SHE HOLDS ME ACCOUNTABLE

No rain for 36 hours, so even though I can still hear the roar of the waterfalls from way up here, I'm fairly certain I will be able to make it into town to exercise today. One thing good about being forced to stay home for a couple of days? You sure get a lot done! I've knitted up a storm, almost finished a great (but uber thick) book, and you wouldn't believe how clean (and empty) my fridge is! In fact, my entire house has undergone a bit of a transformation in recent days. The dining room table is set with candles and flowers, rather than piled with

all the projects I dabble in now and then. Three trash sacks and one laundry basket full of "stuff" that sat on my bedroom floor for weeks have finally been dealt with. Best of all, I wake up to a shiny sink every morning, instead of one filled with dishes and the occasional scorpion.

Now, if any of you have ever visited FlyLady.net, I'm sure those two little words - "shiny sink" - just gave away my secret. No, the extra time at home this week wasn't really responsible for the magic in my house, though it certainly didn't hurt. It was having my own personal house fairy that finally did the trick!

As it turns out, I am a person who requires a certain amount of accountability. I have never been able to exercise at home, alone. I must have walking buddies, an aerobics class, or friends at the gym who will give me grief if I don't show up. I have been going to Weight Watchers off and on for most of my life. I know all of their materials by heart. So why can't I just save a bunch of money and do the program on my own? Why is it that, if I really want to lose weight, I must go through the ritual of weekly weigh-ins? Accountability!

Soooo, I guess it kinda makes sense that after years of making all kinds of to-do lists and cleaning schedules for myself that I never could stick to, things didn't click into place until I finally got my own personal (house-cleaning) trainer to hold me accountable. She visits me daily on-line, teaching me to take baby steps that eventually become habits I don't even have to think about. She gives me pep talks, helps me get rid of clutter, assigns me my mission for the day, reminds me how important my bedtime routine is, and best of all, she somehow makes it kinda fun. Why, I actually enjoyed cleaning out that refrigerator. Go figure?

I wasn't sure if it would really work for me until last weekend. Usually towards the end of the week I suddenly find myself thinking "Crap! It's Thursday already? I've got to get all my messes picked up before John gets here!" That's exactly what I thought last week, but then I looked around and realized, there were no messes. Not even a pile of books and magazines beside my chair. Well, I'll be darned!

Of course, you shoulda seen it a couple of hours after John and Lex showed up...