November Challenge: Day 28

Today I am grateful for flexibility in ideas. The last few months I have been researching and looking at making a change in my personal life. I haven't decided anything yet so I am going to keep the details of this particular decision to myself, at least until I have made a decision. Anyways, I had found what I had been looking for, at least the best that I could find, and I had committed the decision to prayer. I didn't take much action during this time and just allowed the events to unfold. I'm not sure  if this was a poor decision or God using my lapse in actions as an opportunity to present me with something different. Time will have the final say in that decision. 

Let me explain. I had found what I was looking for, committed it to prayer, and did nothing else. During this time circumstances had changed and it turns out waiting had cost me what I was looking for, time had made it disappear. I now had to search again and this also meant that I had to expand my lens of focus to include more options because I just wasn't finding what I needed. My decision had been compromised, but I managed to find something better. Again, the final decision hasn't been made, but this time it is largely because I am unable to finish this decision at this time. Granted there are compromises that have to be made. This isn't what I had wanted, but in its place I am gaining more than I would have hoped for before. 

These compromises that I would have to make mean that I have to be flexible. At first I was really struggling with being flexible because I knew what I wanted, but then I allowed the possibility of compromise to infiltrate my mind and the result was a plethora of ideas based on the compromises. This second option isn't what I originally wanted, but flexibility in my thinking has allowed me to see this option as something that I can manage. I am not unable to put these ideas into place, but the very fact that I have envisioned them means that they are a possibility. This is why I think that maybe God has used my lapse in action to present me with a better opportunity. 

It is important to be flexible in our thinking because often God alters our plans that we would want to see fulfilled in favor of His plans that are much better for our lives. It is easy to see the loss and be upset, after all we consider ourselves experts in our lives or at least as far as what we need, but God sees the whole picture, the long term affects this decision will have on our lives. Sometimes what seems like a perfect decision today is the catalyst to unfortunate circumstances tomorrow. We are unable to know the circumstances of tomorrow and so we can never be certain that our decisions will fit our needs in those circumstances. My original decision fit my needs perfectly today, but I can see incidences in the future when that decision could be problematic. I have to consider these changes in my decision as an indication of another opportunity God has for me and that is better suited to my needs. 

Flexibility is a wonderful ability and trait. I am thankful for the ability to be flexible and to imagine something different when circumstances change. What are you thankful for today?

November Challenge: Day 13

Today I am thankful for an extra day. Yesterday was my mom's surgery, but I took off today too because I wasn't sure how she would be doing and how much help she would actually need. She is doing really well and hasn't needed much help, which has allowed me to get a lot of things done today. Last night I slept well, which gave me the energy to wake up and get things done. I was able to  pick up a few groceries before anyone was awake and put everything away without "help". Since my mom was doing well, I decided to work on some home projects of my own. These were organization projects I have wanted to get done, but just haven't had the time or the energy to really finish them. There is still a lot that has to be done, but I finished quite a bit and feel these projects are much more manageable now. 

One of the projects I tackled was cleaning out my dresser in my closet. I emptied out all of the contents and reorganized everything. I shuffled around the contents of my Sterilite storage and I believe I am utilizing them better now. I didn't have room in my closet, largely because the dresser is in my closet, and was having to hang clothing on a shelf in my room, but after cleaning today I was able to transfer the clothing into my closet. This is a blessing because my clothing is more accessible and moving the clothing frees up space that can be used to decorate my room for Christmas. Cleaning  and organizing my closet today showed me just how blessed I am. A lot of people don't have the quantity of clothing I have and are grateful for the few articles they do have. I wasn't able to fully appreciate everything I had because honestly I didn't really even know what I had. This prompted me to donate some of my clothes, clothes I had once adored, and free my clothes to be a blessing to someone else. 

So much stuff!?! That seems to be the theme of the day. I don't think I fully realized how much stuff I had in certain categories until I addressed those organizational projects I had been putting off. One item I have a lot of is lotion and a collection of misc beauty products. Most of these items come from gifts I received or free products that were given to me from places like Bath and Body Works and Sephora. There is a sense of obligation to keep these items, after all they are quality products that I can use, but these items quickly monopolize my space. This is still an area I need to address, but today I spent time purging these items. I kept the items I liked or wanted to try and threw out the items I didn't like or would never use. Previously I had wanted to donate these items, but I have noticed a lot of organizations don't want these type of items because they could be contaminated and prefer items that are still sealed from a store. I have found that the free travel sized lotions I receive from Bath and Body Works are great for quick, last minute gifts because they give the recipient the opportunity to try the scent without being stuck with a large bottle. These items can also be included in care packages for the homeless. 

Possessions have a way of taking over our space and our lives. Yes, we are blessed to have the possessions we have, but we should share these possessions with others. In the future I will be purging more items and have plans to donate a lot more. I have a few ideas about how to use my stuff to help specific organizations and groups of people, which I will post when I am able to execute these ideas. Until then, I wholeheartedly encourage donating your unwanted items as your donations can be given away to individuals in need or sold at thrift stores to generate revenue to be used for charities. 

I am thankful for a free day and the opportunity to accomplish household organizational projects. I am grateful for the possessions I have and for the possessions I am able to donate to help others. What are you thankful for today?