Time Flies...

Wow, I've never let two weeks go by before without posting. I have been sporadic about physical clutter, but mental clutter has been targeted almost every day!

Physical clutter: There have been a couple of bill-paying days in which envelopes and inserts were recycled. I have also gotten rid of catalogs and postcards that came in the mail, and yesterday I recycled two teabag wrappers. I'm sure there were other paper things, but the big deal is mental clutter.

Mental clutter: A few days before Halloween, I decided to commit myself to focusing on things that make me feel good. One of the best things is my cat, who is soft and furry and makes me laugh pretty much daily with the cute things she does. If nothing else comes to mind, thinking of the kitty is my fail-safe. Anyway, on November 2, I bought a notebook to write down lists of things that I feel good about. Been doing that pretty much daily, I think I missed one day. The results have impressed me.

Results: I started thinking of positive stuff the week before Halloween. At that time I was wondering if I'd have to go live with my parents cuz the money flow had stopped. I was waiting for a loan from one of my credit cards so I could pay the rent. I was a bit concerned.

On November 1, I went to a friend's musical, and met a lady who is an usher for a theater on Broadway. I asked her about that and she said she'd get me an application! It's part-time work that pays really well. She sent me the app a few days later.

On November 3, I got a call from a friend I used to work for. She had moved upstate and I had told her I wouldn't be able to continue to work for her. She'd found someone else but that person had flaked and my friend was desperate for help because of a deadline she had. She asked me could I come up to work for the day, maybe even stay over and work the next day. I said yes, packed up some stuff and caught the train up there. We got a lot done and she asked could I come back over the weekend. I said yes. Long story short, I made a ton of money AND got to spend time in a beautiful, quiet village in the country!

I had put in my weekly Unemployment claim on Thursday the 5th. My payments had stopped cuz they had to determine whether I was self-employed or not. I never heard from them on that, but when I checked on Friday just to see if any of the back payments had been approved, they had approved the most recent week! So on the 10th I got my first Unemployment payment in a month. I still haven't heard if they've made a decision on the missed weeks!

I got my rent payment on Monday the 9th - first time in a long time that it's been on time! All my bills are paid and I put money in my savings account to earn a little interest till next month's rent.

Oh, then on Monday or Tuesday, as I went to the bank with one of my checks, a lady on the corner was asking if people needed jobs. I said I did, and she handed me info on census jobs. I said, but won't it be awhile before those jobs start, and she said NO, they were starting right away! So all I have to do is call a number about taking a test and then take it. It's great cuz you can set your own hours and the pay is decent.

On a non-money note, I got a message on November 1 from my landlord about getting my fridge fixed! I had to defrost it again somewhere around that time, but it was a thorough defrost that has held, and I heard from the repair guy on the 12th re an appointment, so it looks like this is going to get done :)

The only thing that's changed in this past couple weeks is my attitude. I can't explain it, but it seems that it works to get rid of negative thinking. And I'm not even good at it yet! There have been a couple days where I was in the dumps and stayed there all day. I still yell at the computer when it's slow. I just have to wonder, what's gonna happen when I REALLY make an effort?