My husband and I got up early to get a motorcycle ride in before the heat. The country was lush with plants almost ready for harvest. I smiled at the horses, cows, goats and chickens. The bright red barns against the blue sky were gorgeous. Then there were the gray barns. The paint had fallen off years ago. Some no longer had roofs or the sides were caved in. Boards were missing or broken.
I was thinking that was unlikely to happen to us because as soon as the first board started bowing or a nail got loose my husband would have fixed it immediately. He is one of those people that if he sees something he fixes it right away. Things last a long time in this household.
Most of us (me included, but I’m getting better), see something and put it on our mental to do list. Maybe, eventually onto a written to do list. By the time we get to it, it is a much bigger project.
We wait till we have 20 pounds to lose (guilty!) or the laundry doesn’t fit into the hamper. Instead of taking care of a little rust, we wait until the whole floor pan is rusted through. We procrastinate on decluttering until it’s overwhelming.
It’s rare that by waiting, we make any project smaller. What is one task, project or fix-it item you can do this week before it becomes a huge deal?
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I liked this article. But I would like to add one thing. Many of those gray barns got that way when the caretaker of the farm was now older. Or sick. Or both. I know…sadly.
Definitely Debra!
Something I read recently that pertains to this and that I try to remember. I paraphrase–If you have to swallow a toad, it’s best not to look at it for too long.
Love that, Karen!