only is my reaction to the stories not healthy, the fighting among our elected officials is not healthy. The Democrats pushed for sequestering because they thought that would force the Republicans into doing what they wanted and the Republicans agreed to sequestering because they thought that would force the Democrats into doing what they wanted. What happened to having a civilized conversation, maybe over a cup of tea or a frosty mug of beer or even in a smoke-filled room. No conversations, no give and take, no negotiations. Just coercion and blackmail. Is that any way to run a country? Is that any way to run a relationship with fellow Americans?

Senators, Congressman, President Obama, your lack of care is putting me in a state of anxiety and apprehension.  Do you feel any interest or concern for your fellow citizens? They elected you for the purpose of passing meaningful, negotiated legislation that demonstrates care for all citizens? Do you care more for people or ideology?

Example 3: In these weeks prior to Easter, our senior pastor, Trey Little, is leading our church in reading The Hole in Our Gospel written by Richard Stearns.  As part of that emphasis, a video was presented titled Jamaa.(Click here to view the Jamaa video.) It is based on the true story of two orphans living in Kampala, Uganda, whose parents died of AIDS. Besides excellent acting and stunning cinematography, it is a gut-wrenching story. The film asks the same question to the characters in the story as well as to the viewers.

Do you care enough to let your heart be broken by the plight of these children and hundreds, perhaps thousands, like them? Uganda is on the other side of the world from the US and yet the children represented in Jamaa have been placed in our care as much as if they lived in our very homes. As richly, even extravagantly, blessed residents of the planet Earth, we are to care for them.

How did you do with the Word of the Day? Did you learn anything new about the word “care”? It is a simple word packed with meaning. It is a word that calls thinking, feeling people into action. What do you care about? How will you care today?