Fitted Sheet Ninja

Just this morning, I was reminded once again of how much my life has changed since I learned the secret of folding a fitted sheet.

The biggest problem I have had is that my mother is a fitted sheet ninja. Much like her mad sewing and cooking skills and amazing handwriting I would try my very best but fall short.  I would always follow the directions to the letter, and felt like Martha Stewart while doing it.

I would always expect my sheets to look exactly like the above demonstration.  Nevermind the fact that the photoshoot likely had someone on hand with an iron every 3 minutes. Regardless, Mom's sheets always looked like this to me.

Yet despite my years of practice and concentration, my fitted sheets always look like these on the right:

My poor sad sack sheets have long lived in shame in my cupboards, unable to ever be counted among the beautiful.

However, a number of years ago my good friend Nathalie was kind enough to share her secret.  She would go ahead and fold her sheets as best they could be, and then stick them inside their matching pillowcase.  This goes for the top sheet and spare pillowcase as well.  Then one can neatly place the beautiful "pillows" on the shelf, and they can stack nicely.

As I took out my rumpled mass of fitted sheet I had to smile.  My sheets will always be a little wrinkled, but they look great on my shelf.  All thanks to a good rescue from a friend.

Finding motivation

There are a number of things on my list of items that I find particularly difficult to motivate myself to do.

Chores fall into this category.  Laundry and cleaning are incredibly unmotivating when it's unseasonably hot outside.

But as a new year and a new decade of my life open up, I am often struck by how hard it is to get motivated to do things that will give me more energy and better motivation.

One of the biggest universal chores that my friends and I find it hard to motivate ourselves to do is exercise.  I say chore, and some of those who always had fun, athletic, bramble about the field childhoods don't know what I'm talking about.  While I didn't grow up drastically overweight, I did grow up clumsy.  I had flat feet that required orthotics and was moderately dyslexic.  This made all team sports the bane of my existence.

In junior high I sprained my ankles eight times in two years.

I sprained my hand doing shot put.

I dislocated my shoulder when I tripped on the sidewalk on the way home from art class in college.

I've had whiplash and hurt my low back lifting something too heavy at work.

I tore a piece of cartilage in my right knee in 2000 during a move.

In sum: I'm a mess.

So exercise always makes me weary, for I know that bad outcomes loom large. One wrong move, and I'm out of it.  Add allergies to the mix and I'm likely to have multiple coughing fits.

However, I now have two of my closest friends and I creating a support group.  Normally I hate recording my exercise, but for each other we now have a goal.  A movie or a light lunch or some treat at the end for a winner and as a trophy none other than the patron saint of lost causes, St. Jude.

We create a chart each month giving ourselves a point each day for the exercise we clock in, even if it's shorter than we would like.  We still did it.  It counts.

While I've never been one to like the whole physically exercising with other people thing (the emptier the gym was the better), there is something very comforting about having friends to share in your collective misery.  You can look at your friend's progress and say, "Okay.  She dragged herself out and did it.  I need to as well."

At the end of the month, we have our own little ceremony. We hand the St. Jude over, do a little acceptance speech, and have a hilarious moment in a restaurant.

Even though I haven't lost a ton of weight yet, and even though I've slacked off a few times, I find it much easier to get back to it, knowing that I've got others waiting to see my progress.  To cheer me on, and likewise I can cheer them on.

So really, it's not about magic formulas, or particular websites.  It's what works for you, drives you on, and keeps you motivated.

So whatever you are dragging your feet on tonight, know that it just takes a little help from your friends. A little motivation can go a long way.

The benefits of sharing

Since pain and pain management have been at the forefront of my mind lately thanks to arthritis symptoms, I have been sharing my pain with others.

One of the great benefits of having friends to share your joys and struggles with, is when you discover books that you can consult to help you better care for yourself.

When one of my closest friends called me last night, he and I shared our mutual joint pain woes and I discovered that this book "Conquering Carpal lTunnel Syndrome" by Sharon Butler had a really good plan to help a number of repetitive motion injuries.

As a writer and artist, my hands are of huge importance.  Lest I figure out a profession that doesn't involve hands at all (and unless it's professional soccer or hackeysack, I have no idea what that could be) I need to figure out ways to better care for my hands than what I've been doing.

We also shared goals of getting involved in more stretching and strength-building for our bodies, and an interest in Tai Chi.

I am always amazed with how friends and family can help you in your goals for health and healing.  What a joy it is to be there for each other!