Beautiful Center

Have you ever done something special for someone for the pure reason of helping them out? I try to do it as often as I can. Recently, I helped my Aunt clean out a storage area that she had wanted to work on for some time. Between work, household obligations, family and friends, she simply hadn’t created time to tackle the storage unit.

With a little extra time on my hands, I offered to help. Anticipating an entire weekend project, I was surprised at how quickly the cleanup process took, when we both focused on what to do and where to begin. Now, my Aunt is probably mortified with this blog because everyone will think that she is messy. Not true! Everyone, including me, her kids, in-laws and even a few neighbors has placed an item or 10 in this storage area. And, like most Americans, we always forget what we have and how long it has actually been stored.

To make a long story short, the next day, my Aunt had to leave for a few hours and I opted to stay and ‘work’ on our little project. By the time she returned home, I had finished the cleaning part and organized all boxes into piles for her so that she could go through the rest of the items and sort out the ‘keepers’ and the ‘trash.’ I even fixed a little sitting area up in the center of the storage area. This way, it would be more inviting and comfortable for her to spend the time that is required to finish the organizing of her belongings.

It was nice to hear her appreciation for the work that I had done. However, it was more rewarding to me to hear about some of the plans that she had for his storage area and her excitement in being able to use the space more conveniently.

So, on that note, the quote of the day is:

“What lies at the center of everything is what really matters.” tc

A Sheltering Spot

I hear people talking all the time about wanting more quiet time, peace, a break and a vacation. What is so interesting to me is that when they finally receive a day off, frequently, they fill it with so many chores, activities and catch-up work that they never really stop and enjoy a break.

I started to wonder about those people that I know who do this. Do they actually know how to take a break or I wondered if they really wanted one? One author that I have read claims that people do not really want peace, a stress-free life or more free time because they would find that boring! Image that. Someone finally getting exactly what they want and then, they find it boring?

When I started to give this idea some thought, I tend to agree with the author. Look at how we have conditioned our youths to be constantly entertained and busy. With all the electronic gadgets to entertain them from cell phones, ipods, video games and computers, why should they ever sit quietly? Why do we complain about ‘these kids?” Look at their examples? We have not taught our children the necessary skills to enjoy peaceful moments because we do not show them peaceful moments, ourselves.

So, on that note, the quote of the day is:

“It is not the amount of time that you have, it is the quality you put into the time that is important.” tc