Made Bed = Start My Day

[5ft Diva]

Okay, on an earlier thread, MX talked about how seeing her bed made in the morning was like a breath of fresh air. I TOTALLY agree and need a little help in this area. I grew up making my bed every single morning before I left my room. I never felt like my day was started unless I did that. Don't know how to explain it, it's just the way it is. The problem lies (please pardon the pun) in that BS occupies the bed until the afternoon. My day starts anywhere from about 6-8 hours prior to his and yet I never really feel it "starts" because I can't get the bed made. Now, I understand that this is a classic case of codependency on my bed being made and I think this may qualify me for the funny farm but can anyone give me some pointers on other things that could jump start my day since my bed is not available to me in the early hours of the day?

[Chaos Unlimited]

I totally understand where you are coming from on the bed being made because my DH is also in mine until the afternoon. What I have done is made my living room my space so I make sure my livng room is picked up because I feel like that is where I spend most of my day. That has worked with me so far and the kids know that this room is my way of making my bed because I make them make there beds. I hope I made sense and this will help.

[5ft Diva]

I've never thought of that. That is a great idea! Thanks!

[bookworm]

As the flylady would tell you, shine your sink! She even says you don't have to wash all the dishes, just pull them out and put them in a bin, but shine that sink! I'm thinking of buying a plastic dish tub, so that I can shine it even if there are dishes left over after dinner. (like while the dishwasher is running) I almost always have dishes in my sink. I've been thinking about this for some time. Maybe it's time to actually DO it???

I also have a DH who likes to linger in bed hours past me, but I've started making it as soon as he's up. (As in, I started 3 days ago...) I like to pile laundry on the bed to fold as I watch tv at night, and it's much better piled on a made, clean bed. It makes me feel good, too.

Isn't it funny how simple things that really only take 2 or 3 minutes can make us feel so good?

[Erudite]

I was going to suggest the same as BW...shine the sink. But CU had some good suggestions too. I think that anything you do habitually to start your day off right and makes you smile when you walk past it and it's still clean could work. Maybe for you it's run a load of laundry, especially now that you have a nice quiet washer!

But at the risk being mean to BS, would it be possible to make your side? I know that seems counterproductive since he probably moves to the middle when you get out and messes things up (I say that because that's what I do...my DH gets out about 1.5 hours before I do), but maybe just having half the bed made would be nice? Would it also be a good reminder to BS to make his side when he does get out?

You guys are reminding me of some of the things I haven't been doing so well. My sink just is never as shiny as it could be and I've gotten bad about getting the bed made even though I bug my kids about it...sigh! My master bedroom is a bit of a storage room at the moment so it's hard to make myself want to clean it. But making the bed would help all by itself.

[Big_Sissy]

ha ha, ask me to make the bed? I don't think that will happen.

However, I've been a LOT better about getting out of the bed (some days are better than others), so this is a mute point .. almost

[Erudite]

Ask you? Ask you? Why on earth would she need to ask you? You sleep in that bed too. Making the bed you sleep in, doing the dishes you dirty, picking up your own clothes is part of taking care of you. And while you're at it, you take care of her by making her side too, doing a few more dishes than your own, carrying that laundry basket to the sorting center. It's one of those marriage things, BS.

Ask you...you're funny!

[5ft Diva]

Oh, this is gonna be interesting....

[Erudite]

He's ignoring us. He tosssed out the bait and didn't expect it to catch anything, I guess. Ah well, BS is a good man in so many things. Making the bed might put him on the path to perfection and wouldn't that be fascinating? Get out the popcorn and get comfortable, it's gonna be a good show. Go, BS!!

[Big_Sissy]

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for me to make any bed -- let alone my own.

In the path to perfection, making my bed is somewhere around 103,298 on the list. I've got a lot bigger fish to fry than this one.

[Erudite]

By small and simple means are great things brought to pass.... You'd be amazed how good a lot of those "little" fish are and how they actually build up to being able to handle the big fish.

You know this has put into my mind a discussion we had last week in Sunday School. The teacher asked us to think about what it means to be converted. I thought it is interesting that we don't think about what "convert" means. It actually means to change from one thing to another but you still have the original element of the thing present. That's why a car is called a convertible...it's still the same car only now it has a top or not. So when we convert ourselves, we are taking what is already there and making alterations to improve (or I guess you could get worse too) what/who we are. Conversion takes time, but with each improvement, we are a little closer to being fully converted. Some of those changes may seem little and inconsequential, but they all add up toward that whole perfection thing that we were talking about in the "having it all together" discussion. Anyway, that's what I was thinking about and it seems to apply.

[Big_Sissy]

I'm still not making the bed.

[5ft Diva]

Told ya'll this would be interesting. You two done yet???

[Big_Sissy]

I've been done for quite some time...

[Erudite]

You're not...not until you're converted.

[runamyrun]

You guys are funny!

[bookworm]

ummm... we are still talking about making or not making a bed, right? I'm pretty sure that most marriages do really well if both partners are okay with some little things not being done just the way they wish... like the old toilet seat argument? I'm happy to make the bed- I'm not sure my DH ever had to make a bed (or do anything else... ) when he was being raised. I'm grateful for the help he gives, especially when I take that into consideration.

There are actually no rules about "it's WRONG to not do this, it's RIGHT if you make the bed", etc. I mean, there really are not rules about that. Deepak Chopra quotes someone else (sorry for the non-reference) who says "Out beyond ideas of right and wrong-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there" This is not about good and evil, it's just about those daily, petty judgements we make about "oh, that guy needs to put on a shirt, oh it's WRONG to leave dishes in the sink", etc. When we can stop placing our values of right and wrong on the little things others do or don't do, then we get closer to God. This is what I think Christ meant when he taught us to judge not.

Anyway, that's my take on this thread. You guys are very entertaining.

[5ft Diva]

I like the direction you're headed, BW, and I'd have to say I agree. In connection with the extra weight (burdens) we all carry on our shoulders, the lack of judgement of others is the first and foremost remedy to that problem. The truth of the matter is, we just don't have a clue what is going on in someone else's life and so it is a burden to judge something that is so abstract. I have much to say about this since I'm working on getting rid of the unwanted weight, myself; judgment is my nemesis and I'm not doing so hot at defeating it. Oh well, say la vee. Thank goodness for repentance.

[bookworm]

amen! I'm terrible with this, too. I'm so grateful we get to learn little by little and repent along the way...

[Erudite]

BS started it... (she said petulantly...facetiously...) I was just making a suggestion on how to start 5D's day in a new way. I'm glad for the repentance thing too, but we were in fact talking about getting 5D's day started off right. Clearly, it ain't gonna be the bed being made...at least not until BS gets to 103,297 on the "steps on the path to perfection" guide. But you're on like 102,388, aren't you, BS?

Is that popcorn coming in handy yet?