Revitalized

My energy reserves have been replenished and I feel raring to go again. This is a very good way to feel on a Monday morning. Better yet, because I have a whole lot of staining to do.

I took what I needed from the weekend and besides tackling a few tasks I hadn't been looking forward to, I had enough sleep, solitude and sustenance to fill me up to capacity.

I waited out the instructions of when to stain the deck - do NOT stain if rain is expected within 24 hours of application; do NOT stain until after 24 hours after a rain. I found variations of these instructions with suggestions to wait up to 48 hours.

This could prove to be impossible with our daily rain showers so after I tended to barbequing the meat I had thawed for supper (the meat had to be cooked but no one was hungry, so it was simply an exercise in barbequing - no "supper" was actually involved), I thought I would start staining the deck railing. Surely to goodness waiting 12 hours to stain a vertical surface should be sufficient.

I was in the right frame of mind to start the job. The temperature was ideal. Not too hot. Not too cool. I was in the shade. I promised myself I would simply start the job. Anything I accomplished would be a bonus.

Apparently the sun starts setting just after 9 p.m. these days. I worked into the twilight hour of the evening. It was a perfect way to wind up the day.

It was a tedious job but I didn't really care. I chastised myself a little for not starting the railing the night before. I could have finished the job last night. But one cannot turn back the clock. I have started. Starting is the hardest part.

I hope the most tedious part is behind me. The jigs and jags of the railings by the stairs appear to be the fussiest part of the job. I am hoping for some clear sailing today ... if only it was Saturday again.

Now that I have started this task, all I can see is the endless fence which surrounds our yard. It should have been stained years ago. Thankfully I had a vision of this moment and prepared for it. I had a 30% off coupon at the paint store, so I picked up a wood revival/cleaning product and extra stain. I can tackle this job one section of the fence at a time.

Starting is the hardest part of most any job. From that point on, just take one small step at a time. A step in a forward direction is better than no step at all. I need to tattoo the mirror image of this on my forehead so I can remind myself of this small adage daily.

The only one who can make changes around here is the person I see reflected back in my mirror. I must give her some grace and forgiveness for what she has not yet done. But she does need a nudge in a forward direction from time to time.

One small step at a time. Big things can happen by doing small things on a regular basis. One forward step at a time...