Distraction in Action

“Look at this Trove, Treasures Untold” –The Little Mermaid, Part of Your World

A while back, my mother offered me a goofy looking three tier basket thingy.

Yikes!

My immediate response was, “Hell yeah I’ll take it!” Now before we go any further in this little saga, I would like to state for the record, I am afflicted with an Island Of Misfit Toys gene that overrides any rational thought regarding saying no to someone else’s unwanted miscellanea. My extra room is full of little junks waiting to be graced by my transformative touch.

“This is a Pickle George!”-Uncle Billy, It’s a Wonderful Life

Usually, I am quite the alchemist when it comes to upcycling and repurposing (I have a rain chain made of old spoons)

It's raining spoons

but the basket thingy proved to be a bit of a challenge. The contraption was not without issues. For one, it was a gaudy bugger; the lack-luster gold plating matched nothing. Two, functionality was nonexistent. The baskets hung too low making them awkward to add and retrieve items. No wonder someone discarded it.

My mistake was attempting to use it as is. I tried it on the bathroom vanity to hold make-up and such –nope. Next trick was to place it on my coffee bar to hold tea bags and packs of hot cocoa – nope again. Ugh! Feeling defeated but not beaten; I returned it to the junk queue as I mulled over its fate. I knew I needed to stop looking at it as it was and start to visualize what it could become.

“I Love it When a Plan Comes Together” -Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith

Every once in a while my basket stand project would pop into my head reminding me of its unfinished state. I continued about my business and then one day I had my ‘eureka’ moment. While scrolling through some old pictures on my phone I came upon photos of a lovely afternoon tea my husband and I enjoyed while on vacation. I found a photo of a stunning array of sweet and savory delights, served on a multi-tiered plate stand!

Tea at the g, Galway Ireland

Home Goods booty

So simple I wondered why I didn’t think of it sooner. All I needed was some paint to refresh the stand and a few attractive plates. Painting the stand would be easy, finding the right plates would be the challenge. Fate stepped in during a random mid-day browse of the clearance rack at Home Goods where I discovered my three perfect plates. I spray painted the stand black and voila, a star was born! I am super happy with my attractive and functional snack stack. Can’t wait to re-visit my treasure trove to find my next project.

Stack of Snacks!

I’ve written about my distractions and sense of purpose

in previous posts. Follow the links to read more and as always, thanks for visiting my blog!

The Clean Kitchen Effect

A Full Sink and Empty Promises

Depression is a sly opportunist. She usually shows up when I’m in pain, fatigued, and vulnerable. When I’m feeling this way, activities of daily living seem impossible. Depression recognizes this and is eager to offer her assistance. She knows one of the last things I want to do at the end of the day is tackle a sink full of dishes. She’ll softly whisper in my ear, “No worries, we’ll get this in the morning.”

Morning will come and a trashed kitchen is one of the first things I see. Looking at it weighs me down as if I’m wrapped in a wet blanket. I let out a sigh of exasperation, grab a cup of coffee and head back upstairs; Depression reassures me, “It’s OK, we’ll get to it later; we have all day!"

All of the sudden it’s 5:00 pm. My husband is home from work and the kitchen looks the same as when he left in the morning. I cringe when he asks, “What’s our plan for dinner?”

Self-Care(less)

A few months ago, I started noticing other pieces of my life with the “I’ll get to it later” label, glamorous activities such as filling my pill case, flossing, and changing the sheets. Depression had tricked me into task avoidance under the guise of “self-care”; “You need rest, that’s all, and in a few days you’ll be fine.” If only that were true; Depression has no concept of time.

While Depression and I were “taking it easy”, the mess in the kitchen grew until every dish and pot I own was either in the sink or piled up on the counter. My pill case became a big question mark. God only knows the last time I flossed! I knew I couldn’t continue like this but Depression had a way of convincing me she knew best. Her “do nothing” attitude was so seductive and I went along with her antics, until I was so suppressed, so overwhelmed, I was paralyzed. This is when Depression almost won. She was content and I was the perfect host.

“You’ve got to do it, every little bit.” -Fred Rogers

 It only takes 15 minutes to unload the dishwasher; it takes less than 5 minutes to fill my pill case. “What the hell was wrong with me that I couldn’t find the time to get these done!?” “Why couldn’t these simple tasks be seen as self-care?” Depression had no answers. She was happy to lay around, oblivious to the shit storm swirling around her, watching soaps whilst eating cake. Then it hit me, Depression thrives on inactivity.  I knew what I had to do and I knew where to start.

I made a deal with myself (and my therapist) that I wouldn’t retire for the evening until my kitchen was clean. And that’s what I’ve been doing, every night. It was hard work at first but soon it became habit. My clean kitchen has inspired me to take charge of other areas of my life as well. Pill case is full every Sunday afternoon and sheets are fresh! Flossing is still a work in progress (no one’s perfect.)

Depression eventually got the message I would no longer be available and little by little she crept back into the shadows. It is possible she’ll come back and that’s OK. My awareness of her presence has improved and I know her desires. The best part is, I have gained a better understanding of myself and what I need to be satisfied; I guess I can thank her for that.

Seeing a pristine kitchen first thing sets a positive tone for the day!