Be Kind to Your Future Self and other tidbits

I like to listen to podcasts while I'm cooking and doing housework, and one of my favorites is Happier with Gretchen Rubin.  On one of the recent podcasts (click here to listen), she urged her listeners to be kind to their future selves.  What this means is to do something today that will make your future self happier or make her life easier.  So that could look like eating right and exercising today to avoid a host of medical problems years from now, or it could look like setting out your clothes for the next day the night before to avoid rushing in the morning.  It could look like putting things away where they belong so they're easy to find, or taking care of tools and equipment so they last longer.

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For me personally, this looks like rinsing out the kitchen sink right away when I pour something in the garbage disposal, because it's so much easier to get the sink clean when the food is not dry and crusty.  I know that I will be happier later, when I don't have to scrub a crusty, dried-on mess.  It also looks like putting the toilet seat up or the lid down after I use the toilet in our hallway bathroom, because our boys can't be bothered to put the seat up before they use it.  I know that I will be much, much happier later when I don't have to wipe off the seat, or worse, sit down before realizing that the seat is wet*.

But mostly, being kind to my future self means keeping on top of small, everyday tasks that don't take long to accomplish, like washing the dishes each evening.  Whenever I don't feel like doing whatever it is, I remind myself that my future self will really appreciate that my current self accomplished that task.

Try it.  How can you be kind to your future self today?

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Speaking of toilets, long time readers will be happy to know that we have replaced that toilet, and the new one works phenomenally.  The problem is, now we have a toilet in our garage, and Hubby is determined to use it for...something.  Maybe even more than one something.  He's talking about using toilet parts in our chicken coop.  Oh yes.  He's going to turn the tank into a waterer, and he's going to use the seat for the chicken (pop) door.

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For all I know, he's going to try to figure out how to turn the bowl into a feeder.

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Speaking of chicken coops, Hubby has fallen down the rabbit hole known as chicken coop design.

This is my favorite--the Wichita Cabin Coop

He's spending hours watching videos and consulting plans and taking measurements.  He's talking about how we can scrounge materials and use scraps we already have on hand (like toilet parts).  He's learning about what chickens need for their physical environment.  And he's enjoying it.  This coop might be here much sooner than we thought.

I failed to realize just how much Hubby would enjoy the planning and building process.  It was so considerate of me to provide him with this task that will enable him to do some of the things he is good at and enjoys, and it's so considerate of him to put his unique talents to work making something that will make me happy.  Thank you, Hubby.

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Speaking of growing our own food, I think I'm going to pull the taps this weekend.  We did get a little more sap yesterday, probably about a gallon, and we're expecting temps to go slightly below freezing again today and tomorrow, but then looking at the forecast, I think we're done.  There are buds on the trees, and with all this warmth, it's only a matter of time before they pop open and the sap stays where it is.  I love the whole syrup-making process, so I am a little sad to see it end, but I am satisfied with our yield, and I know that it will be used.

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And...I think that's all for now.

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* You may wonder why I choose to put the seat up or the lid down  instead of insisting that my children put the seat up, then down.  Believe me, my friends, I have tried.  And I have decided that it will make me much happier to release that expectation than it will to continue to try to uphold it.  And yes, I do occasionally apologize under my breath to my future daughters in law.  I promise I will strongly encourage those boys to install urinals in their future homes.