Cookies, Coffee, the Kitchen & Me

Have you ever given a mouse a cookie?  No, not seriously given a mouse a cookie, who would want to do that – YUCK!  Let’s back up for a minute.  Have you ever read the book “If you give a mouse a cookie”? It is a wonderful tale about what occurs after you offer a mouse a cookie.   Can you guess what happens next?  Of course, he (not a clue why he is a he and not a she, but let’s go with the story as it was written) will ask you for a glass of milk.  I mean seriously who does cookies without milk anyway?  Then of course he may need a straw for his milk and a napkin for his snack.  You see how this is going right?  So one event with the mouse leads to another.  In case you are curious there are also other editions, “If you give a moose a muffin” and “If you give a pig a pancake”.  You should check them out – they are entertaining. 

This book has been deconstructed to have a variety of meanings.  One review indicates the book is a sign of our selfish times and the fact that generosity is exploited – perhaps, but that is way too deep for this blog.  Another indicates that the current generations are vain and demanding of those around them – again perhaps, but also again way too deep for this setting.  So, let’s get back to why it is relevant today.  Well you see, the mouse often reminds me of that ADHD (attention deficit) part of my brain that says “oh a new task…. let’s go”, and off I am with no regard to the current mission at hand.  I sometimes wonder if I am more or less productive because of this.  Now, I have never had an ADHD diagnosis, however I do believe I have some characteristics of that diagnosis.  I believe we should all embrace ourselves with all of the strengths and flaws – it is ok to have both after all. I am working to learn how to love all the parts of me. Not to say that I do not want to work on the flaws, but… wait, one thing at a time.  Back to the mouse and the cookie.  

Walking through the kitchen the other day it occurred to me that I needed to put the salt and pepper back in the cupboard.  I have no idea why as they sit on the counter every other day at our house.  But on this day it seemed like a good idea.  After opening the cupboard I wondered why the noodles were on the second shelf, they should be moved up to the top shelf out of the way.  Wait, there are jars there, are they current or expired?  Out of date, time to throw these away, well I could clean them out for recycling anyway.  Back to the salt and pepper…. hmmm, I think this cupboard would be a better place for cookbooks.  You know the ones you are not using, but you refuse to get rid of? Yeah I have some of those too.  So at this point, I have now cleaned out a pantry, two cupboards, and a countertop.  It is important that you know the goal for the day was rest and crocheting.  But now I am too far in to back out.  Suddenly, I have a full scale kitchen reorganization going on and it occurs to me that I feel like the mouse. 

What started as a simple task has now become overwhelming and the day is ending and I am tired.  Now I have to decide to commit to see this through or walk away.  But no, no I don’t. There is another option.  I can commit to see a portion of this through today and the entire task on another day.  It is possible that there are other answers in life.  It is not always yes and no, black and white.  Sometimes there are other options we can consider.  I did not fail to reorganize the kitchen, I simply realized that while it is important so is my rest before a work week.  Did I stop and walk away, no my kitchen was a disaster – getting to “a stopping point” required an additional hour.  But has half of my kitchen now been thoroughly cleaned and reorganized, it has indeed.  Will the rest get done?  Perhaps.  I would like to say yes, but honestly I do not know.  I do know that even as I type this I realize I need to set a goal.  When would I like to work on it again?  Who will help me? What will having it completed look like?  Perhaps a goal of finishing the task by the end of next week, I can do it alone, and it will be organized with items in their place and all of the cupboards and countertops cleaned.  That is a lofty goal for me, this is not my strength.  But it does sound like a good and workable goal.  Sometimes, we just have to re-evaluate and look at a task to decide if we want to finish it, and what it will take for us to complete the task.  Then we can create a goal and implementation plan and run with it.  

Set a goal, run towards it and go get your cookie.

As always thank you for spending time with me friends,

Cindy