My house is like my body

Baby steps. Baby steps. Baby steps.

My house did not get messy overnight. My body did not get overweight/out of shape overnight. I cannot fix my house in one day. I cannot fix my body in one day.

Routines- take on one job and stick to it. This week it has been laundry. I finally realized that I need to do two loads of laundry every day to keep up on it. Since last Wednesday, I have made this a reality. It is amazing how much free time I have to focus on other tasks- or really, just how much I notice other tasks, when I'm not fretting about climbing Mt. Laundry. Workout thirty minutes a day. Done for nine days straight now. Do I notice a huge change in my body? No, not yet. That will come with time. But, when I ran that mile without stopping in under ten minutes yesterday, I felt a difference. When I walk past my laundry sorter and can see the painting that it hangs under, I can feel a difference.

The way my house looks doesn't affect what goes on here. This can be a tricky one. My house can be a mess yet we can still enjoy ourselves here. Just like I can do wonderful things without my body being perfect. BUT I notice when my house is cleaner, we are all happier. We function better as a family. Lost puzzle pieces are found, there is room to get out all the Littlest Pets. I feel more confident, more able to do what I need to do when I take care of myself. I have made a commitment to covering my feet in lotion twice a day. It sounds silly, but it makes me feel good.

So step by step, my house and my body are becoming more how I want them to be. I have accepting my starting points, and I have a realistic goal set in my head. My body has borne five kids, I am not going to look like a supermodel (who really does anyways?). My house holds seven of us, I am never going to win any awards from Martha Stewart. Those thoughts don't discourage me, they just keep me real.

A commitment to change makes it sound like I'm reinventing myself. But what I really feel more like is an onion with a special pearl trapped inside. I keep peeling layer and layer off (my body in pounds, my house in dirt..lol) and am getting closer to finding my pearl. MY pearl may not look like yours, but it is beautiful in my eyes.