Choosing Joy (After my Holiday is Over)

So little time, so many little things I would like to do, to add VALUE to the time I do have at my disposal before I walk out this door and into the world's expectations and demands.

I can't believe I just wrote that sentence after spending eleven of my twelve days off doing absolutely nothing of true value almost all of those days. In my defense, I will say I must have needed that true "down time" otherwise I wouldn't have been able to fritter those days away so effectively.

I am back in the saddle. Back to work. Albeit, yesterday was a condensed day (only 8 hours instead of 9.5) and it will be a short work week (truly, I believe "retirement" to me will equal three day work weeks!).

The sore neck I struggled to get rid of during my holidays has returned. I woke up in the middle of the night with my neck bothering me, after finally succeeding in ridding myself of sore-neck-syndrome about four to five days into my holiday (after getting yet another new pillow). AND after what I truly believe happened ... I relaxed.

My early morning thoughts this morning were:

"RECOGNIZING ... it is harder to set my own intention, when I am at the whim of other people's intentions for 9 to 10 hours of my day. This is an OBSTACLE ... not an excuse! It is still my responsibility to "own" my own time. Learn to VALUE (not simply waste) the time I have."

This is easier said than done. I am eight hours back into my work week after twelve complete and total days off. I felt my bosses' tension slip into every ounce of my being the moment she stepped into the room. I can't embody her stress. It hurts too much. I need to manage this within myself more effectively. As I said, easier said than done.

I thought these thoughts, wrote them down and found some "Marie Kondo" videos on YouTube. I can tell by the way I feel after watching these lessons and illustrations of "The life changing magic of tidying up", that this is where I need to begin.

Maybe once I get my own living space in order, I can take what I have learned and incorporate it into the office I work in. THIS is one of my hugest obstacles.

How does one declutter someone else's personal work space? I have quite literally taken a large piece of white paper and placed it over the clutter so I can define my own "white space".

How does a person tackle such a large undertaking when there are not enough hours in the day to tend to the daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly demands of the job, let alone finding time to create order?

Are these valid reasons? Or just more excuses?

These are the things I did not miss while I was away. While my need to simplify, declutter, organize and purge starts at home, I know it has some long reaching effects which may help with the return of my Stress Neck.

P.S. I just googled "stress neck" and there is no such thing. It is written that it is unlikely that stress CAUSES neck pain but it can bring about the symptoms of underlying neck pain. 

Well holidays, it was nice knowing you. Sad to say, that eight hours in, you are ALMOST all but forgotten.

No more excuses. It is time to pull up my socks and do what I can to make the most of this life I have been given. This job that intensifies the stress in my neck is necessary to my well being. It is up to ME to find a way to work through and beyond the discomfort.

After all, it is the Marie Kondo way. "It is about choosing joy".