Obligatory New Years Resolution Post - Part II

Well, well, well.  

What do we have here besides the perfect transition to part two of my resolution post.

I only moved this issue of Real Simple at least three different times in attempted clutter maintenance before I actually read the cover: How to Live the Balanced Life.

Hey!  I want to live a balanced life!

Since starting this furniture gig I have struggled to maintain a life.  My friends and family get neglected.  My home gets neglected.  I can't see anything beyond my current project.

You see, I can't do anything half-way.  This isn't meant to pat myself on the back; it applies to all aspects of my life.  So even when I fail, I fail in an exceptional manner.

My obsessive nature often leads to me walking away from something I once enjoyed because I'm tired of it.  Since I don't want that to happen this time, I need to achieve a balance between my life and my basement.

I'm big on schedules.  I need structure.  This is not something I can place into a neat little appointment on my calendar.  I can't promise to be creative on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  So I had the novel idea to actually read the article on balance in Real Simple in hopes of getting some ideas.  

To be honest it didn't shed any new light on how to help achieve my coveted concept of balance. It did however, feature some delicious recipes that made me wistful for the days when I would prepare dinner for our little family.  I was meticulous about my dinners.  They weren't fancy by any means, but they became part of a nightly routine.  Terry and I would sit down every night at the beautiful kitchen table he built for us, and eat.  My dinners helped prepare me for the week.  I headed to the grocery store every week armed with an iron clad grocery list and a grocery budget calculated down to the penny.  

Once I started painting, my dinners became a thing of the past.  A home-cooked meal morphed into microwaved take-out or cereal.  Grocery shopping became a chore that resembled prepping for a massive snow storm - only essential items were purchased.  By the time I'd emerge from my projects the last thing I'd want to do is fix dinner.  Our only dining options became establishments that featured a drive-thru window.  I'm not proud. 

Which leads me to my grand plan on how to achieve balance: I'm going to cook dinner.  Not every night.  But a couple nights a week.  Knowing that I have some flexibility in my week will hopefully give me the structure I need to work and come up for air.  

Structure through flexibility.  

Balance through structure.  

Creativity through balance.  

I hope I remember to stretch first.