Sprinklers

I'm just sitting here watching the sprinklers. "Why?", you may ask. Or not. I'm kind of a strange person, so many folks would just say "ok", or smile and nod. But back to the point. I'm watching the sprinklers today.

See, I just fertilized, and I have a puppy. Enough said? Let me elaborate. The puppy. Puppy. Baby teeth. Lots of chewing/eating. LOTS of chewing. So much interesting eating that I do know now exactly how big a foreign object can be in order to pass though his digestive system. TMI, I know... Now, you do too.

(See below for a pic of the cute turd we call Griffin or goober or, why yes, even turd on occasion)

Anyway, I am making sure that the sprinkler system is getting to the entire yard in order to activate or whatever the fertilizer so my dog won't come out here and think "treats" and then we have to make him vomit. (Had to do that with my sweet JJ who recently passed - not pretty. Fairly easy to do, but not pretty)

I digress.

See, earlier this week I discovered why my gerbera dasies were dying. Just in one spot. Yes, me, AKA Einstein, figured out that the sprinkler head nearest those flowers wasn't working, so I proceeded to screw, and unscrew until I almost lost the components flying through the air (some may know what I'm talking about) got drenched and still did not fix the bugar. I'm blaming nightfall. Couldn't see it anymore. Haven't gotten back to it, but that is neither here nor there.

I'm full into the spring planting thing. Fertilizing, auditing my sprinklers system, mowing through the inch think layer of pollen.....I was on my back porch a while ago and saw all the plants I was trying to keep alive through the winter. (I'm a sucker, so there were plenty). I kept thinking, I can totally get this to grow again (you know, cause I'm flush full of the power of resurrection). Why do I keep this stuff when it is obviously dead? Why do I keep high maintenance plants when it isn't my passion to tend to them as much as is needed? I let go of my garden this year. Can't do it. I let go of the tropical plants I thought for sure would come back. They won't.

Do you know how good I feel? Strange? I can go out of my back porch and see living things... Not constant reminders of my failures. Those plants that I couldn't keep alive. Do you know how much that messes with your head? "Couldn't keep that one alive". Ugh

So, this Is what i challenge whomever is reading to do (ha, just ended with a preposition). Take back your back porch. Make it your sanctuary. Throw away the dead stuff. You will feel so much better.

Now. I am going to look at that sprinkler head again. Wish me luck.

Challenge

So, one thing I struggle with as an at home mom is goals. You go to work, you have a task, you complete it. You either do well or you don't. You get feedback, you adjust, then take on a new project. You get reviewed yearly, get new goals, then hopefully receive a promotion, or raise to reward your performance.

Now, I'm not saying I am never thanked for the thing I do and the house, not at all. My family does a great job at that. But you know, " yay mom, you did laundry " just doesn't have the same oomph as " yay lynda, you really nailed that project."

I digress

So, what I have had to do to keep direction in my life is set my own goals. Be it repainting the house, making quilts or doing something physical, I set goals.

Last year I set a goal to run a half marathon. Four months of training and I did it. Very proud of myself. This year for a physical goal I am stumped. I don't want to do another half. Did the mud run thing last year. Did a super sprint tri. Maybe I will do a sprint tri. It is a bit longer...

So my crossfit box starts talking about the crossfit open. Anyone can enter. I haven't a chance in hades to make it past this round, but I thought it would be fun. We found out what the first workout is tonight. Fun isn't the word I will use for this.

I realized that this may be my physical challenge goal this year. I can so talk my way out of doing it. I mean really, I physically can't do a 100 Or a 120 lb snatch. I just can't. But I can challenge myself to do the best I can. I know without a doubt, if I talk myself out of this, I will fail. I will regret.

That is a strange thing, but also a gift...I know I will regret if I don't do. I can see it before. I don't have to wait.

So here it is. My goal. I have expectations. I will either meet them or fall short. Here is my measuring stick.

God help me.