It takes guts to admit it: I’m behind on my ironing.
I’ve posted about this 4-step process before and now, need to read it again, to help myself remember how easily we can catch up. So here goes!
4 How-To’s
Hurry. That makes it go much faster. Time yourself and see how long it takes to iron one shirt or one pair of pants. Then see if you can cut the time down each time you repeat that performance. Play peppy music to help you stay quick.
Set aside time to fire up your iron every day. If you have a designated spot for the ironing board, where you can leave it set up all the time, or if you have a board that is easily stored, such as in the wall or on a door, all the better.
Iron twice what your family would wear, every day. This can only lead to success. They wear five pieces daily? You iron ten. Simple math leads to simple solutions.
Continue until caught up. The finish line may seem elusive, but truthfully, it’s that other word just above–“CONTINUE”–that is a lost or hiding concept for us, especially when it comes to ironing. We feel foolish? We feel tired? We feel uninspired? We should consider how good it feels to have it all done for a change. Yes.
Now, with the goal of continuing, of not quitting, of actually being caught up instead of planning to catch up someday, here are some motivators I use, to keep me reaching for that last piece in the bottom of the basket:
4 Motivators
The peppy music. Already mentioned, yes, this trick not only helps me move faster, it also keeps me cheery. Sometimes I even sing along, and it helps, like a daily, longed-for music session. Trust me.
Multi-tasking. Need to make a phone call?–Turn down the music and turn on the speaker phone. Need to exercise?–Leg lifts, walking in place, or knee bends all work while ironing, and can be done in time to the music. Need to watch a pressure canner?–Iron in the kitchen. Need to study the next lesson in your online course?–Turn off the music and listen to the lecture.
Get it?
Rewards. Nothing like that last ice-cream bar in the freezer to make you get the job done. You cannot multi-task with ice-cream bars. You have to get ‘er done, then hit the ice! Another reward, for me, is seeing my hubs looking as sharp as can be when he leaves the house. Has to be good for his soul, too, I think. And sometimes I reward myself with a promise to spend time with my feet up, visiting with you, my readers. And then there is the newly-won space on the laundry room floor . . .
Finally, being able to get dressed without first ironing, is a huge motivator. It is such a luxury, to me, who grew up ironing every morning and being late to catch the bus. Whew. So glad those days are over.
That’s it—so easy. For me, since only my husband wears much ironed clothes, if I iron two shirts and a pair of pants for him each day, soon all is done. Now and then I insert something for someone else, but really, most of us wear no-iron clothing like t-shirts, sweats, and the softer denims. It may take a week or two, but it does work.
Now, guess what I’m about to do!
Oh, and always remember: A job well-done need never be done again.
What an amazing statement. How often we get hung up, seemingly crippled about forgiveness, thinking we cannot do it because we do not feel it!
And how liberating to realize it is not a feeling!
No, forgiveness is a command.
We must forgive, just as we must honor property rights. I don’t always FEEL LIKE allowing my neighbor to keep his lovely flowers, but I must leave them in his yard. Digging them up is stealing.
I also do not always feel like forgiving, but I must. Holding someone in unforgiveness is sin, just as theft is.
But I can assure you, the clouds have been crowded, lately.
With huge yellow clouds of pollen in the sky. No kidding.
So now that we’ve had an entire INCH of rain, we’re all better. Whew. Even breathing better.
In case you’ve missed this before, here’s what to do if pollen is giving you fits. I post this occasionally, but if you’ve missed it before, you’re going to love the unmedicated way to beat pollen.
An antique tractor – A very early, hand-built gasoline powered tractor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I had some fun yesterday! My tutoring job was canceled because my student had testing, instead, so I made use of the time by making a run to town.
Or trying to make a run to town.
I got as far as the discount store and my Ford truck wouldn’t go. If I tried to let it idle, it sounded like a Ford tractor, instead. Are tractors only 2-cylinder? Let’s just say it was missing a bit. And it would die, not idle.
This truck is really new — still under warranty.
I’m no race car driver, but somehow I managed to manipulate the gas, gears, and brakes enough to get the thing across the street to our favorite tire guy. We don’t have any engine-repair places, and this guy knows all anyone needs to know, anyway.
Of course, being in the tire business, he has no diagnostic computers for engines, but never mind. Even his young assistant knew what the procedure should be. As our tire friend sat in the cab of my truck and manipulated the keys in the ignition, the young assistant ducked, unbidden, under the truck to listen.
Then our friend asked, “Do you hear it humming?”
The young assistant nodded “yes.”
Whatever that was about, it was not about tires. I felt myself in good hands.
However, this first responder triage diagnosis was: water in the gas. As I tried to remember aloud where we had recently bought gas, he kept saying, “I buy gas there all the time. That shouldn’t be a problem place to get it.” He said ‘sorry’ and he couldn’t really help me, that I should take it to the dealership, but I was welcome to park in his lot.
I’m so thankful for small-town friendliness!
I called hubs and he said to bring it on home after I got groceries.
I was scared.
But I did it.
I don’t know how.
It kept wanting to die when it coasted down hill. If I did not keep it revved, it chugged and jerked a lot, as if I were just learning to drive a manual shift. It kept trying to die whenever it idled, and succeeded a couple of times, so I prayed a lot for clear intersections so I would not have to come to a full stop. I hardly had any brakes, anyway, as they were power brakes and there was not much power, or something.
I slipped through several stop signs with a promise to stop twice next time.
Although the speed limit going home is 55 mph, I kept it to 40 or so, except for downhill, since I had to give it gas at all times to keep it from dying.
It was a very blessed feeling finally to arrive home and coast the last 50 yards, since it had died but we have a parking spot that is downhill from the road.
We saw early Christians respond with courage to severe persecution.
We saw miracles were normal for the early church.
We might say such strong faith is something we long to see in our church.
But do we really?
We sing, “Revive us again,” and “Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.”
But do we really desire and plead for the presence and power of God to revive us?
I wonder if we are content with the “mercy drops”.
Maybe really we are satisfied to have the Lord simply break through, every now and then, to do a mighty thing or two among us, but we really aren’t serious when it comes to wanting to see the full power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
Now some say we are living in a different dispensation and that the age of miracles is over — that was for a specific time and place to authenticate the message of the apostles, but we no longer need that today.
English: Sunrise on Mt. Sinai in Egypt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Really!!
The church doesn’t need the power and presence of Holy Spirit today?
Miracles are happening in mission fields where people have never heard of Jesus, why not here?
Is not “Jesus Christ […] the same yesterday and today and forever” as it states in Hebrews 13:8?
I’m afraid we have become comfortable and accustomed to the absence of God’s Presence in our meetings.
In reality, maybe the Presence of God scares us, just as it scared the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, and as a result, we don’t experience the miracles of God.
And our faith is dying.
When God sends forth the Holy Spirit, amazing things happen:
English: Stale water during a drought at Old Mill Dam at Cedarock Park near Burlington, North Carolina. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Do you ever have stale days at home?
I don’t mean the air in the house is stale, although it may be, and that may even be part of the trouble. No, I mean one of those days when you cannot put your finger on it, but something just seems off. Missing. Sinking.
Stale.
It can be a job hazard for the home-based woman, because it can quickly lead to a small bout of self-pity, which could turn into a medium-sized bout of disappointment, which might even develop into a big case of the blahs. Mullygrubs. Discouragement. Fear. Anger.
Don’t ask me how I know.
But DO ask me what I’ve learned about how to fix it!
I have learned how to fix it.
Many ways.
I learned from watching the animals, from watching other people, and from “watching” (keeping my eyes fixed on) Jesus. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Catch a few rays. Open the curtains and blinds and let the sun in. I know you don’t want to. But you know the fastest way to get away from anything is to run in the opposite direction, right? Well, when we’re all darkness inside, it’s best to let in some light. In fact, going outdoors is even better, because sunlight gives us vitamin D, which makes us absorb calcium from our diets, which they say is a catalyst for every chemical reaction that is supposed to happen in the body. Often, when we think shopping, gardening, or taking a walk cheers us, it’s largely exposure to daylight that does the trick. Just sitting on the porch in the sunlight for ten or fifteen minutes may be all you need to get more D. To get more calcium. To get more MO.
Breathe. Open a window. If the north wind is blowing, open a south window, turn down the thermostat, and put on a sweater. Allow some fresh air into the house. Lack of oxygen slows the body and the mind. Not hard to grasp that, but usually during extreme hot or cold weather, we hesitate to let oxygen in. Those are the days we think we have cabin fever, spring fever, or just a blue funk. How little we guess we’re oxygen deprived! I wonder how many of us even acquire Alzheimer’s Syndrome from it!
Get a drink. Not that kind of drink. You don’t have to wag water all day, but if you’ll just chug a glass or so, now and then, you would be surprised. It revs your metabolism, dilutes toxins in the blood, and gives the kidneys something to work with. Even your VISION can become clearer right after a big drink of water. Imagine what it does for your thinking.
Sing. Music has charms. We need it. Be sure you sing a happy song, heh heh. If you cannot sing, whistle. If you cannot whistle either, play a CD. Loud. Let happy music take you where you ought to have been. I am amazed at how much more I like everything about my life when I sing or listen to great, uplifting music. And for ages, I was totally unaware of that about myself, until I found a survey asking if I worked better with or without music. I answered “without” and instantly realized I was WRONG. I constantly whistle while I work, something I learned when I was teensy and viewed the premier of Disney‘s Snow White classic cartoon. Yes, I’m old.
Move it. Get up. Tie on some comfy shoes. Get going. Take a walk. Sweep the front sidewalk. Scrub the tub. Pull weeds. Knead some bread. Clean out a closet. Scrub a smudged door. WHATEVER. Just make yourself a bit breathless. It does wonders for the lymph system if you keep it circulating by moving your major muscles. You just feel better when you move more. I’m not a medical professional, but I’ve heard that major movement even can work like a pain-killer.
Combine all the above. Had you noticed? You can do all the first five ways in one 20-30 minute goal by taking a big glug of water and then taking a walk. Too simple.
Bathe. I don’t mean to say you’re dirty, but don’t we always feel better when our hair is clean and our clothing is fresh? Sometimes, that morning can seem to drag on forever, but after a hot shower or soak, we just have more confidence or something. I think I first noticed this, too, as a child, whenever I would be ill. The first day “back to the land of the living” Mom would make us bathe, although we might still feel weak. She would change our bedding then, and we’d go back to recuperation in clean sheets, clean nightie, and clean skin. I was always surprised that such a big effort on the part of my little sicko self could make me feel so much stronger and rest so much better.
Read your Bible. Get one. If you’re not experienced reading the Bible, get one with red letters, and read the red parts first. You’d be surprised. Sometimes I pray this shorty first: “God, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but just tell me something that will fix it, please.” Then I read until it hits me: Oh, what a great truth I forgot! And it ALWAYS hits me, because He is so much more interested in getting me going, than I am.
Okay, there you are. No more excuses. Kick the stale out of your day!
And share with us, PLEASE, what are your tricks for freshening your day? And THANKS!
![[Edinburgh from the castle, Scotland] (LOC)](https://i0.wp.com/farm4.static.flickr.com/3551/3449527773_58f9a08444.jpg "[Edinburgh from the castle, Scotland] (LOC)")
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