Packing | Owls and Orchids

Posts Tagged ‘Packing’

Teamwork – An Essential Ingredient

Posted in Angels, Challenges, Gratitude, Life, Spirit, Uncategorized, tagged #Spirit, #Teamwork, Angels, Gratitude, list making, moving house, organising, Packing, working as a team on April 21, 2014| 10 Comments »

image from imgarcade.com

“The way I see it, our natural human instinct is to fight or flee that which we perceive to be dangerous. Although this mechanism evolved to protect us, it serves as the single greatest limiting process to our growth. To put this process in perspective and not let it rule my life, I
expect the unexpected;
make the unfamiliar familiar;
make the unknown known;
make the uncomfortable comfortable;
believe the unbelievable.”
― Charles F. Glassman, Brain Drain The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life

There’s no doubt about it when there is a big job to be done, there is nothing which makes it easier to handle than teamwork. Of course it goes without saying that everyone needs to be on the same page and marching to the same beat. If they are not, then some quite cataclysmic explosions can occur.

Many years ago, when I was working for one of the big four banks, my branch was relocated to another suburb. It caused innumerable complaints from the local residents who would be forced to try to get to the new location. Many of the locals were elderly or on the basic wage and it literally meant they would have to catch a bus just to get to the bank.

We probably wouldn’t think too much about it today, but then it was a major inconvenience, but profits trumped service even then. As bad as that was for the customers, the hardest part was the physical work necessary to move the “bank” and all its records to the new location. From close of business Friday afternoon, all over the weekend, staff and security were involved in the packing and transfer of material.

That was over two days, yet moving home, packing all your memorabilia, takes far longer. So far we have been working for over a week. In fact, we began to organise the day we secured the property.

Like most efficient organisers, first came the long lists, covering everything in stages, as we felt they were required. Starting with the setting up, the transfer or establishment of essential services. Phone calls should be a simple enough task to complete and yet they can take an inordinate amount of time. However, working together we managed to get everything done fairly smoothly.

image from http://www.zazzle.com.au

It’s no secret that I am somewhat challenged in how much I can accomplish, physically, at present. Still, each evening we go over the days tasks, agreed on the night before and check off what we have done. The last thing we do, is agree on the “plan of attack” for the next day. The plan is working incredibly well and we have managed to make huge inroads into the mammoth task of moving.

I’m trying to keep the pain to a manageable level, despite the frustration of not being able to do as much as my mind tells me I can do. I’m not always successful, and my body quickly reminds me when my mind cashes checks my body simply cannot fulfil. In the interests of personal harmony I retreat to my room and meditate for a while. Spirit is helping in this act of keeping myself to a sensible pace.

Little by little the learning process continues and I realise how much Spirit plays an essential and wonderful part in our daily lives.

Yet, above all, the one thing which has been uppermost in my mind is the ease with which this move is so far being handled. Teamwork really can and does make things so much easier. With a partnership built on respect and trust for the other persons strengths, the division of tasks has seen a possible mammoth undertaking progress much more smoothly than I many I have seen before.

I am absolutely sure we have the Angels of translocation looking after us and aiding us in everything we do. As part of our team Spirit is aiding us with everything we need to think about and accomplish, even to helping me to step back, when necessary and relax for a time.

I regularly ask the Universe for help when I am stumped by a problem and they have never failed to provide an answer, even if it wasn’t the one I was expecting. Spirit works in mysterious ways.

I’m sure in the coming couple of weeks, Spirit, the Angels, whoever you choose to call our higher power of good, will continue to help us where they can and make the transition as easy as possible. Trust and great teamwork. Wonderful!

“When you trust your inner guidance and begin moving in the direction of your dreams (aligned with your individual gifts) you will be cloaked in an armor bestowed upon you by your guardian angel.”
― Charles F. Glassman

image from deepertruthblog.blogspot.com

Blessings, Susan♥

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Scheduled Programming

Posted in Blogging, Dreams, Gratitude, Life, Magic, Uncategorized, tagged #Empowerment, Blogging, moving house, Packing, routines, Scheduled Programming on April 20, 2014| 12 Comments »

Celtic Goddess Epona… Facebook.com

“I hear there are people who actually enjoy moving. Sounds like a disease to me – they must be unstable. Though it does have it’s poetry, I’ll allow that. When an old dwelling starts looking desolate, a mixture of regret and anxiety comes over us and we feel like we are leaving a safe harbor for the rolling sea. As for the new place, it looks on us with alien eyes, it has nothing to say to us, it is cold.”
― Jan Neruda, Prague Tales

It almost becomes an imperative, once the blogging bug takes hold. There is a pleasure, a gratefulness that the words you pen are read by other people. Not only that they are read but that people also enjoy, are entertained by, or perhaps learn something from those words you offer.

Perhaps they are lofty ideals but they are pleasant ones. Moreover, they are ones which bring no harm to anyone, which is something I’m rather passionate about. In everything I do, I hope that someone may find a word which helps them in their day-to-day life, even if it is only a temporary distraction.

It began as a distraction for me and has grown to mean a great deal more. Friends I have made in my journey have grown to mean a great deal to me. It has become empowering. However, I am now knee-deep in cartons and tape, boxes and paper, bubble wrap and labels, as we pack up our home and prepare to move.

image from http://www.dogcharming.com.au

It would be woefully inadequate to say I am in a state where I feel capable to render much assistance with this. Such is my stubborn nature that I refuse to allow my health issues to stop me from doing what I can. I can truthfully say that this move, more than any other has seen me less helpful than I would like.

A day in bed, trying to “rest up” has barely dented the drain on my pitiful reserves. However, in ten days’ time the removalists arrive and ready we must be, and I want to do my part. (Plus, it niggles like fury when I cannot find anything at the other end!)

So, for the next ten to fourteen days my regular blogging schedule will be interrupted. I will post as and when I can and share any funny, farcical incidents which always occur when people pack up their lives to move. Falling into packing boxes always makes the onlookers smile if not the person upended inside the box.

Regular programming is expected to resume after the 3^rd May. Wish me well. I think I may need it.

Blessings, Susan ♥

image from imgur.com

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The Horrors of House Hunting

Posted in Dreams, Uncategorized, tagged A dream home, a place in the country, acceptance, birdsong, Bucket List, Coping Skills, dream board, Gratitude, gratitude, happiness, Home Office, house hunting, inner peace, Inner-peace, Life, Local birdlife, Local wildlife, Mindfulness, New Beginnings, Packing, peace, Queenslander, Soul Growth, soul growth, tranquility on January 5, 2013| 2 Comments »

image from atelier-ad.blogspot.com It feels like a never-ending search.

“Home is the place that goes where you go, yet it welcomes you upon your return. Like a dog overjoyed at the door. We’ve missed you is what you hear, no matter how long you’ve been gone.” MICHAEL J. ROSEN, Home

Ever since I came to Australia I have heard people talking about “The Great Australian Dream“, the dream of course to own ones own home. As far as dreams go it is totally understandable, though today it is becoming harder than ever to attain. In reality it was probably one of the reasons my parents wanted to come to Australia all those years ago. “Australia, The Land of Opportunity”, the chance to be able to have a home of their own and offer a greater opportunity to their children to have a better life than they felt they could have ‘back in the old country’. Times were changing and the brightness of Australia beckoned to many.

Since nothing ever remains static, dreams change as much as people. The dreams of having your own house back when my parents were young is vastly different to the dreams of today’s generation. The “old” Queenslander, which would have been a wonder in those days has become a huge, four (at least) bedroom mansion. I suppose its all relative really, and who am I to say anyone is right or wrong since I have jumped on the bandwagon yet again. URGH!

As of a few days ago when we decided a move was indicated, we have begun the planning process. Where to, what sort of house, how much land, the services available, which area to move to, and that’s all before the hard work begins. Part of the hard work, for me at least, is trudging through so many houses until you find one which ‘fits’. We have a list we always use. It has been honed over time to cover everything we could want or need in the home we want, right down to power points and if there are enough cupboards and drawers in the kitchen – VERY important if you want to be able to do anything.

image from atelier-ad.blogspot.com They really do breed if you take your eyes away from them for a second!

Packing! A necessary evil – at least to me. Days or weeks of packing boxes, tape, labels, paper cuts from the packing paper, and woe betide you if you forget to correctly label a box! The very first move I ever made, a pure novice, everything seemed to go wrong. I forgot to label everything down to the last detail. OK I forgot to put any labels on the boxes. I had boxes coming out of my ears in some rooms and none in others and not one in the right room! Everything had to be opened to try to find anything at all, and then move it to its real home. As a result it was hours before we could find something to use to for a drink, and let’s not think of a cup of tea or coffee – the kettle went into hiding! I couldn’t recall what had gone into any of the boxes, it was like a lottery – and there was no winner. That is just the beginning. After the unpacking has been done and you have hopefully managed to find ‘homes’ for all your things after they have been carefully washed again, you realise you cannot remember where anything is! I needed tracking devices to locate anything. Now that is an idea – I wonder if anyone knows where I can get some?

That is where I am at this moment, in the process of moving house, of packing boxes, wrapping everything in paper which always cuts my fingers one by one. OH NO! – OH YES! To this day there are still some things we cannot find. Perhaps when we pack this time we might find them? Who knows. Time is running out and I desperately need to find somewhere to move to, somewhere which ticks off the majority of, if not all the boxes on my list. You know, THE LIST, which, if I can get it right will mean I have found my dream home, the one which fulfils all our needs and from which I will not have to move again.

image from oneplanetimages.com There, I knew it existed somewhere.

So, as you can guess, we’d like a place in the country. It has turned out to be a deal breaker, in fact they seem to be as scarce as hens teeth. It must be somewhere that we can work from home, so both phone, internet and hopefully mobile access. Not too far from a post office for mail access. Deciphering real estate jargon makes it even more difficult. For example, this might be what we are looking for and have seen in the ad .

image from boutique-homes.com

When we get there , whilst charming, this is what we find. (OK, literary license has been taken here.)

Really though, the real description might say:

“a home with space, it has ‘x’ number of square metres under roof – which means – they have counted all the covered verandahs, car ports (not garages) and any covered walkways or external entertainment areas. Is it possible to use any of that for a home office? No way, so what it doesn’t say is the house may be enough for a single person but it has loads of covered areas outside or around it.
“it has charm and character” or “a little TLC is needed” – which means – it’s antiquated and may be held up by a few rusty nails. (see above).
“close to all amenities” – which means – it’s really on a major road and the constant noise would drive you insane, and deaf!
“the bedrooms are ‘spacious’ or ‘generous’ in size – which means – you might be able to fit a small bed in but forget anything close to a double bed unless you want a hernia.
“it has air conditioning” – which means – one room has a miniscule and ancient mover of air and the windows open in the rest of the house.
“it has 2+ car spaces under lock” – which means – there is lock on the front gate of the property and a rickety roof over the cars, if you are lucky.
“country living at it’s best” – which means – possibly no garbage collection no phone coverage and unlikely to have internet access.

The list can go on and yes, I have chosen extreme examples just for fun, although some of them are not too far wide of the mark. I don’t need a mansion, although it might be nice, yet I don’t want to spend forever cleaning it. I really, really would love a place in the country but I have to be able to work from there, so it has to have all the accessories I mentioned. A creek would be nice, but not so that I will be flooded out if there is a minor shower. I’d prefer not to share my home with poisonous snakes, but I guess I’m a chicken, then again maybe not, I’d certainly be dinner for them!

So what is it that I want which I find so hard to find? What is on my “Bucket List?”

A place with room to breathe, fresh air and somewhere to walk on my property. Something of a reasonable size I can work from home comfortably in with phone and internet access. Peace and tranquility – oh yes – it would be marvellous to wake up and go to sleep to the sounds of the bush each day.

There is a place out there for me, which meets all the dot points more or less. I know it, I simply need to find it and soon, before the lease expires or I go insane. I really hate moving. After this I will only move one more time – to the house I build on acreage which will then have everything I want in it or on it. It’s all there on my dream board which I look at every morning when I wake up and each night before I go to sleep, so as you can tell, it has been a goal for a while. I want to stay in one place, my idyllic place and put down roots.

My home is my castle, my refuge and my sanctuary. I will be so grateful on the day I find it or build it. I will be eternally grateful to the Universe when this dream comes true. I’m following my instinct here and know I’m mindful that everything has to happen at the right time. I will have my dream home with room to breath fresh air, walk in the country, hear the birdsong, perhaps a burbling brook somewhere, where peace and tranquility will soothe my heart and soul and my health will recover and there is time and space for my soul to grow.

So, if you know just the place for me, just let me know, I would be so very grateful.

image from sothebysrealty.com Yes, it really does exist somewhere.

“Do you know how hard it is to make a home?… That’s something that a woman does from inside herself. You do it in the face of all sorts of opposition. Husbands are very appreciative when it works out well. But they’re not that anxious to help. It’s understandable. They don’t know how.”

SAMUEL R. DELANY, Dhalgren