Friday, March 19, 2010

Acceptance

Friday, March, 19, 2010.....


Acceptance, according to Merriam Webster is "favorable reception or approval".

I find it easy to accept others, but when it comes to me, I find this to be the hardest word in the dictionary to understand.

For the past 22 months, I've been forced into a period I'd like to call "limbo" or "purgatory for the unemployed". The market hasn't been kind, but it has forced me to really look at who I am and what I want.

Some things haven't changed since the day I lost my job. For instance, while working, cleaning was never a priority on my list of everyday tasks. In fact, I loathe it. Once unemployed, I thought the elimination of being too busy with work would give me the time to really clean and organize my home. No such luck.

I admit to ironing my sheets and that is about as Martha Stewart as I get. Yes, I love to cook, but she takes home care and organization to a level I've finally decided is just not me.

Instead, I watch Hoarder programs on t.v. and that scares me enough to keep some semblance in my home and purge things on a regular basis (my definition of regular is not to be compared to what I believe Martha would call regular).

Hating to clean is just an example of how I've been facing things about me and accepting I'm not perfect and letting go.

Yes, there are things I still want to change or modify about my life, but am I going to beat myself up because I'm not perfect or it takes me longer than most to make the change is something I'm working on. I'm finally learning to accept I march to a beat of a different drummer and beginning to embrace that this is okay.

23 comments:

Jana said...

Totally agree with you there...there is no use beating yourself up over something in not just in your nature

I hate cleaning too but i am making an effort to change this. let's see where it goes...

Megan said...

I detest cleaning too...i really realy hate it. Not working would never change that for me!!!

CiCi said...

Who are you in competition with anyway. We all march to our own drummer. Good for you to face it and accept it and keep on keeping on.

Jaime said...

does anyone really ENJOY cleaning? it's a necessary evil. one which i simply do not have time for...

Yankee Girl said...

Accepting oneself can be tricky, but once it is done, it makes everything so much easier and less exhausting. Chin up, tits out.

Mandy_Fish said...

I like it best when other people clean for me.

Win-win!

Jane said...

Hahahahaha... I also watch hoarders shows to scare myself into cleaning. My personal Martha Stewart (/Joan Crawford) idosyncrasy is that I like to arrange my clothes by color on wooden hangers. I love baking and cooking, but cleaning doesn't really light me on fire. I wish I could magically become more organized.

Spot said...

I hate cleaning, but I love a clean house. The way it feels and smells. I'm much better about it since I had to leave work. I guess I feel now more like it's my "job". But I do it for me. The kids and hubby could care less whether the house is clean or not!!

♥Spot

Green-Eyed Momster said...

I have to ditto that first line in Spot's comment. I love the way a clean house feels but I hate doing the work. Besides, with this many people to clean up after it is just overwhelming some days. I wish everyone would just keep my house clean.

Be kind to yourself. And, stop comparing yourself to Martha. She served time in jail because she was convicted of a felony. She's not perfect either!

Hugs!!

J.J. in L.A. said...

Those Hoarder programs actually make me feel better about myself. I'm not the cleanest freak in the land but I (sometimes) get into cleaning jags. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. lol!

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Yes, it is okay. And don't forget to write about all the good things about yourself. Sometimes we only think of what we do wrong and not all the things we do well.

Anonymous said...

The economy is so screwed up, it's not your fault-16 million people can't find jobs.

This will change eventually.

Joanna Jenkins said...

Ironing your sheets scores you extra points so not being a cleaning fan kind of evens things out in my book.

Be kind to yourself.

Happy weekend.
jj

Alexis AKA MOM said...

I keep thinking things will turn around, but sadly it just seems like we're not getting out of this hole.

Oh cleaning I love to say I'm perfect but it's just far from it these days. I say as long as it's picked up then I'm ahead of the game :)

DB said...

Hell, other than a certain sister I can think of, no one really likes to clean. I would have let this one go a long time ago.

Now ironing sheets....that's just crazy talk!

Brian Miller said...

being perfect is over rated...just be you. smiles.

Anonymous said...

Iron your sheets????
Lindsey Petersen

Farnnay said...

oh man those hoarder shows are CRAZY. im sure u are nowhere near that. and i hope everything works out :)

Sunshine Mama said...

I think not liking to clean is a pretty common theme with people.
Like right now...I need to clean this place...but there are only so many things I can do with all that I have to do...but like you, even if I had the time, i probably wouldn't sit there and clean and organize things.

LadyNansei said...

You've gotten so many blog awards (I can totally tell why).
P.S I hate cleaning too. My house is such a mess I cant even find my cupboard. lol

Mike said...

I hate cleaning, but I also hate a dirty house, so I guess that I have a problem! LOL

Unknown said...

Anyone who irons her sheets is a SUPER woman in our books! People can sometimes be their harshest critics. Good for you for accepting yourself.

TudorCity Girl said...

I absolutely LOVE your last line!!! I am finally learning that about myself and realizing it is OK.