Pressing the Reset Button...

For the last month and a half, it seems that I have been in a constant swirl of activity. Along the way, I have taken time to both relax a bit as well as do a few chores each day. The weekends have been filled helping with yard sales, teaching classes, going on road trips to attend graduations, and visiting relatives. One weekend, it poured down rain and stormed so much that the urge to nap was overwhelming, so of course, I had to take at least two a day!

During this time, I tried to keep up with the important daily tasks like paying bills, keeping up with laundry and such, but it was obvious that some things were left unattended. For example, my little mini SUV had become a storage unit for all the leftover to-be-donated items from the yard sale. Usually, I drop off items the week after our sale, but the stuff rode around with me for over five weeks. The car needed windshield wiper fluid. I had some, but never seemed to find the 2 minutes time to pop the hood and refill the container. Inside and out of the car was in need of a good bath. It needed an oil change and a good tune-up.

I wasn't doing so well with myself, either. Of course, I bathe and change into clean clothes every day, but if a makeover team happened to walk by, they would probably issue a fashion emergency and take me in for a complete overhaul. Years ago, I went through a stage where my closets were full of trendy, colorful shoes and clothes for every occasion. I had all the hair styling products and accessories, drawers full of makeup, bottles of perfume, and lots of costume jewelry. Now my life has simplified and most of that stuff is gone. My job requires only comfortable clothes and good walking shoes. My social life is now geared toward hanging out with family, a few friends, and of course, all my critters at the lake. There are only few times when I need to dress up these days. Even so, it was time to do a bit of personal maintenance.

So, for the last two weeks, I've been hitting the reset button. Last week, I focused on my car. I have a friend who details vehicles, so I hired him to deep clean mine. This forced me to take EVERYTHING out of the car with the exception of the items in the glove box. After it was once again shined up, I took the car in for an oil change and tune-up. They even refilled the wiper fluid as part of the service. I still have to take the car in to get some work done on the underside(possibly rotors), but right now, it's in such a nice state, I don't even want to eat in it or get dirt on the floorboards.

This week, I had to do a reset on myself. First, I made an appointment with the doctor for a checkup. I also found time to shop for a couple new pairs of work/walking shoes. With the amount of walking I do each day, I have to get the moderately expensive shoes with good foot support, so I tend to wear the same few pairs until they begin to get worn out. I didn't realize others noticed this until I got many comments the first couple days with the new shoes. Several people exclaimed, "Wow, I see you got some new shoes! Nice!" Was it that obvious? Yikes, embarrassing!

On my list for the personal reset is a haircut. It needs a bit of reshaping, but I don't want much length cut off. Usually, that is exactly what happens, though. The stylist oftens tells me that in order to remove all the frizz, they must take the length. I understand that, but maybe that's why I go so long between professional haircuts. It must be that time again, because when I told my sister that I was thinking of getting it done, she immediately said, "Yes, you need one." Also, is it that obvious? I guess so.

My doctor told me that I need to do some deep breathing excercises. Even with the walking I do, I have trouble talking sometimes without running out of breath. I would also get winded if I had to walk quickly up a flight of stairs or climb up a hill. So much for my operatic and/or mountain climbing dreams, but there is still room for improvement. Each day, I plan to take a few minutes several times a day to take deep breaths. I also have a harmonica, and, even though I can only play a few songs, just the action of playing it will help to practice deep breathing.

My eating habits also need a reset. I need to add more fruits, veggies, and fiber into my meals. Even small things like substituting a carrot for a potato chip with a sandwich is a start. For a few months last year, I cut out sodas, drank more water, added at least one fruit, veggie, or fiber item to each meal, and ate heavier foods in moderation. It was amazing how much better I felt. Even when I allowed myself to have sodas, I had them in smaller quantities, over ice, and with food. Lately though, I was back to breaking all my better eating habits. The result-acidic stomach, less energy, and a puffier feeling around the middle. Starting this weekend, I plan to return to my better nutritional habits one meal at a time. First step, drink a glass of water.

Resets are also needed for my house and yard. That is the one I plan to tackle over the next couple weeks. This could be a daunting task, but instead of overwhelming myself, I will try to break the chores down into smaller parts. It is useless to strive for perfection, but it is possible to do at least one thing each day to declutter and beautify my surroundings.

Hopefully, my post today will be a reminder that, with so many things coming at us each day, we sometimes need to step back and take care of a few of the neglected things in our lives. We can't possibly do everything we "need" to do, but if we put off taking care of our general health and surroundings, it could cause trouble in the long run. Doing one reset a day just might make you feel better, and in my case(according to my friends and family), you might even look better, too!

Try doing one of these things this week to reset something in your life:

-Add in one healthier habit to your daily routine.

-Subtract one bad health or personal habit from your daily life.

-Completely clean out something in your house. (Ex. refrigerator, closet, junk drawer, room)

-Practice or start a fun hobby. (Start a garden, play an instrument, take photos, play outside, read, scrapbook, go antiquing, paint, take a class, build a birdhouse, etc.)

-Start a donate box at home. Toss out, sell, or donate items you no longer use that are cluttering your space.

-Do a little personal maintenance this week. (Ex. Get a haircut, trim those unwanted hairs and toenails, add sunscreen or moisturizer to avoid sun damage, update your style without spending too much money by shopping at consignment stores or thrift shops)

-Reset your spirit and soul through prayer, meditation, laughter, and relaxation. Practice deep breathing.

-Reset your financial well being. (Ex. balance your check book, write out a simple budget, save money by finding ways to live frugally, sell stuff you don't use or need anymore, find a part time job to supplement income, stop buying stuff on credit you really don't need or can't afford)

-Look at what you do each day. Is there anything that you would like to weed out to make room for what you really want or need to do? Are there people in your life who drag you down or build you up? Sometimes you have to do personal resets that involve changing how you spend your time and with whom you spend it.

I'm sure there are lots more resets you can think of as well. As for me, I will sign off so that I can work on a few of mine. Best wishes and remember to be grateful for what we have and also, in many cases, for what we don't. Until next time...

Have a wonderful day! :)