Do you realise that a friend can be an incredibly valuable piece to the organised life puzzle?
Let me explain.
This whole home organisation thing can be a circus sometimes. Especially if you have young children at home. You can feel like a hamster on a wheel, who jumps off quickly and through puffed breaths answers the door and says "Hi... welcome, come right in, I was just about to sit down to a cup of tea" .... no you weren't. You were scrubbing skid marks off the toilet bowl while calling out to your toddler to make sure he or she wasn't destroying something.
Let's get real.
You need friends you can be real with. If you can't be real with your friends, they may not actually be your friends. Allow yourself to be vulnerable with one or two trustworthy women who are either on the journey like you, or who have been there done that. Your honesty will be refreshing and relieving to them, and it will help both of you along as you work at creating homes that are orderly and pleasant.
Having a friend or two or three who knows you are still a work in progress, not some fake it till you make it domestic goddess, but just a normal woman taking one day, week, month and year at a time just like them, will allow you to have a variety of advantages:
1. Accountability - Someone to ask you "hows that project going?" (You know, the one that NEEDS to be done and you tend to procrastinate on)
2. Sharing the joy - There isn't anything quite like getting on top of something that once drowned you, or finishing a project be it long or short term. Sharing the finished product or simply being able to talk about it only makes it more satisfying!
3. Apathy helps you and them - It is nice for friends to know that you both are merely human and need encouragement and have bad days. It is comforting to know that you are not the only one who may have birds nest hair till lunch time when you go potty, look in the mirror and realise you forgot to brush your hair. Or that you too, have been victim to a toddler discovering the bold and very permanent ways of a Sharpie while mummy was hanging out the washing or answering the phone. It's nice to have someone who understands a "bad day" ... or even just a slow one.
4. Having a sounding board and mentorship- you can bounce ideas off each other, share a pinterest board, go shopping together for particular home projects, join FB home organisation challenges together and just basically share the journey and have someone to say "what do you think? Do you have a better idea? What have you done in this area that works for you?" Having a friend for this kind of chat, can boost productivity.
5. Having a lifeline when it's needed - If you have a crisis, a time of chaos, a big life change, your friend can be there for you because you have been honest about your situation, they know where its at, and it is then within their power to help you out! They know that you will return the favor if the need arises.
So many more things could be said about having an "organisation" buddy. However I shall leave it at that for now, I think that is enough to prove it a good thing!
Start thinking today, of three kinds of people in your life:
A. The well seasoned homekeeper
B. The newbie
C. The "At the same stage" pal
"A" will be able to help and mentor you, if you can humble yourself enough to be taught. "B" Will be your "Freely you have received, now freely give" Friend who YOU can start to mentor, and "C" will be your all rounder whom you can bounce off one another. Its nice to have all three. But even just a C, or an A, will suffice.
These friends may come in the most unexpected packages. A mother in law, a sister, a friend you usually only talk about kids and the weather with, a neighbour, a lady at playgroup. Who knows? Reach out to someone, most women are too afraid to take the first step but could sure use a friend. Not just for this organisational journey, but life itself! Check your heart. Be sure not to isolate yourself for whatever reason. Fear of rejection? Know-it-all attitude? Control freal? Care too much about what others think of you? Judging others too much? Complaicancy? Whatever the excuse is for not having deeper friendships, deal with it. Even if you need to apologise to someone, or see a counsellor, or maybe just step out of your home-cave and have a conversation with someone. Having friends is very important for your well being and personal growth, and having friends who can help you along this journey to a more organised and peaceful life, and you helping them too, is even better!
Truly consider it, you'll be so glad you did! It will motivate you on your journey.
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