Your Rules

I was in a rut. A decorating rut, that is. I hadn't changed decorations in a while. My normal "rule" is that fall starts with Halloween stuff, and that doesn't go out until October.

But the other day, I needed something from the pile of junk that used to be my garage. When I was moving boxes, I came across my Halloween decorations. How fortuitous, since I'll be needing these in a few days.

Then I thought - why am I waiting? I'm sick of my rut now, darn it! My house, my decorations - my rules. So, I put jack o' lanterns (plastic; I don't carve) on my front steps. Then I put out some fun, Halloween-y things inside - and added a few harvest items. It took me a while to get everything the way I wanted - I kept moving things from one shelf to the next, up a step, down a step, more to the right, etc. Finally, it was done; I set my timers, and ordered my dinner (I don't cook, either).  

They look super-cool at night...

It made me smile. For a couple of hours, I forgot my stress. Lately, there's been too much of that - stress, I mean. I have a lot on my mind: Things I'd like to say, questions I'd like to ask and changes I'd like to make. The placement of my power strips and ceramic ghosts was a welcome distraction. 

It would be nice if we could plan our worries, the way we plan holiday decorations. If I could, I would spread my worries out more. My savings wouldn't be nearly empty at the exact same time that I've become completely burnt out at my job. I would have paid more attention to my pants getting snug before it was time to cover up with jeans and sweaters and plan holiday meals. My questions would have been asked before I had so much to lose. 

Go Yankees!

But that's life. It happens on its own - usually, while you're planning. So now what? Well, I guess I regroup. Figure out where I am, and where I want to be. Then decide how to get there from this starting point.

That's the thing with improvement. It can start whenever you're ready. You decide when - your rules.