Dear FlyLady,
I absolutely depend on the Dressed To Shoes habit to get me started for the day!
Some of my other habits might tend to slide a little at times, but I am (P-Word!)faithful to this magical routine!
Dressing is linked to Making The Bed while Face-Teeth-Hair is linked to Swish-and-Swipe, so getting myself ready each day triggers a little wave of constructive activity that blesses my home too!
wasn’t always this way!
When I first found you, Dear FlyLady, I had gone through a recent period of intense loss, including a marriage of 26 years and my darling Dad, among others. I could have posed for the Franny picture at any time! (With my work-at-home job, nobody saw me but the kids, right?) Taking care of myself was at the absolute bottom of my list of priorities.
My home, like my heart, was in CHAOS, and I whined a lot but could not seem to get moving to make anything better. An online co-worker mentioned FLYing one day,and a God Breeze made me decide to check it out.
WOW — a starting point for the lost SHE! Shine your Sink but BEFORE you do that, Shine Yourself by getting dressed to shoes and fixing your hair and face! I was skeptical, but so miserable that I did not see how following your simple instructions could possibly make things any worse so I stepped out in faith.
Two hours later, I was amazed at the difference in my mood! I discovered a smile on my face when I accidentally passed a mirror! Those shoes kept me moving, and my Shiny Sink kept me motivated to make a big dent in the rest of my CHAOS. That day my life began to change for the better in so many ways! (That was 10 years ago, and I have never looked back!)
Funniest of all was when my youngest daughter arrived home from school and immediately noticed the tidier home, shiny sink, and dressed and groomed Mom! She hesitantly asked, “Mom, do you have a DATE???” She was surprised when I told her, “No, I have people right here at home that I love, and I’m going to try to start acting like it again.”
But that first day of FLYing had opened my eyes to the reality that in my sorrow, I had not only been neglecting myself but my kids and home. Taking those first Babysteps, Getting Dressed to Shoes and Shining My Sink, pulled me out of the quicksand and gave me a big push down the road to renewed joy in life!
So thank you, FlyLady, for 11 years of FLYing that started with those two little Babysteps! Thank you for your understanding of our SHE personalities, for the daily inspiration from your e-mails, and for the practical help from your excellent Fly Shop products for all that needs to be done.
Okay, time to get back to work! (Are you ready, Shoes? Start walking!
With deepest gratitude,
Flybaby Cathy
