Project Today
An effort to better my world, your world, the world
My story isn’t particularly unique, or poignant, or tear-jerking. I’m just an ordinary woman in an ordinary town whose situation looks like a lot of people’s in our nation. I am currently out of work and looking for a good job.
What makes my life a little different is that my husband is blessed with a good job that can support us – at least for a while.
I found myself with a rare and unique gift; I’ve been given some time. Time, where I don’t have to be worried about getting a job, taking the first thing that comes along, or struggling to make a few extra bucks. This is something I KNOW lots of people would love and have been begging for, so believe me, I understand what a gift it is.
But then the question: What do I do with this “gift of time?”
I read articles in magazines or online, and see stories on TV about these Wonder-Moms who:
A. "LOOOOOVE staying at home”
These women breeze through the day, manage to get everyone where they need to go AND make glorious five-course meals from scratch every night for only $5 (and look fabulous and thin while doing it). While their pearls NEVER MOVE!
Or
B. “Decided to turn their lil' ol' hobby into a home-business to bring in a few bucks for the family”
Somehow, these “Entrepreneur-Super-Moms” (ESMs for short) finagle themselves into dream positions as presidents or CEOs of major multi-million dollar corporations making appearances on Oprah, merely by be being seemingly the first to figure out the intrinsic, fundamental, can’t-live-without-it value of hot gluing three screws to a warped bit of plywood and throwing in some leftover house paint for good measure. And now that 3:00am infomercial is telling me how humanity will suffer if I don’t buy six of them! (Just pay seperate shipping and processing!)
Or
C. “Just thought it would be fun to…”
These ladies are the ones who magically seem to turn the most innocuous pastime into fame and fortune. You know, “I just thought it would be fun to:” “Chat with friends on a blog,” “Write children’s books from the bedtime stories my kids loooove,” “Create kid-friendly, gluten-free, organic recipes” or “Finally have to time to write a novel,” (and are currently signing big money book deals and negotiating the film rights where Julia Roberts is going to play them…and look fabulous and thin).
Ok, I applaud these ladies. They’ve taken some initiative and gone over and above to become the best. MORE than the best, because that term still seems a little small of a descriptor when given their accomplishements. So while I truly respect their efforts and results, really I want to say: “Thanks a lot. =P”
Thanks a lot, super-women, for making the rest of us feel like loser-lazy-idiots if we run to the grocery store the day-of (not having made it into the shower yet) to get whatever silly cupcake/cookie thing is on sale to take to school for your kids’ birthday rather than staying up all night to hand make sugar sculptures of their favorite Nickelodeon character to go on top of individual mini red-velvet cakes. Thaaaaanks.
In public, I say (and will say if ever questioned in court, in addition to “Wasn’t me”) “Whoo hoo to you! Way to go!”. But, privately, I kinda want to punch them in the face. Or maybe kick them in the shins…
With this as the example, how does an everyday, Mid-western mom stand a chance? What can I do that won’t just look completely lame by comparison? What can I do without feeling like a failure if I’m not a best-selling author-baker-sewer-organizer queen? How can I come up with something to occupy my brain enough to keep me from going stir-crazy after watching “Murder, She Wrote” marathons on the Hallmark Channel? (Although, don’t get me wrong, Jessica Fletcher ROCKS!) And frankly, how can I make sure what I choose is not just a selfish “look-at-me” thing, but something that can help/benefit others?
AND HERE WE ARE, dear reader!
Ignoring the previously obsessed upon “women with capes,” (not to be confused with “women with crepes,” which is just the type of overachieving-pretentious sort of club those ladies would create – and not let me join) my idea is basically this: Everyday, I will try to do something. A “project” that will, hopefully, make today (just this day) the best I can make it. No ginormous effort to save the world, really, but just a little (or big) something that will improve my world, your world, or the world. It could be something as simple as organizing my earring drawer (which, believe me, greatly improved my world – I LOVE organizing) or helping someone find a resource or make a connection that they wouldn’t otherwise have. I love before-after stuff, so I’m planning a lot of that…
It’s a bit of a kinda-sorta social experiment right now.
I’m hoping for LOTS of input from readers. If you’ve ever read a self-help book, or been to AA or a weight loss group, you know that one of the biggest requirements for actually completing a life-change is establishing some accountability – a way to keep on track by surrounding yourself with people who are ready to help, and point out when you are straying.
This is why I decided to do this blog. I mean, I can SAY, “Hey, I should do a project a day! That would be a good goal!“ But if I’m the only person asking, “Where’s today’s project?”, I’m pretty sure I can talk me into believing all kinds of excuses about why something else needed to be a priority, was more important or was part of that ‘well-deserved me-down-time.’ I’m a slacker that way. However, I’m not so sure I could do that with people watching. Maybe I’m a better procrastinator/justifier than I think, but I’m just thinking it might be a little harder with someone checking up on my everyday. Hey, you never know!
So help me out – keep me on track!
Help you out – take a nugget or two from here to apply to your life or just feel free to ask a question…
Help someone else out – offer some advice or answer a question…
Let’s DO something. We can watch each other’s backs, we can make things happen, and little-by-little, we will see things change; Just by making a project out of today…
Excellent on completing the first project! Any ideas for tomorrow? I find that I meant to really stretch every morning, or heck, just sometime during the day, but rarely get to it. I always feel a little better, more fluid, and more awake! That might be a simple attainable project that you could keep for one of those days you are feeling less than stellar at the start. I'll also try it. :)
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