It has been some time since I've participated in a Faith Jam from Faith Barista. Student teaching is not for the faint of heart, and I have felt more like I am being run over by my schedule than running my schedule. That's what makes today's prompt so perfect: clutter.
Clutter.
Mess.
Hectic.
Stressful.
My house has become amazingly cluttered since I began student teaching at the start of the month. It's hard to imagine that the every day things like laundry and the detritus of children can add up so quickly. Things might not be put back as soon as they're laid aside, and so it begins. A glove can't be found. Then a library book that needs to be returned to the school. Then the piece to a kit mysteriously vanishes from where it was set down.
But worse than the usual clutter and its aftermath is the mental clutter I seem to carry around. To do: groceries...did I remember to write that thing down? It's on the tip of my tongue...Wait, I have to study for my licensure exam, is that this Saturday? Don't forget to brainstorm the lessons for next week, I want to impress my observers. Oh, no, I nearly forgot that appointment! That's more time lost.
I'm sure we all have some of that mental clutter. I would write it down (and usually do), but then it's apt to be lost in the physical clutter on my desk!
My nearest thing to a New Year's resolution was to become more organized. My cooperating teacher has commented several times on how "organized" I am. I give her a crooked grin and explain that it's only because I would lose everything otherwise, and believe me, my house is nothing like this! Thankfully she is a mother to two young girls, so she understands very well how difficult the juggling game can be, especially for a teacher just starting out.
I'm not looking for perfection this year, but I do want to get a better handle on the clutter. Controlled chaos, perhaps. Those stressed-out words that came immediately to mind? I want to let them recede in my life, so that I can enjoy the moments of discovery and joy with my children and husband that I've been too strained and hectic to notice lately. As much as the physical clutter does need wrangling, it's the mental clutter that I'm most concerned with.
So I'll pack it up, one box at a time. Closing the flaps on self-judgment and doubt, opening wide the box where whimsy and spontaneity have been stored for too long. It's time for a mental spring cleaning.
And I'll also put the laundry away. :)
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Thank you for visiting if you're here through Bonnie's Faith Jam. If you haven't participated in a Faith Jam before, please visit her blog and see the variety of responses we all have to the prompt of the week, and consider adding your own!
7 comments:
That mental clutter can be a killer. I love the book "Getting Things Done" for that; it's been SO helpful to me.
"Controlled chaos" - sometimes that's about as close to perfection as we can get. :-) I agree that we should all "close the flaps on self-judgment". Amen. And yes, as we're putting the laundry away. ha.
Oh, I hear you!! I've been on a decluttering/organizing kick since October 2011 when I heard Tsh Oxenreider speak on her book, "Organized Simplicity". We HAVE made progress (the main part of our house is now fairly clutter free and easy to maintain) but the bedrooms and office are still so chaotic!! I think you're right - it's how fast the laundry piles up and the "detritus" (love that word) of children consumes any empty space. A friend once told me that trying to organize your house while children are in it is like trying to brush your teeth while eating an Oreo. I think she's right!!
Seems like most everyone struggles with the clutter in their minds...Add to that all you are dealing with and wow! I like what you said about not aiming for perfection...Amen! Stopping over from Faith Barista.
Yes, so often I feel I am just juggling my cleaned up areas, not cleaning the whole house (or brain) at one time. You know, for me it's a God only can do this sort of thing. Thanks for writing what you did.
It's good to know we're not alone in this clutter thing! Genevieve, I love your friend's comment about cleaning with kids--so true! :)
I, too, struggle with clutter, mentally and in my home. But, I try to stay on track with my spiritual life, which disqualifies the other cluttered areas. Glad to have found you through Faith Barista! Blessings!
I read a great article from Newsweek last semester about how us women try to do it all, be it all... and sometimes, we have to let some things slide. You're going to be just fine. You'll find your stride and your stress will recede. You're going through a rough adjustment period though, and with anything else in life, it will take time to get fully acclimated. We all feel the strain! You're normal! :) Thinking of you, friend!
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