Space really is the final frontier

Living in small spaces requires organizing skills and a propensity to get rid of clutter on a daily basis.  I have personally had trouble with the collection of clutter myself for a long time now.   Clutter, junk mail, gas and grocery receipts, birthday cards, recipes I want to try, coupons my mother painstakingly cuts out of the newspaper for me, where does it end and where do you put this stuff? I go crazy thinking I can’t throw away that birthday card that my mother in law sent to me.  I have started a paper recycling bin, usually a cardboard cereal box that I am tossing, to put in junk mail and the odd collection of receipts that I don’t need, but my clutter still grows.

This clutter grows and has a mind of its own.  It gets bigger because I feed it almost daily.  More mail comes in, I shop and keep receipts because I may want to return something.  It spreads all across the end of my kitchen counter, it starts with the basket, then that overflows and I have two piles.  I have added two magazine publications that I receive and never read, gifts from my father in law, bless his heart.  I wish I had time to read them, I always mean to. But where does this madness end?

I don’t get the newspaper anymore, most of the news I receive is on TV or the internet, thank goodness, I might be buried in newsprint otherwise.  I came across a really good article on organization from Peter Walsh called a small chat. What deliberately great information for any apartment dweller that has to battle clutter and disorganization every day.  Most of his ideas are pretty simple actually, what can you live with and what can you live without, what can you recycle, donate, trash. His message is clear, about what can we live without.  If you wore it 2 years ago and haven’t worn it since, get rid of it. Perhaps you don’t need all the furniture you have in your apartment.  If something is not useful, donate it to an organization who can re-purpose it. There is  peace and tranquility and freedom in finding more space in your apartment. Take the leap to be lighter with your living. Take up less space and be responsible for less.

I am not sure I will ever be completely clutter free and free of the junk that entangles me daily, but I might give that desk organizer a try. I think what is more important is when you have a small space, giving everything a home is what is most important, Closets neatly organized with shoes and clothing, bedding and luggage all in their respective areas is pleasing and easy to find items that you need. Important files such as legal documents and insurance policies for life and auto and health can be important to find in a stressful situation.  The more time you spend organizing and putting things away consistently provides you more time to enjoy yourself and relax knowing full well where everything is, in its home or in its place.

Space really is the final frontier, finding more of it to live; finding more of it to store things; and finding more of it to enjoy. May the space you live in be pleasing to you always.

Father's Day in the 21st Century

What a wonderful holiday to celebrate male parenting.  Many of us can think of our fathers when we were little and remember going for ice cream, being pushed on the swings in the yard or at the park or maybe going fishing at a lake or stream. Most fathers are celebrated with special dinners and gifts much like mothers on Mother’s Day celebrations. I think if you asked most fathers, they couldn’t give a hoot about the gifts, all they want is their family around doing not particularly anything at all, just hanging around kinds of things.

Fathers are sometimes misunderstood and certainly overlooked often in the raising of children, even though we have come so far and changed our culture in so many ways in the 21^st century; I think dads are still not thought of as the main parent raising their children.  Dads are still thought of as the main breadwinner of the family, but I am not sure that is really true. 

I also think that this day comes as a hard day for many, for all those who don’t have dads or never did.  What do those people do on this day?  Do they roast hot dogs and hamburgers anyway?  I hope so. I think for many this day comes with some pain attached to it for all those dads that are missing.  Many dads left to serve in the military overseas and some just left. For those dads overseas, maybe they will get to call home and talk to their kids on the phone or Skype. Those dads are doing a special job that most of us wouldn’t want to do and I know their families are proud of them. I feel sorry for those dads who just left; I wonder if they will ever understand how they changed the world by not being present in a young child’s life. Will they ever understand what they lost by not seeing their child ride a bike for the first time, or talk, or graduate from high school?  I don’t know the answer to that, but I am sure many dads do.

Whatever you do on this day, I hope it brings joy to your family and a new and special memory for your dad.  Dads are mostly softies on the inside; they rarely show their true feelings as they think it won’t look manly to their families or their friends. But be careful with dads, they are fierce when protecting and loving their families and we are blessed to have some great dads in our lives, whether they are the next door neighbor, or a friend’s dad, many dad’s don’t mind being borrowed by others, a dad is a dad. So, happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there who make a difference and who are present in their child’s life, it matters.

Safety is Your Responsibility

Let’s face it, the only one responsible for your safety is you.  It is up to you whether or not you lock your door and windows and if you have your face in your blackberry rather than watching the guy who is following you from your car, just a short distance away.  Here are some of my favorite tips about keeping you safe and sound. 

10 Important Safety tips for Apartment Living

1.  Make sure all windows and doors are locked, all the time.
2. Place a broom stick in the gutter of the patio door. They cost about $9 at Home Depot.
3. Make sure your smoke detector has new batteries and works. A 9 Volt costs about $6.
4.  Always park in a lighted area. Report any outages to the property office.
5. Take in mail and newspapers daily or have a friend do it when you are gone.
6. Keep lights on a timer, so people think you are home when you are not. Cost of timer, about $12.
7. Stay alert when walking to and from your apartment, burglars are always looking for easy targets. Don’t be distracted. You really can wait to see that text when you are safely in your apartment.
8. Practice the buddy system, go with a friend to the club house and pool, do laundry with a friend, pick up your mail and drop trash during daylight hours and always be alert while doing so, again, don’t be distracted by your cell phone.
9. Always carry your cell phone, but don’t be on it.  Keep it in case you need to call 911.
10. Get to know your neighbors, attend neighborhood watch meetings if they are available. Neighbors can watch out for each other and help prevent crime.

Just like mom used to say, “It is better to be safe than sorry”. True words, now put them into action.

Generosity of the Spirit

Something I love to talk about is the generosity of spirit that I see in people. This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I take a moment and really feel its power.  Like a stone in a pond, the ripple effects are far reaching. Armando Galarrago of the Detroit Tigers certainly showed a huge spirit of generosity when Jim Joyce cost him a perfect game.  And what did he gain?  Days later we are still talking about and exploring the details of what happened. What happened here is the grounding of the human spirit, the value in forgiving, and being man enough to admit being wrong.  Not easy for any man that I know.  Jim Joyce made a mistake, a big mistake and then he apologized.  He cried, he felt badly, but he didn’t walk away standing by a decision he made in a split second that was wrong. 

This particular generosity of spirit was such a human event where one man declared, I did something wrong, I made a wrong decision. There is time for criticism, but also a time of forgiveness and pure honesty.  I think the thought of admitting error frightens most of us half to death.  We live in a world where nothing is perfect, yet we all have the perception that so much should be.  Matt Lauer on the Today Show this morning thanked Jim Joyce for setting such a good example of good sportsmanship for his children and family. This gives him an opportunity to teach and share a bona fide lesson about the generosity of the spirit. What a shame that we have to strike while the iron is hot for these important lessons in life. Why are there not more of them?  Why aren’t more of our leaders, sports stars and corporations being more generous with their spirit?  Good questions, all of them, but for now, we can look at two men, one who made an egregious error at the expense of another, and one who smiled and forgave with no malice.  It is a good day, a good week, and a good time to witness this wonderful act of generosity, and mostly I think we all needed it, because there just isn’t enough to go around these days.  Thank you Armando, and Jim for teaching all of us your generosity of spirit. It just feels good.

Phoenix is here

Check this out http://www.tbrpc.org/tampabaycatplan/scenario.shtml  This is an enactment of what would happen if a Category 5 hurricane would strike at Pinellas County. Pinellas Park is within a very short distance of my home and my office.  This is a very good time to make emergency supplies part of my shopping each week and make sure everyone is ready for the "big one". Not that it is coming here, but what if it does?  I am supposed to shelter in place, which means stay home, wait for the storm to pass and hang on to whatever  I can find that won't move if the prevailing winds are more than 75 mph. Doesn't sound like a fun time to me, but I will make sure I have enough water, and non-perishable PBJ on crackers.


After the storm, if my freezer is still within fetching distance and the power is out, we will cook and barbecue up such a feast, we will be eating very well for one day at least. I have a lot in my freezer. 

This is Memorial Day

This is Memorial Day, a day when we think about all the fallen heroes that have given us liberty, freedom and a life worth living without persecution of worshiping the God you want, working in the kind of job you choose and having the kinds of friends you want to hang with. The war has come home to me, my nephew Tommy has enlisted in the Navy and goes to boot camp in June. I am terrified. What if he doesn’t come home?

I know he will learn many things in the Navy; one of them being the kind of discipline that he probably needs in this life to be successful. He will learn how to shoot a gun, clean weaponry, and what honor and loyalty to a country really means. He will learn what courage is and perhaps support those who have to muster the courage to defend themselves, or perhaps he will have to defend himself. He will learn what it takes to follow orders from comrades that will be his superiors and he will learn that each soldier has their own story, their own journey and that each story may be draped in blood. What if he doesn’t come home?

He will see other nations and other countries; he will learn another language and help people who need helping. He will make decisions and split second choices that he will never be able to change, so his choices better be right. He will make friends in the service, both men and women, brave and scared, just like him. He will make memories with these new friends that will last a lifetime. He may make the kind of memories that are hard to forget that will haunt him forever, but what if he doesn’t come home?

I am terrified and I don’t understand war as I think most people really don’t. Most don’t understand what it takes to risk countless lives. As I sit here thinking about it, I start to cry, my heart weights heavy, not only for myself, but for so many who love him. Please God, let him come home. Please let us know a world where he is making a life for himself. I am not unique. I am sure I am not the only one thinking these thoughts; but I remember, on this day as the whole country celebrates with hot dogs and bar BQ on the grill, beers in hand, at the beach, at the park, at our homes, there was a price that was paid, a heavy one and for some, the ultimate cost. If you know a soldier, please remember to think of them not just today, but every day, and remember that your freedom and liberty came at a cost. Respect that, and remember that so many are thinking, what if he doesn’t come home?