In the English and Irish author books I read often the phrase of "sorting it out" when situations needed to be thought about and decisions made.
Today I was literally sorting it out. First, when I woke this morning, I was "out of sorts". The earache that was troubling me last night and in the middle of the night was still there and all I wanted to do was bury my head in my flannel sheets under the comforter and have the pain go away. I finally got up and took some meds and went back to bed, hoping it would feel better when I woke again.
I never did make it to church, every time I woke it was later and later and I was not feeling much better. About noon I decided I was not going to make it to church and the cookies I had made for the lunch after church were not going to get there. Sorry, but that is just the way it was.
I finally sat down at my desk about noon and decided to starting sorting out my sewing area. Strange how sorting out my things always calms me down and makes me feel better. I think that taking control over something in your life and organizing it for the better just makes your whole life seem better. Not exactly sure why, guess it makes you feel like you are accomplishing some kind of decision making anyway.
I remember well when I was staying after school sorting out my big desk the first year I taught kindergarten. The janitor came in and saw I was menticulously sorting the paper clips and other things that were in a clutter at the bottom of the drawer. He said, "Janet, your time is much more valuable that that. Just dump it out and start over." And today as I was sorting out threads and sewing equipment and projects, the thought came to me and I realized actually my time isn't worth anything right now so I can take all the time I need to sort. I just need to decide which things should just be dumped and which should be kept and used.
For instance, I have a cross stitch advent calendar that I must have started over 40 years ago and never finished. What I have done is very good work. I doubt I could ever finish it as good... and there is a lot more to do. And what about my Seven Dwarf House? And my two quilts, and my dresses, and my do overs, and my mending, and my crocheting, and my knitting? Should I use my time to finish them? Would anyone care? Would anyone know if I just dumped them? Does it matter? I have dumped a lot--the cross stitch bedspread I started in the sixties, patterns and material, so much and still I have so many other projects still unfinished and the decisions go on and on---there is so much to sort out.
Oh, well, "I'll think about it tomorrow!" (as Scarlett said...)