hopehope
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815 
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Post by hopehope on Sept 8, 2008 21:38:34 GMT -5
I quit swimming when I was about 8. Before that, while I was definitely one of the ones who "could swim", where I lived that wasn't saying a whole lot. I could put my face in the water, and move a few feet with various appendages going.
when I went to a pool a couple of decades (and then some) later, I swam like an 8 year old. I was mortified. and set myself to learning how to do it. I watched people, I took out books, I flailed and tried. and I asked.
One summer on the last night of the pool's being opened, I asked this woman from the next lane who I'd been observing quicksilvering her way up and back -- and she said she hadn't seen me swim -- but that usually, what people do wrong is they drag their butt and they go too deep.
I was utterly taken with that as a metaphor for my whole life -- go too deep -- and drag my butt.
So -- the challenge right now is to play against type -- DON'T go "Too Deep" -- make it look good on the outside -- especially the first things they'll see -- get it?
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Post by brenda on Sept 8, 2008 21:43:36 GMT -5
"So -- the challenge right now is to play against type -- DON'T go "Too Deep" -- make it look good on the outside -- especially the first things they'll see -- get it?"
That is so right on. Do not clean out your sock draw when you are standing knee deep in clutter!
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placemat
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 17
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Post by placemat on Sept 8, 2008 22:46:57 GMT -5
that's a fantastic metaphor. it reminds me a lot of trying to tackle a problem and becoming frozen by miniscule details rather than dealing with the shallow water. this in turn causes butts to drag. thanks for sharing the metaphor hopehope <3<3 ps: i didn't quit swimming when i was 8, but i was petrified of the diving board, opening my eyes under water, etc. i was taking lessons. as an adult i can tread water and get myself from one end of the pool to the other in one piece, though my form leaves a lot to be desired. i try to take this approach to various goals, form be damned. sometimes it works, sometimes not.  |
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Post by skitter on Sept 9, 2008 5:24:00 GMT -5
Brenda you said, "That is so right on. Do not clean out your sock draw when you are standing knee deep in clutter!"
How did you know? That's exactly what I did yesterday!
Rueful cheers, skitter
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Post by DJ on Sept 9, 2008 7:35:36 GMT -5
thank you greatly for posting that exchange.
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Post by AnnieOkie on Sept 9, 2008 8:40:12 GMT -5
Very insightful, hopehope! I love it when God whispers something in my ear and I learn a lesson from a completely different situation than the one I am dealing with.
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Post by Arid on Sept 9, 2008 13:36:02 GMT -5
Well, ladies, I've found that I CAN'T put things away UNTIL I've "cleaned out the sock drawer."
I agree 100 % that it is foolish to spend half an hour cleaning the dried on catsup off the ridges of the neck of the catsup bottle before putting it back into the refrigerator when the rest of the kitchen is full of dirty dishes, with a filthy floor to boot, and company is arriving in an hour!
However, lately, I've been cleaning out small areas at a time--a drawer here, a shelf there--not even an entire cabinet at a time. I've not even gone back to the same cabinet for the next shelf that I've cleaned. Nonetheless, my feeble attempts have been well-worth the time and effort.
A week or so ago, we were dismayed to find that we have an infestation of acrobat ants in one room. After researching the problem, it seemed that the only solution was to allow the pest control people to come in to treat the room with the latest, greatest, "safest" (yeah, right!) poison. That meant that that room had to be emptied out (well, at least, it was our choice to do so) of all but the biggest pieces of furniture (we covered them with sheets of plastic). That also meant that I had to put away all the food items that normally sit out in the kitchen, since the kitchen is right next to the room that was to be treated. I'm talking about things like the boxes of cereal that usually "live" on top of the refrigerator, the flour and sugar canisters that normally sit out on the kitchen counters, etc. Thanks to my recent decluttering and cleaning of a few drawers and shelves, I had a place to go with all of this "stuff." Also, I was able to do it in very little time the night before the pest control people were scheduled to arrive. Now, I hope to keep those cleared-off counters clear! We shall see. . . . The order in which things "migrate" back to the counters should be an indication of which things need to be "at the ready" vs. those things that were simply "clutter."
So, I recommend that we try to do a little "deep cleaning" when we can, in order to make the "cosmetic" cleaning easier.
Arid
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Post by heylady1 on Sept 9, 2008 16:02:18 GMT -5
Just the other day I was thinking back to when I was much, much younger. (I would put in a bunch more "much's" but you'all would get bored) Anyway, back when I was around 18 I used to be a Lifeguard. I was a very good swimmer. Back then too, I could handle a lot of different things at one time. Cleaning was not an issue back then. Taking care of animals was not a problem and never a chore. As I've gotten older I have found that I can still swim but good lord don't start drowning in front of me!! My stamina is not the same. I could probably help you if we were close to shore or you were drowning in the not so deep part of the pool but otherwise...  My ability to handle a lot of different things at one time is severely limited. Cleaning is an issue. Taking care of the animals has become more of a chore than I like, and sometimes I have to put out real effort just to keep up. My butt is dragging and I'm in the deep end of the pool. So what I need to do is to let go of the things that are dragging me down. Once I do that, I can swim out of the deep end. Sounds so easy doesn't it?  |
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Post by pegasus48 on Sept 9, 2008 19:33:06 GMT -5
So -- the challenge right now is to play against type -- DON'T go "Too Deep" -- make it look good on the outside -- especially the first things they'll see -- get it? Yes, hopehope, I really like your metaphor! It is very fitting. I can get so involved on the "right way" to load the dishwasher (going too deep) that the rest of the kitchen stays dirty. Or maybe the dishwasher never gets turned on (dragging my butt). Heylady really hit the target too with the following: My butt is dragging and I'm in the deep end of the pool. So what I need to do is to let go of the things that are dragging me down. Once I do that, I can swim out of the deep end. Sounds so easy doesn't it? I'm going to keep telling myself 1. don't go too deep 2. don't drag your butt 3. let go of things that weigh you down |
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