What's Next?

So now that I've completed the April 2011 A to Z Blogging Challenge, what's next?

My plate is very full, having pushed aside many things, while endeavoring to produce a noteworthy post nearly every day. Now I will need to peel back the layers to uncover each neglected task and aggressively take them on -- one by one -- hopefully emptying that plate.

It is spring, and our yard has been crying out for attention like a mournful puppy. We've raked and mowed, overseeded and watered, but now it's the weeding and planting (ever wonder what happened to all those bulbs??!)...plus a little bit of pruning. Then there's all the fall debris that still needs to go to yard-recycling.

Our closets, the basement and the garage are all bursting with things for Goodwill, the Veterans, and a possible garage sale. But before any of those tedious projects can begin, there is the simple matter of catching up on my dishes, laundry and other basics in life to clear the clutter. Sound familiar?

And, I have yet to mention any time for reading, bike riding, amigurumi, journal writing, artwork, letters, ukulele, hiking, indoor gardening and piano. At times I wonder how others stay on top of all their interests. I truly need to lock myself down to more of a schedule, just to stay ahead of any possible regrets in the years ahead. Especially since I'll be turning the big 6-0 this summer.

We have a tremendous plan for our 25th (Silver) Anniversary, less than a month away. June 1st is the actual day, but on the eve we will have our favorite chef come into our home to prepare us a fantastic dinner with wine by candlelight. Plus, our live-in mothers will both be out of town that entire week, so we'll be free to make a few day-trips without any other responsibilities (except Ginger, our Cocker Spaniel). What a delightful time this will be for just the two of us!

Guess that about wraps it up for now on What's Next?

-- without pond-ering too deeply, that is :~)

"R" is for...Regret Not

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”   ~Alexander Graham Bell

Someday, I should actually put a list together of all my little personal Thou Shalts. Thou shalt remember that rules are meant to be broken. Thou shalt overcome fear whenever it shows its ugly face. But, at the very top of that list would be: Thou Shalt Regret Not. 

In fact, if this list is really all that important to me, I honestly know that my someday will definitely happen...otherwise I would be wide open for the possibility of a regret. And, that's simply not going to happen. 

Someday, I'm going to get rid of all the clutter I've accumulated around the house...including the basement and garage. I'll have one gargantuan garage sale, perhaps at one of those community locations that draws in thousands of people each year during the month of May. 

And you know what? If I'm really serious about this, I know that my someday will definitely happen, otherwise I would be wide open for the looming likelihood of regret. And, well, that's just not going to happen.

Someday, I'll buckle down on my diet and exercise, and actually shed the excess off these tired bones. My new found vitality will carry me off into my greatly anticipated adventures and discerning discoveries, to satisfy and fulfill the muse within, and to share with my best friend. 

And -- I already know there's no *if* on this one -- I absolutely know that my someday will arrive, otherwise I would end up wide open for that sorrowful probability of regret. And, that shall absolutely not happen.

Actually, there is a fairly simple formula for decreasing the probability of acquiring regret(s) in life. Either, I decide from the onset, to not put so much importance on the task or desire -- at least not so much that there would be regret if it didn't happen in my life time -- or, I organize and plan all the Somedays into my daily life. 

Anything worth doing -- anything I want to have happen in or to my life -- is worth doing now. At times it's just a matter of loving myself enough to make room for it. Or, seeing my life big enough -- important enough -- to put the work into it to make my life the best it can be.  

The enemy is procrastination, but it cannot co-exist in this regret-less realm.

But how can I be so convinced that regret will not happen? Because, if today I make the best decision I can about a matter, and I find out later down the road, that perhaps it wasn't the *best* decision after all, does that make it not the best decision? No. It doesn't change a thing. Remember -- it's only by hindsight that we see everything 20/20.

Whatever decision I make, I let it rest. Any information that later comes to my attention about my decision, is only for learning in moving forward. That is all. What is already done, is done. That is my vow to myself, made many many moons ago, that enables me to enjoy my life,
                                and.............Regret Not :~)