in-er-tia: noun

1.inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.
2.Physics.
a.the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.

That about sums it up. I can't seem to over come this feeling of inertia lately. Every morning I wake up thinking of a list of things I am going to accomplish. All the laundry washed, folded and put away. (It's that critical last step that seems to be tripping me up...)


Cleaning the house, or at least the kitchen. A tragic design flaw of this house it that you can see the kitchen sink from the front door. (Obviously designed by a man...)


Or maybe count it as lucky that there are enough clean underwear and utensils to go around one more day and tackle the mounting pile of yarn and fabric I have such great plans for.


But every morning those grand ambitions dissolve as I stumble down the hall, trying to squint and blink at the same time to moisten my contacts so they won't pop out of my eyes, to make Lila's bottle and settle the first argument of the day. (Mickey Mouse vs. Tom and Jerry) We settle on the couch for the morning feeding and I hop on the computer for just a minute to check email and if anyone has posted anything new on their blogs. The next thing I know it is time for lunch and naps and then Brian is home and it's time to make dinner, and I look around at the laundry still sitting on the couch and realize that my kids are wearing the same pj's for the third day, and I wonder where the day went. How can I spend 24 hours feeling so busy and not accomplish anything?

I also realize that I could have cleaned my entire kitchen, including the floor, in the time that it has taken me to blog about not doing it. I just wanted to wallow for a minute. Now as an antidote for self-pity and inertia I will tell myself that I am really lucky to have a kitchen with electricity and running water and a fully stocked pantry and fridge to cook for my family in. And how ridiculous is it that we have more clothing than we can wear in a month, and complain about having to do the laundry. Which is turning a switch and pressing a button, not hauling it down to a river and beating it on a rock. I have the time and resources to pursue my hobbies that give me a creative outlet. And best of all I have these:



Three beautiful, healthy, happy children who are a source of amazement, humor, and love every day. The irony has not escaped me that I often lecture my children on the importance of taking care of their belongings and showing gratitude for what we have. I am reaffirming my good intentions of being a better steward over all that I have been given and overcoming the inertia that has been holding me back. But if you wanted to be an external force acting on me, I wouldn't mind some visitors...