Just Doing It

The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are 

fully satisfied." ... Proverbs 13:4

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So yesterday I began building a room in our basement. 

Well, 'building' is too strong a word. 'Creating' is better. Half of our basement has been a disorganized mess full of cascading boxes and has weighed upon my mind for months. I've known this will be a large project so I've procrastinated it and--in the meantime--it's all gone despicable and I've cringed every time I've done the laundry down there or cleaned the litter boxes or placed recyclables in the bin or put groceries away in that 1920's kitchen I've got going.

That's a whole lot of cringing.

 For months I've considered making a basement room for Naomi should she ever need to stay with us a few days. So--finally--yesterday I made two walls from large boxes, storing smaller boxes inside them--and already--the basement looks emptier, cleaner and under control. All with just an hour or so of work.

In the 2nd grade we learned a song called There's a Hole In The Bucket. Anyone remember that song? Henry tells his wife, Liza, that there's a hole in the bucket so she tells him to fix it. He asks her with what shall he fix it, she tells him to use straw, he says the straw is too long, she tells him to cut it, he asks her what he's supposed to cut it with, she says an axe, he says the axe is too dull, she says to sharpen it, he asks with what shall he sharpen it and she says a stone, but then he says the stone is too dry so she says to wet it, then he asks with what and she says water and he asks how will I fetch the water and she says use the bucket then he says there's a hole in the bucket............

Good grief. That's the kind of stuff that happens when we get lazy. One undone thing leads to another undone thing which leads to a heavy head full of jobs undone and a whole lotta frustration.

So often I tell myself, "Just do it. Just begin that task. Just give it ten minutes--and then if you wish to quit--quit. At least you'll have accomplished something." But what usually happens? I go way beyond the ten minutes because--once I conquer the inertia of it all--the battle is half-won.

That 'just give it ten minutes' is a Great Thing actually, especially the older I become. Sometimes I do stop at the end of ten minutes, but that's ok. What matters to God is that I give my best--and if my (true) best on certain days is only ten minutes-- then He's pleased with that. It's ok. All will be well--in Time.

So today I'll continue building my basement room and organizing those scary depths. And I'll send that procrastinated graduation card along with a check. And I'll begin preparing the rest of my flower bed. And I'll wash that blanket I've been meaning to wash.

And by the day's end? My head will feel lighter, freer. Pro-activity does that, you know, even on rough days when I can be diligent only ten minutes at a time.

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"For God knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust."  ... Psalm 103:14

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I absolutely, positively love this song. (And how cool that it came from a former American Idol kid. I even remember his audition from 2006 because of his funny comment about David Hasslehoff.)  :)

Turn it up loud!

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