Tag Archives: paperwork

ANOTHER DAY, NO DOLLARS

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It’s afternoon already, almost time for Sheba’s walk.  I need to peck out a few sentences before that happens. She’s barking her fool head off, answering a neighbouring puppy’s yips. I suppose dogs need to talk, too, but dang! They are noisy. They make it hard for me to think. Every time I get up, she has to follow. Talk about separation anxiety.

There, finally quiet except for the whoosh of traffic on the front street. It’s a beautiful day to be sitting out. Warm but not too hot, with a gentle breeze. It’s heaven here, tapping and drinking my decaf. I have made the kimchi this morning. It is going to be delicious – colourful and spicy. The blend of garlic, cayenne, paprika and ginger was quite strong. I had to open the kitchen window wide to air it out. The kimchi is now sitting in 2 pretty jars to ferment for 5 days. I can’t wait!

I did get a start on the paper stuff. I worked on my application for a new passport. I let my previous one expire without renewing for too long. Now I had to do the long application form. It’s mostly finished. It wasn’t too difficult but it did tax my brain. It doesn’t like to read instructions. I had to do my 4-7-8 breathing exercise to relax into it. When I look at the forms, I get overwhelmed by all the words and sentences. I had to take my time, not rush, and read each sentence, one by one. It’s the main reason I hate doing paperwork. I want everything to be done with a blink of an eye or a tap on the ENTER key.

Well, it’s getting late. I’m getting tired. Sheba got walked. The carrots got thinned, the front yard flower bed got watered and weeded. Supper’s ate. The wine is gone. Time to close down for the evening. I will be back tomorrow.

SOME THINGS CAN WAIT

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I’m in a slacking off mood today. I feel I deserve/have earned it. I indulge myself in that feeling in small bits. I must have developed some backbone and discipline through these 9 days of the challenge. I’ve been able to rein myself in, rise up and out of the chair and deal with the day. Oh, I do give myself a short block of time to read my mystery novel and to sip my tea. I know that if I give into an all morning or afternoon lounging marathon, I will not get much else done.

To be open and accountable, I have not made any move towards my paperwork from yesterday. They’re still waiting but the urgent parts are dealt with. Today was an exercise morning. I took care to do a bit of housekeeping in the 30 spare minutes I had. Regular maintenance is efficient and time saving. I also took time after our exercise class to check on a travel plan. Timely information is helpful in making timely decisions. And I haven’t always been very proactive. You know how it is – the wish for something magical without having to do anything. I know that it’s an impossibility but I still want it.

Being a somewhat odd ball, I have to confess that I quite enjoyed cleaning up the lunch dishes today. It was such a pleasant experience after my previous feelings towards them. It was easy. There was no struggle in doing them. It was like finding my way out of the forest after being lost for so long. Laugh if you must but I feel so good. I’m not worried if I don’t get to the paperwork today. Tomorrow will do just as well. I have plans of making a kale, cabbage and radish kimchi. And Sheba still needs to be walked.

I’m glad that I didn’t caved in to my reading jag. I’m happy I could put down Heartbreak Hotel. It’s getting very interesting but I haven’t jumped ahead and read the ending yet. I used to do that alot but I’ve stopped. I’ve been practicing being mindful and read page by page in order. I think it is quieting my frenzied brain.

 It is now after seven. Sheba’s been walked. Supper is over. The kimchi will have to wait till tomorrow along with the paperwork. The garden had called, demanding attention. It wanted water and the kohlrabi seedlings wanting more space in between. Some things couldn’t wait. So here I am, tired after all that. I’m tapping my last words, bringing an end to my day.

MY NEMESIS

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It’s a perfect afternoon sitting in my outdoor space. Warm but not too hot. The birds are chirping behind me in the cedars. The traffic whooshing by in the background. Sheba’s asleep on the deck floor. I’m facing a blank screen. It’s the 9th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. What shall I talk about today?

Pardon me but I have to get up, stretch and shake out my legs. It will give me a chance to do my breathing exercise. Maybe movement and more oxygen to the brain will loosen and free up my creativity. This writing challenge is holding me accountable to my words. It’s been a week of an egg with no toast in the morning for breakfast. I decorate it alternately with hemp and chia seeds. I prefer the hemp. It has a pleasant nutty taste. The chia is rather seedy and snappy, getting into the teeth. I haven’t stepped on the scale nor plan to. I’ve been rewarded with less jowls. That’s my measuring stick.

Now I have to work on my other nemesis. It’s no secret that I hate paying bills and paperwork. They send my brain into a frenzy. Seeing that my credit card bills are due today, I had to sit down and deal with them and other crap this morning. The bills are paid, insurances and car plate updated. The paper pile remains on my desk. There’s only so much my brain can handle at one go. But I must follow up tomorrow with sorting and filing. There’s also a couple of things I need to send in the mail.

That very thought unsettled me. I had to get up and make a black decaf and eat a couple of chocolate covered almonds. It stayed at only 2. What will power, eh? I will work hard at avoiding unpleasant tasks. I will approach my bill paying and paperwork like my after-lunch dishes – mindfully. In the end, it will not be dreaded.

MESSAGE TO LILY

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How intrusive the world! So many phone calls on things I do not need nor asked for. Those poor Call Center employees. I am not much of a consumer. They will not get much business from me. They do not listen. They keep calling back. I hang up. I am not in a ‘good mood’ or a peaceful frame of mind. My head is in a dither. The conversation within is like a ticker tape going on endlessly.

There’s no stopping it so I just watch it in my mind’s eye. I’m tapping here to slow down the ticking in my head and the fluttering in my heart. It’s working. My mind and hands are engaged in another activity. I’ve done my qigong routine. A batch of yogurt is under the yogurt machine’s hood. I’m finishing the last of the strawberries before they go bad. The bills are paid except for my property tax. I still have till the end of June to deal with it. I’ve gathered my papers to meet with my banker this afternoon. Even retired, there’s stuff to deal with. It’s not a vacation. I’m not in a hammock by the beach. Some days I want to run away from home.

My garden is a bit half assed this year. I’ve started a few bedding plants, enough petunias and snapdragons for my mother’s flower beds. She doesn’t ask for much. In fact she doesn’t ask for anything. But it is nice that I could do this much for her. I hope she will let me plant them for her. Her strength has declined but she is fiercely independent. She is very good at compensating and finding alternative ways of doing everything. My mother is awe-inspiring.

I have seeded one raised bed with lettuce, spinach and kale. They are all rising above the earth. The other 4 beds sit empty, waiting for me to get my shit together. I have cleared and worked the garden area. The strawberries I transplanted last fall have survived. The rhubarb is looking good. The peas and a few beans are planted. I am a bit lost but not idle.

It is late afternoon. I am hot and tired. I have met with my banker. We did some planning. All is well but I have not kept up with records and paperwork. It is not anything new but it is quite distressing to me. There is no point in tackling the problem now, though I did try. It resulted in more hair-on-end kind of frustration. I have to sort it out as I had with the basement, a little at a time.

I am learning a lesson here. No matter how we I try to ignore or hide a problem, whatever it is, it never goes away. It will surface sooner or later. You I will have to face it or maybe trip over it. There’s no where to hide. It demands resolution. I think I’ve finally got the message now. Really I have.