Stop Sweating Small Stuff

For a little over two weeks now, as most of you know, I have been on bed rest due to back surgery. I would love to tell you that it has been a joyous time full of book reading, movie watching, and many conversations with the Lord, but that of course, would be a lie.

I have had a very difficult time with bed rest. I don't think as a mother that complete bed rest is even remotely possible. Of course, I have done more resting than getting up, but none the less, I have had to get out of bed a few times more than I probably should have.

Shannon and the boys have had to take over all of the "chores" that I normally do, and I appreciate their help and efforts very much. Even with that being said, there are still so many other things that I "normally" do, that have not been done in a long time. I don't say that to complain, I'm just saying that it is driving me crazy not being able to "keep" the house exactly how "I" like it.

Now don't get me wrong, I am no June Cleaver.........



I'm probably exactly a little more like Roseanne.



And since I have been on bed rest, I have become completely a little overwhelmed at all of the house work that is not getting done while I am stuck here in this bed.

The dust is so thick on the furniture that you could draw pictures in it.

The dish drainer needs a good scrubbing with the Mister Clean Magic Eraser.

Dog hair is taking over everything.

And I don't even want to discuss the school room that needs to be organized and cleaned before our school year starts next month.

I could continue, but I'm sure that you have had enough get the idea.

The other day, I wandered into Daniel's room to look for something, and what I saw when I opened his bedroom door......well let's just say I had what my momma has always called a "conniption fit!"

I'll admit it.

I freaked out.

Like Bill Cosby's mom, I declared Daniel's room the worst pig sty I had ever seen in my life!

But if the truth were told, I don't think even pigs would want to live in that mess that he calls a bedroom.

Needless to say, I immediately had to go get back in bed and take several slow,deep breaths.

Lots of them.

Daniel of course, didn't see what all the fuss was about. He said, "Mom, you are freaking out! Stop freaking out! It's just a bedroom! Who cares? Gee Whiz!"

Kids.

Logic.

Grrrr!

After I calmed down, I remembered a book that I have titled, Don't Sweat The Small Stuff with Your Family. It was written by Richard Carlson.

I asked Daniel to get it off of the book shelf and bring it to me.

As I thumbed through it, I hoped that I would be able to embrace all or even some of his ideas, and literally stop stressing over the small stuff that was completely overwhelming me right now in my life.

His thoughts are all very common sense approaches to our every day lives, but it's definitely easier to read about the ideas than it is to practice them.

But one of his thoughts really struck me. It is Chapter 9 of the book and it is titled, "Think of Taking Care of Your Home Like Painting the Bridge."

As anyone who has a home knows, there is always work to be done. For example, the house needs new paint, the gutters need cleaned out, the yard needs mowed, not to mention the constant mountains of dirty clothes and dishes, etc., etc. And all of these things can at times be so overwhelming!

I know Shannon and I sometimes feel emotionally bogged down just by all of the things around our home that need repaired, not to mention the daily amount of general housekeeping.

So in this chapter, Richard Carlson talks about the Golden Gate Bridge in the San Francisco Bay area. (My mother has been there!....I'm smiling at you, Mom!)


Of course, this bridge is something most Americans are familiar with.



It is a beautiful sight to see, isn't it?

But what you may not know, is that virtually everyday of the year, this bridge is being painted. The painters start on one side of the bridge, and by the time the work is done, they have to start back over at the beginning. The painting of the bridge is NEVER done!

I let this information sink in a bit, and I realized something. Every picture you see of the bridge is beautiful. I can't recall ever seeing a picture of the bridge that it did not look majestic.

And just think, it is constantly being worked on. Not once have I ever noticed the spot that needed painting on that bridge. I just see it as a whole, and it is always stunning.

So I thought of my own home. I need to look at it with those same eyes.
My home is lovely(flaws and all) just how it is today.
Yes, it is in need of much repair and maintenance, but it is still a wonderful home.
We will have work to do on it every day this year and in all of the years to come, but that is okay. The same would be true if we moved into a new home tomorrow. Everyday we would still have the same chores to do, and the house and yard would require the same daily upkeep.

I was talking with a friend on the phone the other day; she is planning to come see me soon. I was very excited at the thought of her coming to visit, but before I even thought about what I was saying, I said to her, "Now you have to remember, my house is quite a mess; I haven't been able to do any housework lately, so please just ignore the dust and clutter."

She gently and politely said to me, "You need to remember, Amy, I'm coming to see you, not your house." (Yvette, you are a treasure!)

Anyway, I won't lie to you and tell you that I will never be overwhelmed again about this same topic, but at the end of the day, housework really is some of the small stuff of life that is not worth sweating over.

I love the saying that I have heard countless times. It goes something like this, "At the end of life, no one ever says, 'Oh, I wish I had vacuumed more.'"

Amen?:)