So I am going to be real honest with y'all about my One Small Change commitment last month of hanging out our laundry, well I didn't live up to my own expectations. If you were around here at all last month, you'd see that I wasn't. I was sick...I mean I haven't been that sick in years, *gratefully.* It knocked me out for a good two weeks, over a week of which I had a fever for, and then I spent the rest of the month trying to regain my ground. My blogging was put off, along with some other things as I focused on healing. But I digress with my rationalizations...
I found a moment of self-discovery in not living up to my own expectations. I set myself up for a let-down with my expectations. I am only one woman, and I have a choice. I can always do the next right thing. While I may not be capable of dragging my feverish self outside in the frost to hang wet laundry on our line (pitiful image, but at one point it seriously crossed my deluded mind), I can toss a few items over the shower rod.
I can turn the thermostat down a degree or two.
I can hit "Eco Wash" on my dishwasher.
At every moment, no matter what is going on, I can choose to live consciously. For me, that is really what it is about. It is about paying attention to what I am doing and allowing myself the time before doing it to make a conscious choice. I try to do this in my parenting, in my partnering and in my life choices. I made one small change in the month of January...I lived a bit more in the present and aware of how I flow through life. Making little decisions, one at a time, to choose the next right thing.
Suzy wisely did not call this One Huge Change or One Heroic Change...she called it One Small Change. I don't have to make a huge change, no, I put that on myself. What I can do is some small changes. With my heightened awareness, I was able to make these little changes that were easy and almost effortless.
So today, as I thoughtfully considered what I would commit to do in February, what I will (let me rephrase my commitment term) *consciously* become more aware of, is the water I pour down the drain.
This picture of a glass with a wee bit of water at the bottom on our table is very common around here. Today, I will not pour this water down the drain, I will consider my options. I will drink it, use it to water a plant, pour it in the cat or bunny water dish, use it to wash with or use it to cook with.
I can make one small change.
With love,
Hillary