When Life Gets Messy

This is a picture of my actual kitchen. My house and my life are a little messy right now. I hadn’t noticed the state of the cluttered sink area really until I rounded the corner in my attempt to retire for the evening last night. And though I’ll be the first to admit  I’m not the world’s most fastidious housekeeper, the image of dinner remnants and a week’s worth of unwashed coffee mugs brought in from my car (don’t judge) jarred me a little.  I hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten. The messes in our lives can pile up quickly if we’re not paying attention.

This mess in particular is an easy one to fix – nothing that a short amount of time and a little elbow grease can’t solve.

The mess is also understandable. My morning consisted of handling two tired and hormonal teenagers trying to finish out a week of school after an eventful Spring Break – to say they aren’t motivated to ‘get going’  would be an understatement. Threats were made, and our household internet router was to ride shotgun with me for the entire day; except that my car wouldn’t start. I was met at work by time and staffing constraints I hadn’t planned on coupled with some unexpected deliverables. I was set to give my monthly report at the company-wide staff meeting that afternoon only to receive a call from my daughter who was too sick to be at school – she needed to go to the doctor. It’s no wonder my kitchen counter looked like the world’s worst garage sale threw up all over it at the end of the day.

Some messes are harder to define and not as easily fixed as the kitchen counter. Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances that aren’t good for us. Sometimes we create our own messes in a strange need to self-destruct. Sometimes we find ourselves in a mess for some other reason and need to change our part in the circumstance in order to get it cleaned up.

I’ve found you have to unpack a situation and create a little more mess before you can be free from it. It’s a lot like cleaning out a closet, if real change is to occur, things have to be pulled out and examined before you know what you want to keep and what you want to let go. The taking out and examining is the hardest part and it’s the most demanding – but it’s also the most rewarding.

I used to try and hide the messes in my life, never wanting to expose my flaws and vulnerabilities to those around me. If I’m being honest, I didn’t want to face the messes either. But I am learning to embrace them - for the real beauty in life is often found smack dab in the middle. It’s where you learn about you and get to show yourself and others what you’re made of. I’ve learned not to be afraid to face the messes in my life. In fact, I’m to a place now where I embrace and look forward to tackling them; for there I have great opportunity to grow.

Here’s to embracing the mess!

Make it great everyone –