How I Improved My Mood.

This morning I woke up well rested and eager to start my day.

I came downstairs, walked into the kitchen and immediately, I was irritated. There was a filthy cutting board (we served the falling apart succulent crock-pot beef on it for supper last night) blocking my access to the coffeemaker.

I made the coffee and came into the dining room next door to browse the internet. Fine. My Move More Eat Well prompt this morning was to set "mini-goals." I got annoyed. I am doing my best to keep up with the daily habits I've set. How are they different from mini-goals? I thought. I considered asking that very question on the message board.

 

When the coffee was ready, I went back into the kitchen and poured a cup. I returned to the computer. I noticed someone had posted a link to a page with 101 mini-fitness goals. Perfect. I started to read it. I started getting annoyed: "I am already doing that. I can't do that, not enough time. I can't exercise with a buddy, I don't have one. What do you mean people lose more weight the more friends they tell?"

I went back into the kitchen to start breakfast. I washed that cutting board in a sink crowded with yet more nasty dishes. I washed the frying pan so I could cook the veggies and set it on the stove. I started looking about for my coconut oil. I couldn't see it. I circled the kitchen a few times. I even went into the living room, careful not to disturb my daughter and her friend sleeping in there. I started to despair. I looked at the counter and the mess, again, harder. I went over to the stove area. Looked there. Looked harder at the kitchen table. Finally!

So, I started the veggies and came back to the computer. I thought about how everything was annoying me. I thought about the girls asleep in the living room and wished they weren't there, so I could work out. I thought about my husband asleep upstairs and wished he wasn't there so I could go up and change. I was in a rotten mood. That was it.


And then I thought--did I wake up this way? Was I grumpy when I got up? Was I really going to have a bad day?

No. It wasn't me.

It was my kitchen.

It has not been truly clean and tidy since before Christmas. OK, things looked good on Christmas Day, but since I was left to do the dishes alone after dinner, there have always been some dirty dishes on the counter, or the stove, or both.

I keep forgetting how much my mood is affected by the clutter in my surroundings.

 

 

 

yes, it's almost exactly twelve hours later

Does it count as "decluttering" when I don't donate or throw anything away?