Tag Archives: use it or lose it

Use It Or Lose It

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It’s one thing to commit to the idea of writing daily. It’s another to actually do it. I’m already stuck on day 3 of my quest. I’m scratching my head for ideas. I remember I have a few books on how to write and what to write. I have Susan Wittig Albert’s Starting Point: For Women with Stories to Tell. I have had the book for many years. I have yet to open and read it.

That’s very me, a collector of books, things, ideas and what-have-yous. I collect but seldom put them to use. It’s about time I try to remedy this quirk of mine. I have made a small start. Truly I have. Recently I have delved into my freezer and pulled out a few of my many bags of frozen raspberries and strawberries. They’ve been there for a few years. Out of sight, out of mind. They were still very good in a rhubarb crisp. I’ve done that twice recently.

I have to remember that hoarding stuff, ideas, knowledge does no good. I have to use them or they will be lost. It seems like a lot of work, taking much time and energy that I don’t have. They’re not good enough reasons. I’m lazy, using it as an excuse. I just have to train my brain to a new habit. I have to get with the program.

Use It or Lose It

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Whew! Finally sitting down at the end of the day. I’ve been a busy little bee since morning. It’s so easy for me to sit and read or scroll, thinking I’m learning and gathering information. I’ve been doing that for ages. I’m not sure how much I’ve put all I have learned into use though. Now having learned from Jim Kwik that learning is an action, I’m going to be more active instead of just sitting around and accumulating info.

The saying use it or lose it is very true. That is why I like the regular practice of writing. I’m exercising my brain in the use of words, their spelling, how to express and idea, etc., etc. I work out at the gym three times a week to keep my body strong and moving well. It is also good for the mind and spirit. They also get a workout by my going out in the world where there are other people. I learn how to socialize and function with people.

I was working early in the greenhouse early this morning. The newly planted snowpeas and spinach are looking well. I seeded some lettuce and Swiss Chard. This is the first late start for me. Other years I would have had lots of big seedlings of tomatoes and other things already. I have to admit that I have not been all that excited this spring. You can lose excitement, too, if you don’t practice it. I think I’m okay now. I am recovering it.

I made a batch of fermented beets this afternoon. We had a big crop of that, potatoes and carrots the past fall. It’s one thing growing them but it’s another to look after them. If you don’t use them, you lose them. Then what a waste of our time and energy of this one life we have, eh. I think I’ve past the critical stage. I’ve saved myself and not losing it. So ends the second day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I can now relax and let myself go to pots.

USE IT OR LOSE IT

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August 11

Surprisingly, I had a whiff of energy last evening. Not to waste it, even though it was not my time of doing things, I took the vacuum stick and sucked up the dog hair on the floor. It did not take all that long to do the kitchen, dining, living and the sun room. Next, I tackled  the dirty screened window in the sunroom. I’ve been looking at it all summer and haven’t made any move on it. My energy is like that. I know it and learning to work with it.

My brain is such that it gets overwhelmed easily. I have to work in the one-inch frame that Anne Lamott speaks of and E.L. Doctorow’s ‘Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.’ They’re referring to writing but I apply it to everything. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life is a book full of such wisdom.

I am happy that I started this conversation in the morning. I am happy I paid the house insurance this morning. The afternoon has been a bit of a struggle. I am feeling the seasonal bad, but not sad. I can’t think at all. Doing a simple sewing project is difficult. Trying to figure how to measure and cut on the bias felt like doing brain surgery. Having the right equipment and tools helped alot. In the end, I got my bias strips cut and sewn to specification. But somehow one end ended up in my cup of coffee. So now it’s rinsed off and hung up to dry.

Sheba and I have been out and back from our walk. Nothing exciting except I did dropped the roll of doggy bags and didn’t even know it. It was lying on the sidewalk, waiting for me on our return. I think I should call it a day. I should make a cuppa, put up my feet and read my murder mystery. It’s always good therapy for my foggy brain.