Why? Because I've been in a funk for the last month or so. My landlord's negligence of the building I rent an apartment in hit what seemed to be at an all-time high on Labor Day Weekend when the ceiling of my bedroom literally fell down.
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| "Holy holey" said my neighbor. |
Little did I know that the nightmare would actually climax less than a week later when mushrooms and black mold started growing from the spot where a haphazard "repair" had been made. Long story short, I've had to call and write my landlord, the property manager, and their contractor pretty much every day since the incident. All the while, I've been sleeping with my boyfriend on an air mattress in our living room to avoid the dangerous, and just plain gross smelling, mold.
I'm profoundly attached to my home so this disruption felt crushing. I really let it get me down and as a result I found myself slipping in other domestic areas. For example, I often didn't want to go in the bedroom so I'd just leave my pajamas and yesterday's clothes piled on one of our sofas. I'd also spend a lot more time outside of the apartment in general.
On Friday, the contractors who made the first "repair" finally returned and did the same thing they did before-- cover the mess with plaster and paint. (See Einstein's definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.) Ugh!
Well, I'm determined to not let my landlord and his goons drive me insane right along with them. I'm tired of being consumed by anger at being disenfranchised. Last night I decided that I would accept responsibility for the one thing I can certainly control: my attitude! Hence the creation of this list of 24 actions I, and anyone, can take to create more awesomeness at home. This list is inspired by the work of three of my heroes: Inge Van Der Ploeg, author of Clear the Clutter: Make Space for Your Life; Abraham Hicks, an alien who wants you to "get into the Vortex"; and affirmation queen Louise Hay. Even if you're not into New Age self-help, I think you'll find my activities superfun and motivating. I tried to work around the themes of love, creativity, sharing, space, and engaging our senses to spark the imagination.
I'm posting the first activity in a few minutes. Tomorrow, and other days leading to Thanksgiving, please look out for an activity posted on my blog at 10am. Please leave comments if you end up trying anything or have other suggestions. I'd love some company!
Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.
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