Day 30 (end of phase 1)

So I'm laughing at myself because after my puffed-up post last night about all the integrity I feel in this process, I was totally about to leave my shoes flopped around all over the place in my closet instead of putting them away where they really belong; I was just so tired, I didn't want to deal with it.

It was only my own words ringing in my head that made me turn around and fix them--I was too embarrassed by the thought of having to admit that my integrity seems to apply only when I have enough energy to use it.

I thought this was a fabulous lesson to learn on the last day of shifting habit #1! It brought me back to reality and reminded me that real life is full of things like being tired, not being in the mood, being cranky/angry/frustrated, and even being to jolly doing other things to get to the task that's supposed to be a priority. I'm happier walking into phase two with my eyes open, not expecting things to be a breeze all the time so that I'm dismayed when something doesn't run smoothly. (This, by the way, is big progress for me.)

I think I'll read through all my posts soon and spend some time reflecting on the last 30 days. I am truly shocked by how quickly they flew by.

And now, my commitment for the next 30 days: (and don't think I didn't spend the afternoon trying to argue my way out of it--I almost had myself convinced that it didn't make sense to start any new habit until after Rosh Hashanah, since I'm going away for the holiday; then I remembered that it's only Tuesday and I have four days before the we leave) I will neaten my desk at the end of each day so that everything I used during the day is put away; anything I'm currently working on is in a neat pile or someplace neat and easily accessible; and my desk is calm, beautiful and organized in the morning.

Two caveats:

1. There is stuff built up that will need to be gone through over a longer period of time, and I'm just going to move it off my desk and get to it as soon as I can. I'm looking at this as more of a daily cleanup, the way I put each day's clothes away but got to my laundry whenever I could.
2. I can't really remember if tomorrow I'm supposed to write about the first day of my new habit or the last day of my old habit, and I wasn't really counting on starting tonight, so I'm starting tomorrow.

I'm also going to continue to actively monitor my clothing habit. I have a feeling these things take longer to establish than I thought. Since this year is all about giving myself plenty of time for everything, I'm thrilled to continue this shift and give it as much time as it needs. Wish me luck!