I woke up on Monday morning and decided to paint the lounge. I didn’t think it through.

If I had stepped back and thought about it, I would not have done it. It would have seemed like hard work. I would have been worried that my back was not strong enough to do it. I would have realised that I was busy on Tues and didn’t have time to finish it. I would have concentrated on doing some work instead. I would have had 101 reasons not to do it.

I didn’t. I let go of having to plan everything meticulously and allowed it to be chaos. Oh and fun.

Having no plan

Since I had not planned it, I didn’t have the materials to do the job. First stop, DIY store to buy some paint and a roller. I painted one wall and the colour was wrong. I went back to the DIY store and bought some more paint.

On Tues, I was busy with work commitments so I didn’t have time to finish the job. Furniture and paint paraphenalia everywhere. Oh well.

On Weds morning, Paul and I decided we didn’t like paint #2 so I went back to the DIY store (we’re now on first name terms I’ve been there so many times in 3 days) and bought paint #3.

A panting dog, a mad cat and a painted vole

I worked like a trouper. Dennis my cat decided to help. He chased imaginary mice under the dust sheets. I had to keep coming down the ladder to rearrange them. Then he started to attack my bare feet. I managed not to spill any paint.

It has been hot and a storm has been brewing all day. Gracie my dog decided it was all too stressful (the painting and the storm) and spent the day following me around and panting on the back of my legs. I got hotter and hotter.

Dennis went out and came back with a vole. It was live. He let go of it in the lounge. I leapt back up the ladder as I had bare feet. Paul appeared, lifted the sofa a couple of times to let the vole out, Dennis went underneath, Paul shouted for me to come down the ladder and move Dennis from underneath the sofa so he could put the sofa down.

My back is aching by now. I’m wondering if the cost of the osteopathy that I now need is actually going to be more expensive than hiring a decorator.

Paul decides to leave me to it.

I carry on painting. Gracie carries on panting. Dennis carries on chasing the vole round the lounge. The vole walks through some wet paint on the dust sheet and spreads it round the lounge. I run around with a glass vase trying to catch it. It’s not easy to dodge around furniture, stepladders, paint cans and dust sheets, hotly pursued by an over-excited cat and a panting dog.

I finally catch the vole and put it outside in the fields. It has a nice stone colour on its feet.

Finally the job is done. Gracie collapses in a heap on a dust sheet and gets covered in paint.

Paul says: “Good job of the lounge but did you have to paint the dog, the cat and a vole as well?”

Time to reflect

I sit and reflect on the last few days. There was no plan so nothing could go off schedule. Interesting. No plan. No deadline. No pressure.  I handled every challenge that came my way. No problem. I made it easy and fun.

If I’d stopped to think, I might not have got started. Sometimes it’s best just to get on with it and handle every situation as it arises.

What stops you getting started?

How we respond to situations is up to us. We get to choose. We can make our lives easy and fun or we can see them as hard work and stressful. I had some challenges. I chose to see them as fun.

What is it like when you make your life easy and fun?

Putting it into practice

1. Make your life easy and fun this week.
2. Every time you find yourself in a difficult situation, consider how you can make it easy and fun.
3. Notice the impact on you and those around you.
4. Have an easy and fun week and let me know how you do by posting your comments below.

With love,
Jude. x

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