ORDINARY//ORDERLY

Generally, I find I am no good at blogging. I'm not consistent, I don't work on taking great pictures, and I fumble around for weeks or months with regards to the next topic I should tackle. Maybe I will write whatever comes up, or maybe I should craft an entry that combines my professional and personal interests? I'm not even sure why I feel the draw to sharing thoughts and photos in this way, as I'm a fairly private person. I do know it's good practice for my creative writing projects, as it gets the words flowing without so much concern about plot, character or flow. I'm definitely still figuring it out, anyway.

Since my last post, spring has arrived and uncovered all the glorious and tedious tasks of the season. It's brown and grey and dry and dusty: some of my least favourite things. I've been lucky enough to travel to the Oregon Coast and the forests of Northern California, and so I only have to close my eyes to remember the lush, damp air of the Redwoods and the salty spray of the ocean. That part of the world, perched on an unsteady fault line but bold and beautiful no less -- it's an inspiration to my writing and my life plans, always searching for the next adventure despite an uncertain future.

And yet once I'm home, the pull to plans and projects AWAY can leave me feeling scattered and floaty. These qualities do not translate well to schedules, meal-planning, family time and business-related tasks, nor to holding space for others in their process of growth and healing.

Today, while I was raking leaves (in a weak effort to procrastinate my self-appointed writing time), it struck me how calming and orderly the various yard tasks can be. Pulling leaves into a central pile, moving around that pile in a clockwise fashion, and working my way around my yard, all helped me find a sense of grounding, making order of the chaos of life and giving my nervous system a chance to relax while my mind focused on one simple and methodical task. Kind of how I still find myself counting stairs as I go up or down...but a touch more productive :)

Cleaning up the compost buckets that were left to freeze over the winter - that was less soothing. But satisfying in a (drippy, putrid) way nonetheless. This sense of order-making wasn't really intentional; these were to-do items on the list of summer chores, and the sooner I got through them, the sooner I could return to more enjoyable things like reading or sewing or walks on the beach. But the immediate sense of calm that came from the act and completion of those simple yard tasks was palpable. I felt it on a deep physical level, as I was reminded by the increase in exertion to breathe deeply, and appreciate the still-cool spring air.

Personally, I'm a pretty open fan of chaos. I manage it well enough (most of the time!) in my home, my emotional life and my studio; I accept that a certain amount of chaos is the nature of life and our human experience, and I try to roll with it, even invite it at times because I know there is growth and learning in what is uncomfortable.



But my experience this morning with the mindfulness that can come from mundane household chores - although not a first for me - reminded me to intersperse my days of planning, dreaming and "achieving" to slow down and revel in the beauty of a pile of fresh-chopped and stacked wood, a naked garden, waiting for new life, the muted tones of this pre-green season.



I even managed a few photos. Looking forward to blending the ordinary and the orderly with moments of inspiration, peacefulness, joy and chaos as this adventure in blogging continues...

Thanks for reading :)  Your own experiences like this would be great to hear about! What ordinary tasks do you find relaxing and balancing to the rest of your life?

Yep, I'm actually posting a picture of my laundry basket. Another favourite mundane-yet-soothing task for me!