Baby Steps

I have been reading a book my dad gave to me (Hi, Dad!) called Organizing for the Creative Person:  Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals.  Apparently he thinks I am a lot like him, or something???  And, apparently, that means I am right-brained.  Which means that “fold your hands and whichever thumb lies on top is what side of your brain you use most” test is incorrect for me.  My left is on top every time!

So, me being right-brained means I have difficulty with, you guessed it, clutter, time management, and reaching my goals.  If you know me a little, you might think I have met many goals.  I graduated college with honors (worked hard for that after nearly blowing it my freshman year), returned to grad school to obtain my teaching certificate, and after completing my KTIP, I became fully certified…just in time to reach my goal of becoming a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM).

I have met some big goals.  It’s the smaller ones I have trouble with…the ones that require managing time and de-cluttering my house.   Oh, how I would love for everything in my house to have its place…then I could (and would) just put it there.  But I want it all organized and done right now, which is why I procrastinate.  I want it done, now, and perfectly, but because I can’t figure out where to start, I just don’t do it.  And everything I have read (or glanced at) tells me it is a slow process.  It takes time (don’t “they” know I have time management  issues?!).  It will take baby steps.  I am learning what those steps are.

This is something I have always struggled with, so this whole “right-brained” explanation really doesn’t surprise me.  But what about when you do get surprised and have to take baby steps?  When what you are facing is more than piles of organized chaos?

My mom (Hi, Mom!) called me last Friday to tell me my step-dad’s (Hi, to you, too, of course!) general practitioner was pretty sure that what he had examined was colon cancer.  They saw a specialist on Monday, who sent him for further testing today.  He had a colonoscopy, and they were given an official diagnosis of cancer.  As I spoke with my mom today, they were preparing to perform a CAT scan to determine if the cancer had spread.

So, what next?  More baby steps.  They we wait.  Wait for all the results to come back.  Wait nearly a week for the next doctor’s appointment.  Wait to find out what stage it is in.  And wait to learn what his options are.  Wait for surgery.  Wait for chemo?  Radiation?  Wait to find out what the next step will be.  And I assume he will take baby steps, however aggressive those steps may be, to fight this thing.  God, I pray they caught it early.

On a much lighter and more joyful note, there are other types of baby steps.  The bittersweet ones.  The literal ones.

Benjamin took his first steps almost two weeks ago…the day after his baby dedication and Mother’s Day!  Jeff & I put him between us, and encouraged him.  He made it up to five whole steps that day!  We were excited for him!  He hasn’t looked back either.  He is now letting go on his own and taking off across the room!  It won’t be long until he is graduating from college, huh?