Barbara J. Hamby

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I Think I’m Great

At last I found reasonably priced chairs for our dining room that will, I hope, be easily moved around and comfortable. They are still in the boxes as I write, but the one I tested in the store was comfy. Over the weekend, we hope to get them assembled and try them out. They are called mid-back manager’s chairs, purchased from an office supply store with incredible service. Staples in Tualatin ordered them online yesterday afternoon and they were delivered this morning.

So that’s an exciting Mother’s Day present. In my long lifetime I’ve not bought a lot of new furniture. Most of what I have now has come from second-hand stores or swaps with kids or former roommates. There is great merit in recycling, in my opinion, and even some of my clothes are from Goodwill or the good will of friends who can no longer wear them for one reason or another. Of course, I pass on my surplus goods also. I?m just about to start another trip through my closet to weed out the unworn. When I run out of empty hangers, I know it’s time.

Little things keep reminding me that time is marching in quickstep. Thus, I should be working harder and/or faster to organize my writing, particularly my memoirs. The spirit is willing, but the body likes to procrastinate. If I could only learn to work surrounded by clutter--unwashed dishes, clothes, etc. I could get a lot more writing done. I’m sure no one ever died regretting that the laundry hamper wasn’t empty.

I just read an article about positive self-talk. Most of us are very prone to put ourselves down with constant mental chatter. It certainly can’t take any more energy to speak positively to ourselves and raise our own self-esteem. “I am just great,” would be a good mantra. I think I’ll try it.