Just start

 

My calendar screams at me.

Just start says the many self-help articles be it on diets, changing exercise habits, re-decorating, starting or ending a relationship – they all basically say “just start”.

But what?

• ·      My autobiography? That’s been started, then stopped – always something easier or more interesting to do.

• ·       Sorting out the house? Ditto – always, always an ongoing task, one that at times seems endlessly unsolvable. I waver in between the “I need to get it into order so that my children don’t have to stress so much” and “They are going to inherit, let them do the work”. And wavering is about as far as I get.

• ·      Cleaning something, anything? I do try and do a so-called Spring cleaning, year-round. Sometimes it’s undoing the pipes under the sinks and cleaning out the gunk, sometimes it’s the more mundane “the cleaning lady is gone – do the housework”; but occasionally I actually do sort a cupboard or something that one does occasionally: yesterday I actually defrosted the freezer in the kitchen (ok partly so that I wouldn’t have to face the larger task of defrosting the freezer downstairs, still it counts, doesn’t it?).

• ·      Filing all those bills and receipts from last year? Ugh, but it will have to be done.

• ·      Clean off my desk? I have done that in the last six months, enough is enough.

• ·      Before Christmas, it’s start the Christmas baking: ok that’s done for another year.

• ·      Start my Christmas letter? Oops, Christmas is over. Still that’s something I do yearly if for no other reason than to leave my sons with a condensed version of our lives, so still needs to be done even if I no longer send it to 100 people.

• ·      Start writing all those who sent me messages and cards? It will happen, just not perhaps today.

• ·      Start a new book? No problem, do that all the time. Not always an informative nor intellectual one, still I read as I always did.

• ·      Start one of the outstanding and planned photo albums? Will address that another day as the sun is out and I can go for a walk.

• ·      Start a computer game? Hmmm that one is never a problem, current passion Majong.

• ·      Start a blog? Hey I just did.

 So that’s enough for today, I started something and now I say Just Stop!