Tuesday Full of Surprises

[Twins' Mom]

How do you deal with surprises that change your schedule, your tasks, everything you've planned?

How do you keep yourself resilient, flexible enough to run with surprises and changes of plans? I remember the analogy that trees have to sway and bend whichever way the winds blow, they break if they can't handle the winds.

I think of Harmony as a master of surprises and changes in plans, able to drop what she's doing and regroup and go with what needs to be done at the time.

I've always had difficulty with surprises, don't like them, never have.

[Twins' Mom]

The big surprise last night was that dd rear ended a car in ATL last night with a teenager in the car coming home from a youth event. She called the rabbi and the mom, who made arrangements to get them home in an Uber since the teen had homework to do and school today. So dd's car got left in a parking lot in Marietta, a suburb of ATL and she is trying to make arrangements to get it towed, looked at and repaired. She apparently kept it all together until she got home last night when she called us, hysterical, and spent the night with us.

Dh is very very stressed - he was broadsided just last week when he pulled out and someone was going faster than he expected and his car is in the shop. He internalizes what happens to the kids I think and he's admitted to feeling "fragile."

DD is hoping to get her car towed to a body shop before the shopping center tows it and I'm standing by to take her to ATL if needed.

Dh has suggested I reschedule my colonoscopy, given the shortage of cars here and the uncertainty of a trip to ATL. Don't want to be doing colonoscopy prep with so many uncertainties.

We are still planning to go away on Thursday - Sunday. DD can use my car if needed then.

[DeeClutter]

Oh my! Have no idea what happened to my post. But it surely isn't here!

Just finished my breakfast. Dh is going to Willing Workers at church. I'm not going -slept very little last night and I'm dragging. Hope things all work well for you today, Twins. I'm with you -no surprises, PLEASE!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

How do you deal with surprises that change your schedule, your tasks, everything you've planned?

Badly.

I cope, mostly because I'm not running anywhere near 100% most of the time, therefore I can push myself to get things done.

But after the surprise change, I'm a slug. And whatever was planned doesn't get done in a timely or professional manner.

I think Harmony copes because that is the nature of her job. If I was constantly disturbed in that manner, I'd be looking for a homicide defense lawyer.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Twins: I'd suggest your dh rent a car and parent his kid. At least here, appointments like that take a long time to get. That combined with the mental prep means that I'd hate to put mine off. Will they let you Uber home from the appointment? (I'm not allowed to drive after mine but for some medical procedures they make sure you'll have someone walk you to the door so taxi/uber is not allowed. I'm not sure if colonoscopy falls into this category.)

I'm up and a slug. Many deadlines today so must not be a slug. Nothing unexpected (except I expected to get the Office Supplies finished on Sunday or maybe Monday morning, not sometime on Tuesday or even Wednesday.) Staying away from that project is my challenge, I just want to "get it done" but my other items are much higher priority.

I've filled in my bujo for the day. I won't accomplish everything but I've written everything in so I don't lose sight of my obligations.

I get to see my grandkids today. I also have to drive after dark during rush hour. So it will be a mixed blessing.

[Twins' Mom]

Twins: I'd suggest your dh rent a car and parent his kid.

Not sure what you're suggesting, Kathryn. He already has a rental car for himself and he's driving me and her crazy with his anxiety.

I would also be looking for a homicide defense attorney!

I think I can reschedule within the month, and since it's a routine screening it's not imperative that I have it tomorrow. They want someone there to listen to the post op instructions and sign off and take you home to sleep it off.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Twins: I'd get myself to the appointment and leave dh to handle any needs your dd has, leaving you not responsible for her or him at this point.

Lucylee: about the KonMari compared to Declutter 365. If you keep up with the latter, you'll spend 7.5 hours on your kitchen this month. My KonMari took me about 9 hours for the kitchen (if I double count my time and dh's time.)

I've cleaned out single cupboards at a time but that doesn't help you see duplicates stored in different cupboards or get you to think about setting up like-with-like.

This morning, making my tea, it struck me how simple it is now that I've moved the tea cannisters to above the kettle. I'll get less steps in (before they were on top of the fridge, about 6 steps away) but it goes more smoothly, which means cleanup is quicker. Before I had to walk the tea cannister back. Now I just reach up and put it right in front of me.

I've cleaned out the cupboard over the kettle 4 times since moving. It has some tea things in it and I'm in the cupboard daily because that's also where the chocolate is stored. But doing that didn't improve my tea routine. It just made things tidy.

Doing Konmari makes things efficient.

And it appears to be effective.

The kitchen has been tidier and, by extension, cleaner this week. From the clothes folding experience from 3 years ago, I expect it to stay this way going into the future.

The tidying experience has changed something in me and so I don't walk by mess in the kitchen, thinking I'll get to it later. That's why I was washing dishes last night at 11, which made my morning start rather pleasant.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Great. Just checked the weather.

Our extreme cold warning has ended. Since I have to be out today, that is a good thing. Plus it is sunny and lovely.

They've issued a special weather statement for tomorrow. Snow starting tonight (only 6" at worse) and then freezing rain tomorrow. Not sure how this will affect dh returning home - his flights are Seattle to NYC to Philadelphia to home and he gets in close to midnight. The storm will be over by the time he's flying to Ottawa but that doesn't mean the planes will be in the right places and running normally.

Oh well, I don't need him.

Ds is doing his final inspection on the house today. He'll take a trailer load there on Thursday so he can move in when he gets his keys but the trailer is being parked about 1/3 of the way there on Wednesday so if it is bad, he'll have to rethink his plans. I'm hoping dh will come with me on Thursday and help ds unload. I'll help him unpack. He plans on sleeping there Thursday night. Party on the weekend.

[blessedw2]

struggling to stay ahead and just trying to stick to routines and BWP - I am with you all but not always able to check in. waving to all of you.

off to the grocery store waving at you to have a wonderful day!

[Harriet]

No, I do not really like surprises unless happy. I usually have a pretty good "deadline" instinct, though, which I think is a part of the sidetrackable tendency. I can shuffle deadline items well when necessary, even if it has to be "back-of-the-envelope" planning on the fly. What may fall by the wayside is habits, especially if they are new or if they are specifically for me and not of direct benefit to others. I have only to glance at my 5-inch quilt block sampler waiting to get back to consistency, to see that.

Twins' Mom, I'm so sorry to hear of three car accidents your family has on your minds today. I'm grateful for safety of your household and praying you'll hear a good report about recuperation from the one you heard about in your community.

My surprise today is that I "have" to be at pharmacy 1 at approx noon. They want an approx time for pickup when the meds are refrigerated and HRH was surprised by that, didn't know when to tell them, so he just let them pick. Sigh. I'll do this myself from now on. The problem today is that I am not finished with grocery list, not finished with deposit, so this makes a stand-alone errand, which I hate. This kind of thing is one of the reasons for Errand Day inefficiency, and something on which I simply must get a handle.

Oh, there goes the phone again and he's fielding this from nurse, planning his least favorite things. He'll be so delighted with the flurry of med planning today.