Not everything has to be perfect

Posted by random olio

Not everything in life has to be perfect. Yes, I just said that. Some of you that know me might think of me more on the side of wanting things a certain way, and I do but not everything. There are some things that matter more than others. I can name a list of things that I could care less about, such as: which way the toilet paper goes (I am careful about it for Chris’ sake) or ironing clothes (I just choose never to iron anything). I could go on.

This past long, holiday weekend was relaxing. Sure we did a ton of stuff around the house, and mostly in the front and back yard, but all in the vein of taking care of our house. We noticed a shrub was looking shabby and almost 99% decided that we would take it out and plant peonies in its place. As we started to look at the shrub we realized that actually it just needed some TLC. We started to cut it back and found that much of the underside was dead or had dead limbs. We cut it back, and it is now starting to have a life of its own. We still do not know what kind of bush it is, but at the moment we are keeping it and seeing what a little love can do for it. The peonies have already been purchased, so they will go in front of the shrub or a new spot in the yard.

The To-Do list is a lot smaller, a lot has been accomplished, and well my muscles are sore from all the pruning, weeding, and cleaning of the yard. It is not perfect, but I feel like we have done our due diligence to take care of our home inside and out. Do I wish we slept in a bit longer? Sure. Do I wish we watched more movies? Of course. At the end of the day, it feels nice to have worked hard, and taken care of the home (inside and outside) that I see, but also for those that walk by our yard each day, or come to visit us.

It does not have to be perfect. What matters most is that we care. We love our home, we care that it looks kept up for those walking down the street. Whether we can keep up with all the mole holes is an entirely different blog post, but to be able to share the beauty of a yard, and know that you took good care of it, means so much more to me. I know sappy, but it is true. A yard can be a work of art, or it can be a landfill. It is all in how we take care of it.

Let it Go

Posted by random olio

I have not jumped on the “Frozen” bandwagon. Apologies if that means you no longer want to read this blog post today. I cannot even remember the last movie I saw in the movie theater. I am partially ashamed to say that I think it was Flight. Sad, but true. The movie actually sucked, so maybe that is why I have not been back to have my feet stuck to the floor, and be absolutely annoyed because even though they play a commercial about turning your cell phone off at least 5 times, it is always the guy directly behind you that decides he is going to answer his phone during the movie.

I am more of the wait until it is on Netflix or Redbox type. You know, watch it on your couch in comfy clothes, with a snack, and the ability to comfortably snuggle with your husband. Ah, yes that is the best theater experience for me. Having said all that I am still extremely behind on my movie watching list, but hey Memorial Day weekend is upon us, so catching up on movies is on our list. That and summer is a great time for a few movies here and there, since primetime programming is on hiatus. Although my backyard beckons me much stronger than the boob tube.

I digress. I started telling you about “Frozen.” A friend posted this mother remake of the Frozen song and while I have heard the original version a zillion times on the radio, and while I am not a mom yet, the words to this rendition made me laugh. It would only be that much better if they did it in an actual house (instead of on a stage) then you could get the real feel of a mom, picking up toys, folding laundry, or cleaning up a mess of dishes. If you have not seen it, you might find you will sing these lyrics (instead of the original) while driving. Especially since the song comes on the radio every hour. Enjoy.

Our lives are not vacuums

Posted by random olio

Sometimes we live in little bubbles. We get in our cars in the morning (or maybe on a bike, or via public transit) and go off to work. Some days we highly engage with others, and some days we may never leave our desk, but often the routine is the same. We spend our days in a fairly similar fashion, and then turn around and come home, partake in our evening activities, go to bed and turn around and do it all over again the next day. We all have our own form of a bubble, just some of us have larger or smaller bubbles than others.

Yet, we have the ability to pop those bubbles, to expand and grow our horizons, learn new things, or never take the same route home each day. Our lives are weaved together each moment of every day. Our choices build the story of what others think of us, good or bad. If we are continuously dependable others will begin to depend on us. If we do not show up as continuously dependable then trust begins to erode. We always have a choice to how we show up, and how we tell our own stories.

I wrote a blog post last year titled: “Brand YOU” and discuss how we each create our own brands, and decide how we market ourselves. I recently finished reading Austin Kleon’s newest book: “Show Your Work” and well I am always a sucker for inspiration around telling a story, specifically when it relates to a personal story. This idea specifically resonates with me:

“Your work doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Whether you realize it or not, you’re already telling a story about your work. Every email you send, every text, every conversation, every blog comment, every tweet, every photo, every video–they’re all bits and pieces of a multimedia narrative you’re constantly constructing. If you want to be more effective when sharing yourself and your work, you need to become a better storyteller. You need to know what a good story is and how to tell one.” page 95

Pop your bubble, remember that every interaction you have is a line in your story, and how you tell your story (via in person, Instagram, Facebook, etc) is part of the Brand you are weaving. Now with the Internet that weave is permanent and hard to unravel, so put some thought around the mark you want to make.

Directness and Transparency

Posted by random olio

I am not sure why I feel inspiration about this topic at the moment, but for some reason I have been thinking about directness and transparency. There was a time in my life where I would have hidden from you. You know when you see the child hide behind their parent’s leg, only peeking out to see if it was safe? That was me. My father used to scare me, and often I just was the quiet soul. Yes, you could bring me out of my quietness, you could get me comfortable and make me laugh, but if I thought there was a place of fear or conflict I would usually retreat back into myself. However, the old ladies at church did not scare me and I usually put on the charm for them.

Something happened as I continued to evolve into myself. Maybe it was losing my parents at a young age. Maybe it was seeing so many people hide their feelings and not be honest with themselves or those around them. Somehow I started talking and well I guess I have not stopped. If you interact with me on a daily basis you know you will hear exactly what is on my mind. You will know when I am happy, or sad, or frustrated. You will be able to see it on my face or you will know by how I respond. How exuberant I am to help and support you, or how short I am with a response. You will learn that I love deeply. You will learn to never mess with someone I love.

All of that comes out with my directness and transparency. There are times where I could probably be more careful with my delivery. I am aware of that and I try to be careful with the audience I am around. However, if I am comfortable with you, and we share our day-to-day life, I will probably tell you when my basement floods or when I have just received the perfect POTD (Picture of the Day) of my niece. You know the days when you are so utterly frustrated and you see the look on their precious little face and you are transported to a different world and you inhale and remember none of this really matters except the irresistible snuggles and coos of a little one? I have a video on my phone of my niece, Charlie, that I have been playing on repeat over the past week or so. She is cooing at herself in the mirror and I just want to eat her up.

I digress. You just witnessed a bit of my transparency and brain-barf of what is on my mind (I just paused to watch the video of Charlie again). I hope you live your days and moments in full transparency, without fear of what people think. Be direct. Say what you think.

#lifeistooshort

If you say you are going to do something, DO IT.

Posted by random olio

Sometimes I have so little patience. I wish it was a quality that I had stored up in tons. I remember growing up in Indiana where you would so often see those big grain towers, where you knew there was potentially a store of grain in them, or maybe it was the tall water towers. I would like patience in that volume. Is that even possible?

Yesterday a lot of issues came up at work, where it seemed like things were 99% okay, but that extra 1% was the very piece needed to make sure something could happen. Without that 1% I could not pull the trigger to execute or finish an entire project. That 1% mattered so much in the project and I had to rely on someone else to make it happen, and somehow for each aspect there was something missing. I came home and thought: “ugh what a day.” Honestly it all does not matter in the grand scheme of things, yet. Yes, there is a yet. I think what matters more is that 1% equates to dependability and trust. When you are given situations where someone does not come through for you, you start to wonder if they will the next time and the next, and the one after that.

It is something that Chris and I talk about often. One of my biggest pet peeves is: if you say you are going to do something, DO IT. Bring it, give it your all, and be present and there for what you said you would do. Whenever Chris and I get into it with each other (and that is so rarely) it is usually because of that very fact. We agreed to something and then we did not honor that agreement. Take a stand, agree to what you are going to bring to the table, and then bring it with all you have got.

I need to practice patience and give folks a chance to come to the table. If you come to the table and show that you have put some thought around it, cared, then I am going to be with you and walk together to a solution. If you have not tried, or you show you do not care, then my patience is thin, and short.

Come to the table, bring it, and show you care.