Amanda's Musings

(Originally published 21 February 2021)   I have struggled with clutter and organization for decades. I know there is a strong link to the childhood abuse, where I had no control over my environment. I'm learning how trauma affects brain function, which can make the process especially challenging. This is currently a primary focus of my work with a wonderful new therapist, and this document grew out of our discussions. I do a lot of internal parts work, so "we" refers to my parts collectively. Bossy happens to be one of my strongly opinionated parts. I created this document and read it before each sorting session. Pre-sorting Pep Talk Bossy’s plea (paraphrased from 2/11/21 journal entry): We’ll never create the space and environment we want and deserve if we don’t put in consistent effort. We don’t have to be perfect and we don’t have to push ourselves, but it won’t ever get done if WE don’t do it ! Please. I want this for all of us. We deserve space to breathe an...

(Originally published 25 December 2014) I’ve made my peace with scaling back on gift buying, given the economy and my (so far) unsuccessful attempts to obtain a better-paying job. And then I ended up sick, and have put off joining my sister and brother-in-law for a holiday get-together. So I find myself contemplating the giving and receiving of gifts. In my status today, I posted this: “In this season, & on this day of exchanging gifts, what non-material gifts will you pledge to yourself? A gift of time, of planning, of acceptance, support or encouragement? What will help you most?” I don’t claim to have any great words of wisdom, just the sense that what really matters most, and what will benefit our lives in the most profound ways, are those intangibles that only we can bestow: the changes in attitude, thoughts, actions, habits and patterns that can lead to consistent—if slow—progress toward our most cherished fitness, organizational, relationship, financial, emotional health...

(Originally published 2 August 2011)   Yosemite National Park has some of the most glorious scenery on Earth, in my opinion. I always buy myself a Yosemite wall calendar, so I can enjoy its beauty throughout the year. I was rather disappointed when I turned the page for a new month and beheld a single tree standing next to a boulder. My sarcastic reaction was "Oh whoopee, a big rock!" But at my choice of phrase, I had to laugh. Have you heard the story of Big Rocks? Supposedly a man leading a workshop on time management began with a demonstration. He had a glass cylinder into which he put several rocks, until they reached the top. He asked the class if the container were full. They agreed it was full. He then poured several scoops of gravel into the container, where it settled around the rocks, until it reached the top. This time when he asked the class if the container was full, they were divided, and none were certain what the answer should be. So he took a bag of sa...

(Originally published 30 June 2011)  My huddle today on several of my teams was "Reflect on your achievements this month." Two things have really prompted me to ponder on the importance of reflection. First, I attended a training on effective interviewing yesterday, and picked up several good ideas about tailoring my resume to get an interview, the interview itself, as well as follow-up activities. I've been wanting to make a change, but haven't set out an actual plan of steps to take and scheduled them in to make them happen. Second, I just read a comment by an actor in TV Guide about making a 5-year plan and revising it every 6 months. I have hopes for my life, and I have goals that I have set and track daily, but a 5-year plan? I've never done that with any seriousness or follow-through, but I think I want to. If I have a clearer picture of what I want and where I hope to be, I will have a better means of evaluating my progress. I'm not one to beat my...