…….tolerance is not the same as putting up with an unacceptable issue……which is really a compromise of what is acceptable to you……start with acceptance…….then choose to be involved if a compromise will not compromise your values……confused yet?…..it all comes down to you…..it’s your choice……make the choice that you can live with without feeling resentment about compromising your values about what is acceptable to you…..got all that?

Brava! The life of saying yes is a great affirmation. And, while it isn’t always possible to do so, the spirit of YES makes your life brighter, I hope. Good luck and I look forward to hearing how your YEAH-SAYING turned out.
Warm regards, and thanks for mentioning the book,
Patricia Ryan Madson, author
Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up.

I’m lucky in regards to the tolerating business. I chose not to be a mother or a wife. This greatly cuts down on my tongue biting. But so many women are crammed to the craw with suppose tos, have tos and must dos that it boggles my mind.

I wish you the greatest success in helping even a single woman out of this unforunate head space.

Best,

Sue Richards

Hi Cynthia,

I’m very impressed with the high quality of wisdom and caring that you express in your website. Thank-you for all your efforts in world service!

On Clutter to Clarity: This article should be helpful for anyone suffering from clutter. I’ve never really been the type to let clutter build up. I like a clean, organised living or work space and have always managed to manifest that for myself even while sharing a home with a husband and four kids who didn’t necessarily agree with my cleanliness ethic. It has been a matter of prioritising it and organising times to deal with it, plus getting my family to cooperate.

For instance, each season we have a BIG cleaning day or two, if it takes that, in which projects like windows, storage areas, yard and porch, cars - things that don’t require daily maintenence, get their due.

On the weekends we do laundry, make a menu for the week, go shopping, deep clean the kitchen and bathroom, vacuum and dust. Working together, this usually takes half of one day.

On a daily basis I’ve set aside one hour for cleaning and organising. I just decide each day where the needs are and go for it. I also lovingly nudge everyone else into helping by reminding them to put things where they belong rather than just dropping them somewhere.

This procedure works quite well and has become quite automatic over the years.

For my desk, which I spend quite a bit of time at, I follow a simple set of rules that help me to keep it de-cluttered. a)File it, b)Throw it away, or c) Give it away.

Perhaps the biggest problem I’ve had with living an organised life has more to do with the spirit with which it is done. I’ve gone through all kinds of emotional angst and resistance to what is required to live in a clean orderly environment. The Discipline of Maintenence can seem quite joyless and gruelling, unless it is done with a spirit of love and service. It is really this one attitude adjustment that makes it all possible for me.

I loved reading this post Cynthia. So much positive energy floating around in this concept.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Saying YES before there is even a question to answer seems to create a huge opening for new and unexpected opportunities.

Thanks for underlining Patricia Ryan Madson’s message.

Beverly Keaton Smith