a peek inside the fishbowl

I’ve written a lot about habits in past blog posts. Some of you already know that I have a small collection of daily habits that I’ve tweaked over time. I know what works for me. I know they work because if I drop the ball, I feel it. My daily routines include a 30-45 minute power walk (which I’ve now moved to the treadmill because of lousy weather), a blast of S.A.D. light, and a mix of vitamins (doctor’s orders). Of course, eating well and not going overboard with sugar, beer, and coffee, figures into that as well, but admittedly, that is harder to moderate.

My daily habits work well when I’m feeling good, but they become especially important during down days. The irony is that when I need my habits the most, it’s precisely the time they are hardest to keep.

I’ve added two other tiny habits to my life that have been making a difference, especially on those down days. Don’t laugh, but I’ve realized that the simple act of making the bed, and cleaning the bathroom sinks on a daily basis (!) makes me happier.

I’ve thought a lot about WHY these things make me happier and it’s because both of these things come with a distinct feeling of accomplishment even though they’re quick and easy. In a way, I’m tricking myself. As I’m doing these things, part of me tells myself: “SELF, if you can do these two things today, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.” Strangely, it works.

Making the bed every day never used to be a priority for me. I’d happily leave it exactly the way we left it in the morning. After all, we’re just going to mess it up again, right? But the feeling of sliding into a nicely made bed at the end of a long day is so satisfying that I decided to take two minutes every morning so I can be guaranteed that good feeling when it was time to hit the hay.

As you can see, I’m not fussy about HOW the bed is made, it’s just made. (Please just don’t look under the bed because the dust bunnies might shock you.)

As for cleaning the bathroom sinks every day, this is something I added to my daily routine a few weeks ago when Mark was sick with a cold. I really didn’t want to catch it so I was very motivated to clean the faucets, sinks, and counter. I always keep a spray cleaner and a microfibre cloth under the sinks anyway, so it actually isn’t much effort on my part. It really only takes me a minute to spray and wipe.

Every time I walk in there during the day I marvel at how clean the sinks are. Everything else is another story, but WOW, are my faucets shiny! I ROCK AT THIS.

I now wipe the sinks every morning, whether they need it or not. It’s a small habit, but it’s made a difference. It’s strange to say but it’s made a big difference to my mental health as well.

Perhaps this is just a case of small victories, after all, ANYONE can make the bed and wipe the sink, but small victories matter… and sometimes we have to take ’em wherever we can find ’em.

What do you think? Do you make your bed? If not, would you consider making it for seven days to see how it feels?

Canadian street gang opens fire on the cops, and they have no choice but to fire back in self defence. WARNING: graphic content. pic.twitter.com/YAQExVRcok

— Blake Northcott™? (@BlakeNorthcott) November 15, 2018

• How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Plain Black Jacket Became a Controversy, theatlantic.com
• Nike’s new NYC flagship store for people who hate shopping, fastcompany.com
• Your Children’s Yellowstone Will Be Radically Different, nytimes.com
• Spanking Is Still Really Common and Still Really Bad for Kids, theatlantic.com
• Stink hits darts grand slam as match features flatulent end, theguardian.com
• The Best Way To Save People From Suicide, highline.huffingtonpost.com

On the nightstand: We Were the Lucky Ones: A Novel

Over the past few weeks I’ve raked multiple lawns and moved what might possibly be a metric ton of leaves from one place to another. I raked the small forest around my mother’s place on two occasions this fall (picture full-size maple and oak trees, so many leaves they can’t be bagged), my in-laws small suburban front lawn, and our own yard (which also involved breaking down a stack of branches left over from Tornado Weekend). So this is a question I’ve had a lot of time to ponder: What does my leaf raking style say about the kind of person I am?

• I’m not a perfectionist and don’t expect others to be either. I don’t care if there are stray leaves on the lawn after I’m done.
• I clean up the bulk of the leaves on the lawn but leave some in the flowerbeds.
• I like using a big rake and the feeling of progress. This is comparable to what I enjoy the most about painting a wall: I get a lot of satisfaction from broad strokes and a big roller. I don’t enjoy taping and the detail work.
• Bagging the leaves is ok and I don’t mind it too much. I like pushing them down and making space for more. In fact, I find it very satisfying to stuff the bags with as many leaves as possible.
• I do not have a methodical approach to raking a lawn. It defies logic, but somehow I can’t find it within myself to start from one side and make my way to the other. I like tag team raking. I rake a pile and someone bags it. Repeat. Switch. Repeat.
• I do not like putting away the garden tools. This feeling flows from the same fountain as the one that hits me when it’s time to empty the laundry basket.

We have two ways to compost in our backyard. One is with an enclosed black unit with a lid. It’s ready for winter now. I do this by turning it, then adding layers of “green” matter and “brown” matter. The other composter is essentially a pile of leaves contained by two-by-fours and chicken wire.

Some of the leaves are dumped into our compost, and any overflow is bagged and put out by the curb for pickup.

Composting makes me very happy, and I feel very strongly about leaving some yard waste to decompose in the flower beds. It’s important! Leaves and twigs eventually decompose into lovely organic material that contributes to healthy soil AND as a bonus, saves us money in the long run because we won’t need to amend our soil with more soil and fertilizers. What’s more, the leaves provide food and shelter for bugs, birds, and other critters, which in turn creates a healthy backyard eco-system that is a joy to behold.

If you’re in Ottawa you’ve also experienced a recent little snowfall (which took place after the photo was taken above)! Did you get all the leaves cleaned up before it snowed? We didn’t, and I am ok with this. They’ll be gone by spring.

p.s. On this theme, I recommend this thoughtful opinion piece over on the New York Times website: How to Rake Leaves on a Windy Day.