Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2003. Mattie was one years old and was beginning to toddle around. Mattie was born to walk and run, he skipped crawling altogether. It just did not interest him. I absolutely love this photo that I captured. We had it on our refrigerator for years. When Mattie was a preschooler, I took a photo by this coffee table again and had Mattie compare it to this photo. It always made Mattie chuckle to see how much he had grown! To me this photo was simply precious.
Quote of the day: Our character is basically a composite of our habits. ~ Stephen Covey
I was up again this morning from 2am to 3:30am. What woke me up? A numb hand and fingers. I am currently dealing with another bout of carpal tunnel syndrome. It is worse than ever and almost impossible to get comfortable. My first experience with carpal tunnel was during pregnancy. I remember after I gave birth to Mattie, I could hardly hold or carry him, because my right hand and arm would go numb. Pregnancy fluid impacted the median nerve in my hand. Back then I saw a doctor, who gave me a hand brace, and over time it helped. Now I do not have time to rest my hand and arms, so it is harder to recover. I am hoping the brace, Advil, and ice help, because I can't keep having sleepless nights when my days are so full.
Given that the HVAC expert was supposed to come between 8 and 8:30am, I had to get up at 5:30am, in order to get myself ready and manage my dad. Nothing went according to plan today. My dad is dealing with constipation, which is like hell on earth for me to manage. Because of his dementia, he perseverates on this issue every minute! I wasn't sure I could get him to his memory care center, but I alerted them to the issue and I will be spending the weekend, trying to resolve this issue. Meanwhile, the HVAC person never showed up! When I tell you I was on the phone five times today, complaining, I am not kidding. I explained to the dispatcher what I had to do to get ready for an 8am tech visit. Truly by the time I finished with this company, they did not know what hit them. Got lots of apologizes! By 1pm, I had it! I told them, I had to take my mom out (who was circling around me and getting antsy to go out), and that the tech had to come at 4pm.
Thankfully Jonathan (who helped me two weeks ago) returned. Within an hour, he deduced the problem. Apparently there is a wireless connection from the outside condenser to the inside control panel. It needed to be re-established. Truly it is all over my head, but within two hours, the air conditioning was working! He is a miracle worker! The company is coming back out next week to do maintenance on the system, to keep it running efficiently. I have the furnace and air conditioning systems inspected yearly, in order to preserve their lives. I thought the fix today was going to be a disaster, it turned out to be easy and once again (like two weeks ago) he did not charge me for this service. But the upstairs has been freezing all winter, and recently the thermostat upstairs read 80 degrees.
I have come across a website called Daily Motivation News. Somehow I just LOVE the title, and this is the second day I have read an article on the site and loved it. Today's article was, People who make their bed every morning without fail tend to have these 7 quiet strengths.
This article resonated with me. I have made my bed every day since I was a teenager. Prior to that, as a child, my grandmother made my bed. So you could say I grew up in a household where I learned that this is the first thing you do in the morning. However, this activity just resonates with me. So when I saw the title of this article, I couldn't wait to hear the 7 strengths making a bed reveals about a person. Here's what I think about the 7 strengths (which I listed below).... they are spot on! I had no idea how much making a bed could reveal about a person, but it is true. One small task that you start the day with, cascades into being able to accomplish more things!
I remember when I was in graduate school, other students would ask me..... do you ever sleep? It was said in jest, and yet it wasn't! I am aware that I have the capacity to do the work of ten people at times. When you train yourself to do daily tasks, I have found that enables your body and mind to take on MORE. As crazy as that sounds, it is true. Now all that said about self-discipline and awareness, making my bed is also a direct link to my type A personality and strong desire for order, cleanliness, and structure. I thrive of these things, and seriously I have gone into friends' homes and if I see their bed unmade, guess what I do? YES I MAKE IT! My brain doesn't like to see the chaos of rumbled sheets and blankets. Any case, check out these 7 things, and perhaps they resonate with you too!
- They embrace self-discipline (By making your bed every morning, you send a message to yourself that you’re in charge of your day, not the other way around. It’s this subtle act of self-respect, a reminder that you have the power to direct even the smallest details of your life.)
- They practice mindful awareness (This isn’t just busywork; it’s a mini exercise in mindfulness.)
- They start their day with a sense of accomplishment (If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day.” That one small task can set a positive tone, convincing you that if you can get this right, you can handle what’s next.)
- They value a sense of order and calm (Clutter—physical or emotional—can weigh us down. When you cultivate order in your space, you create a bit of room for peace in your mind.)
- They show consistency in small details (People who are consistent in making their beds every day often exhibit that same consistency in other areas, like following through on commitments, being punctual, or responding to emails in a timely manner.)
- They Cultivate a quiet confidence (Daily habits like bed-making build a foundation of self-trust. If you prove to yourself that you’re capable of consistent action—even in something as mundane as arranging pillows—you start to believe you can handle bigger leaps.)
- They build resilience for life's bigger challenges (If you can stick to small, constructive tasks despite hectic mornings or unexpected curveballs, you’re more likely to stay grounded when bigger issues arise.)
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