Tag Archives: no magic

UBC Day 21 & 22 – No Magic

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I’m counting down the days to the end of this writing challenge. 10 days left. I am going to make a concerted effort to show up each of these days. I can hope for some magic that can make my words flow. I know there is none. It is just hard work, sitting my ass in the chair in front of my keyboard and tap.

Going to my exercise class yesterday and having coffee with my classmates afterward must have put some pep in me. I was ready to tackle the day by 8 am. I did a few quick stretches and I was out the door to tackle my project in the front yard – ridding the creeping bellflower. My sister had introduced it to me, giving me a few that she had started from seeds. I’m always in favour of beautiful ground covers. When she discovered that it was very invasive, she got rid of hers right away. Not me, though. I thought how bad could it be? Now many years later, I know they are very, very bad. They are everywhere, harder to rid of than my paper clutter.

I haven’t let them overwhelm me. I haven’t thrown in the towel. Last year I got very, very serious. I laid down newpaper and cardboard. Then grass clippings, leaves, sawdust and whatever I have on hand. I started with one side of the yard and have expanded the area, little by little. It’s not looking pretty but it’s not looking bad, either. It’s interesting, a yard in transition – a conversation piece. I’ve put in 2 and a half hours this morning. It was hard and sweaty work. By year 4, I am pretty confident I will have them bellflowers in check. Have a look and see what you think.

year 2 of mulching with cardboard and sawdust
year 2
year 1 mulching with cardboard
year 1 -planted elephant ears and mulching in front of sidewalk
left corner bed near sidewalk
front entrance
raided bed center left side of yard
flower bed next to front brick wall
both right and left yard

NO MAGIC, NO SHORTCUTS, RECHARGING MY BATTERIES

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January 13, I’m writing for day 12 and 13 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I love these lines from flylady.net:

  • You are not behind! (forgive everything lost in the past).
  • I don’t want you to try to catch up; (it’s impossible to change the past).
  • I just want you to jump in where we are. (TODAY is all there is; be present).
  • O.K. (make the conscious choice to say yes to life right now, just as it is).

This sounds like good advice, advice I can heed and do. I had subscribed to FlyLady a long time ago. I had many tips dropped into my email. They worked great guns in the beginning. Then they stopped working. It wasn’t that they weren’t any good. It was because after the initial excitement, I stopped the doing. I read the emails for awhile. Then I stopped doing that. The emails just piled up in my inbox. What I’ve learned from all that is there is no magic and no shortcuts. I can be full of wisdom and all kinds of knowledge on the hows and whys. BUT if I don’t move and put them into use, nothing happens, nothing gets thrown out, nothing gets done and the piles grow.

I finally wised up. I finally took a look at some things that are not working up to par. Why is my Roomba so slow? Is the battery past its best due date? Is it hard to change? The answer is yes, the battery needs changing. No, it was not hard at all. Open battery compartment, take out old battery, and drop new one in. No wiring required! I got the battery from Amazon for $30 some Canadian. It was the easiest option. It took just a few days for it to come and now Roomba is zooming around the floors lickety split, sucking up dust and whatnot. It makes life a little easier but Roomba does not self empty, clean or maintain. I have to do that plus move furniture around.

No, I’m not behind. I’m jumping in where I had left off. My internal battery got a boost, too. I still have my piles, but the floors are pretty cleared. My orchids got a repotting and water treatment. They’re sitting pretty now, rooted in their pots.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

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Oh, the sun is doing a surprise showing and so am I. I broke the habit and it’s tough getting back. It’s that slippery slope. Well, today is yesterday’s tomorrow. It’s here. I haven’t found all my mojos yet. Do I sound like a broken record?  I feel very much like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, waking up to the same day repeatedly. I’m trapped in my own time loop, living in my head too much. When will I wake up – to a new day?

No point in asking rhetorical questions. I still sound them out to see if there’s any anwers. There are none. I have to create my own reality/magic. I wish and wish with all my might. I fold my arms like Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie. I blink my eyes and nod my head at the same time. Drat! Nothing. Magic happens only in movies or on TV. Maybe I don’t believe enough. I’ve lost that mojo, too – the magic of belief.

I can’t really give it a rest. That’s what I’ve been doing and all my passions have gone down the tube. Now I have to do the hard work of retrieval. How to begin when I’ve lost all my sentiments and naiveties? Somehow, I’ve lost faith and trust in goodness and kindness. I don’t believe we will be ok in the end, that we and the planet will survive. So then, what is the point?

I gave it some thought. There doesn’t have to be a point. The alternative is not acceptable. I still believe in truths. Maybe they are more powerful than magic. Why don’t I start right here, in the now, with what is true?