Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

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A Window on My Morning

December 3, 2010 By Sandra Heska King

Today I want to be still.

All day.

Today I want to write.

All day.

Today I want to read.

All day.

Today I want to work on my lesson.

All day.

Today I want to exercise.

Not all day.

But stuff pulls at me.

Today.

Things like this messy desk.

Cluttered with books, a broken chicken timer, several notebooks with chicken scratchings, scraps of papers with notes, spilled Twistables, a syringe (from medicating Scruffy), a roll of paper towels (from cleaning up after Scruffy), a spoon (from where?), some packets of tea, a box of matches, a coffee cup stain (from before I started drinking more tea?), a bead bracelet with beads that spell “Jesus,” an open container of colored paper clips asking to be spilled, and lots of dust.

Things like a messy floor. Throughout the house.

This is a problem. This is a priority. Because I have carpet cleaners coming on Monday. In three days. And I thought I’d work on moving things all this week. But there were distractions.

And I’ve been reading and writing and studying and being still.

And we won’t talk about the bills and the laundry and the lack of groceries and the gunk dripped down the kitchen cupboards and the tub to scrub and the half stripped (no, not close to half) wallpaper and the gifts to wrap and more to buy and  . . .

Because I’ve been reading and writing and studying and being still.

And so it’s that time again. To stop. To roll up my sleeves. To grab the garbage bags.

To clean up and declutter and simplify.

Again.

So I can read and write and study and be still.

But it looks like I have to put it all aside. I’m needed to babysit.

Today.

Sharing my window view with Cassandra at the Moonboat Cafe.

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Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. Brenda says

    December 3, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    I’m telling you-decluttering is both my spiritual gift and my love language. I could have that fixed for you in an afternoon…..if you didn’t live in Michigan!! Miss you XOX

    • Sandra says

      December 3, 2010 at 1:04 pm

      I need a keeper. And when you are done with this, there are about 20 years of photos we need to sort.

      Seriously, a well-known Bible teacher once said that she has people in her life with the gift of helps. They come in and do that nitty gritty stuff so she is free to study. Wouldn’t it be something if we could bring out the best in each other by sharing our gifts–and by being willing to cry, “help?”

      • Brenda says

        December 3, 2010 at 2:41 pm

        You think I’m kidding. I can’t tell you how many people’s garages, etc. I’ve organized/cleaned out. I’m kinda brutal though. I don’t keep much, don’t believe in the sentimental value of things, and have a short attention span SO you may want to reconsider hiring me 🙂

        I think crying “help” is both spiritually and humanly beneficial. Sounds like a blogpost to me.

        XO

        • Sandra says

          December 3, 2010 at 4:25 pm

          I did pretty well until it was more than two of us–then three, then four, then a multitude of pets, then family heirlooms, then two more, then . . .

          I’ve done a really good job of dejunking in the last year or so. Always more to good. Dreaming of minimalist living–except for books, of course. 😉

          • brenda says

            December 4, 2010 at 2:08 pm

            Living as a minimalist is my heart’s desire. I pretty much do. Except for shoes 🙂

  2. Carol J. Garvin says

    December 3, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    I read your comment on my post before I got to this one. Now your words about de-cluttering and reorganizing make even more sense. 🙂

    There are always priorities to deal with. Sometimes it’s the writing, but other times we are compelled to stop and deal with immediate confrontations. When you get the muddle all unmuddled you’ll be free to refocus on your writing.

    • Sandra says

      December 4, 2010 at 1:18 pm

      That sounds like a blog post title: Unmuddling the Muddle. 😉

  3. S. Etole says

    December 3, 2010 at 7:51 pm

    What would we do without cycles …

    • Sandra says

      December 4, 2010 at 1:18 pm

      Probably pedal ourselves to death.

  4. Cassandra Frear says

    December 3, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    It is very hard to do it all. Don’t kid yourself: this writing life is not simple. Everything pulls us away and the writing pulls us from other responsibilities. It’s challenging to find a balance.

    Joy to you as you find your way, my window friend.

    • Sandra says

      December 4, 2010 at 1:20 pm

      And only another writer can understand. 🙂

  5. Jeff Jordan says

    December 4, 2010 at 9:51 am

    Uh…would have posted comment earlier, but couldn’t find my keyboard under the mess on my desk:) I have to show my ignorance (i do that often) and ask: What is a chicken timer?

    • Sandra says

      December 4, 2010 at 1:25 pm

      Too funny!

      I wonder if I can make a photo come out in the comments. Hmmm.

      Anyway, it’s really just a regular 1-hour timer. Actually, it’s a colorful rooster that crows when the time is up.

      I was going to toss it, but here’s a little compartment holding 3 button batteries. Maybe that’s why his crow croaked.

  6. Connie Arnold says

    December 4, 2010 at 2:20 pm

    Your post reminds me of all the things pulling at me to be done while I’m sitting at the computer! Have to do those things that need doing but hopefully to still find that time to read and write and be still. Wishing you success in your decluttering, cleaning, catching up so you can do what you want!

    • Sandra says

      December 8, 2010 at 10:37 pm

      We are making progress in the ditch-the-distractions department. 😉

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