STORAGE WARS

For as long as I can remember, I've not been a fan of storage units. To be honest, I never quite understood the need to pay for storage, unless it was of course for something like an RV or a boat. Certainly you'd need to store one of those items since it is not like you can tuck either of them into your kitchen junk drawer. But other stuff? Well, I just didn't get it. And my husband felt the same way. He has always been opposed to paying for additional storage, beyond what we have available in our home and garage. Once, several years ago I merely suggested that we tuck a few things that we don't regularly use into a storage facility so that our garage wouldn't be so cluttered. Let's just say hubby's answer was a resounding 'No!'

Since then, I'd reverted back to my original opinion that storage was silly, a waste of money. To store things you've purchased, for example scrapbooking/craft goodies seemed particularly wasteful. I mean really, why buy so much that you don't have room for it? Let's face it, if I shop and buy so much that I need to store the spoils, then clearly I'm shopping too much. I should say, for the record, that I'm a shopper from way back. I can shop nearly anywhere, anytime, with anyone for any reason. At times this has gotten me in trouble from a storage space point of view but I've always somehow managed to handle it. I find nooks and crannies and tuck away here and there. The day I discovered storage bags was a good day! You mean I can put LOTS of items in one little bag, suck the air out and then hide the bag in a small space under my bed? Well, what are we waiting for, let's buy two bags!

Last year, for the first time in my life, I actually cleaned out my closet for the season. I packed away, in my newly purchased storage bags, all my summer clothing and my summer shoes. Wow! Would you look at all that space in my closet. Hmmm ... I may need to go shopping because clearly I don't have enough clothes to get me through the winter. There is extra space in my closet and I don't believe that has happened since around 1984 so I must need to go shopping.

Scrapbooking is one of my favorite hobbies and I also love making my own greeting cards. We travel a lot, I have a large family with lots of nieces and nephews participating in a variety of activities -- scouts, music, cheer, scholastic -- so I need a variety of scrapbooking supplies. So I shopped. And since I have a diverse group of friends from all walks of life I obviously need many options for papers, stamps, ribbons, and do-dads when card making. Guess what? I shopped. I somehow over the years managed to accumulate such a large supply of scrapbooking and card-making supplies that I ran out of space for all of it.

Can you see what's coming? Yep, yesterday I became the proud lessee of one 5 x 10 storage unit. Gasp! What have I done? I've gone against the very grain of my person and caused some tension in my house. My husband got strangely quiet which means he's not particularly happy with what I've done. Then he reminded me that I'd at some point in my past vowed to never pay for storage. But you know what? I am strangely exhilarated, dare I say even inspired. I see this rental as an opportunity to remove all the stuff (some might even say junk) to an off site location so that I can actually see the floor of my craft room for a while (my craft room also doubles as our guest bedroom). I now have the opportunity to weed through my purchases with time on my side to determine what, if anything, needs to be donated. I now have the time to be less overwhelmed since these items will not be staring me in the face every time I walk by the craft room. I find myself excited about the possibilities of all this new space. Uh oh ... a familiar sensation is coming on ...

See you at Hobby Lobby! (Ah, just kidding.)

GAZING AT A CLOSED DOOR

“True to his nature, he did not stand wistfully gazing at a closed door. Instead, he moved passed it.” This quote came from a book I recently read and it shocked me when I realized it was not a true statement about me. I wonder how many closed doors I have stood in front of hoping that somehow, some way, they’d reopen? How much precious time have I wasted chasing a dream that I gave up on too quickly? Will I live in Oklahoma again, close to my family? Will I have children of my own? Will I create traditions in my home that will be recreated year after year? Will I be a great singer? Dancer? Piano player? These are all things I desperately wanted at some point in my life but for a variety of reasons, they did not come to fruition. What about becoming a marathon runner? A highly compensated executive? A writer?

Some of these dreams may seem foolish or irrational to you but each time I had my sights on a goal and yet did not accomplish it, was not successful in completing it, it knocked me down just a little bit. It took the wind from my sail, it removed a bit of hope from my heart.

Each time I shared a dream or goal with someone, that person would be excited for me as well. However, if I couldn’t/didn’t continue with the goal as planned, I would be asked about it. “Are you still taking piano lessons?” “What about your singing class?” "Have you finished that book you were working on?" When I would share that I’d stopped for whatever lame excuse came to mind the conversation would end. There was no follow-up, no pursuit, no calling me on the carpet for my lame excuse. I am by no means blaming my friends and family for my lack of follow-through but I do think it is interesting that I was let off the hook so easily. Why was I not questioned more? Why did these folks let me give up? Why was I not held accountable to my claimed dreams? It was almost as if they were saying to me, “Oh well. No big deal. Now let's go get a pizza.”

In hindsight, I wish that person would have been willing to hold me accountable. I wish they would have put my feet to the fire and riddled me with questions. I wish they would have told me that quitting was not an option, that in order to ever do anything great, I had to keep at it, I had to keep trying. Instead, I was basically ‘allowed’ to quit the many things I'd started.

As I ponder this situation, years later, with many broken dreams and incomplete goals, I wonder why this was the case. Did my friends not feel comfortable holding me accountable? Did they not know how? Did they not care? And, as an added question, did I do the same to my friends? Did I not push them to be their best, to accomplish their goals and dreams? Have I let people off the hook in the pursuit of a dream? Was I a good enough friend to push them to accomplish? Or do we all just walk around giving one another a free pass to take the path of least resistance?

How do I know when a goal I’ve set for myself is truly real? How do I decide what activities I really want to pursue? How do I make it so that the folks in my life can hold me accountable?

Learning to discern between a truly closed door and a door that only seems closed because an obstacle is in front of it is of paramount importance. Overcoming obstacles and pressing on are critical to success - not just for me but for all of us.

What would it look like if we rose to the occasion of holding one another accountable to a stated dream or a goal? We need to help each other sing the song in our heart, live a life fully realized, let our lights fully shine. We must pursue. We must persevere. We must utilize the blessings given to their full and awesome extent. And we must do this, not just for ourselves but also for those around us.

I believe our world would look very different if we stopped staring at closed doors, but walked through them, hand in hand with another.