January Reflection/ rhythm and routine and the tripod of happiness

My one little word for the year is Reflect. And so far it has been the most fruitful little word I could have ever chosen. My hope and goal is to spend time at the end of each month, reflecting on how we spent our time, how I reacted in certain circumstances, how I want to change in the month ahead.

Intentional Reflection is a powerful thing. It means that in the moment I take the time to think. Why am I so frustrated right now? What is making me feel like this? Why is this a part of my life? What could I change to make this improve?

After getting the root of these questions, I found some helpful insight that helped me make some changes. Here are some concrete reflections I jotted down throughout the month.

+Rhythm and routine turn mayhem into order. And I love order.
I discovered this during a huffy moment in the laundry room. I was at my wits end at the perpetual nature of laundry. Never ever done. Never ever all put away. Never ever ending. So I took some time to think through this one and realized that I could pick a day, just like Ma Ingalls, and do the whole shebang. Wash everything. Put all the clothes away, stack up those empty laundry baskets and kindly inform the rest of the family that I would be happy to do their laundry next Monday, a full seven days from now.

Oh my. What a life changer. No kidding. We're going on our third week and it still makes me giddy to think about. My favorite quote was Rory, "you know, since I know these jeans won't be washed until Monday, I'm going to wear them a few more times." And now we can see why I was in such a tizzy about the laundry. And we can see how sincerely life altering Laundry Day has become.

More on Rhythm and Routine another time. Wait until I tell you about Grocery Night. er...maybe I just did.

+I have a Tripod of Happiness.
If one of the three legs isn't being met, I might fall apart (or tip over as the imagery here would suggest.) My Tripod was discovered by my husband, who tends to simplify my frustrations and emotions for me. The 3 legs: Sleep, Connection and Productivity. If I'm not getting good sleep, like say for the last six months, I can be quite temperamental  If I feel disconnected from friends and life giving relationships I feel sorry for myself and isolated. If I "don't have anything to show for my day!" then it is time to get out the modge podge, write a blog post or sort the junk drawer. Which all seem to fulfill that leg.

+Not watching TV actually does mean you read more books. 
I cannot recommend Hannah Coulter enough. If you have anyone dealing with the loss of a loved one, this novel will help heal, I am convinced. The wisdom and truth written in these pages made me remember the power of a great book. I loved The Long Winter, as I have loved all Little House books at age 31. Keep thumbing through Writing Down the Bones, a favorite I return to again and again.

+When I eat good and healthy foods I feel good and healthy. When I eat crappy foods I feel crappy.
This is a great, elementary learning. I still crave the crappy food. But if I remember this little truth, I can usually convince myself that I can eat something better and will feel better after.