Ten Things I Could Do (Or Am Doing) Without - "Internal" List
Those things that I (can possibly) control, not external things I'd like to see go (like career politicians).
![Ten Things I Could Do (Or Am Doing) Without - "Internal" List](https://notepd.s3.amazonaws.com/posts/ai/An_amazing_impressionistic_oil_painting_by_Alexi_Zaitsev_Melinda_Matyas_Denis_Sarazhin_or_Karl_Spitzweg_depicting_a_serene_garden_scene_with_vibra_mq8XBbu.webp?time=1725752364853)
1. Yard work / snow shoveling
Owned a condo before I got married. Didn't have to do these things. And because I'm wired like my dad, don't want to pay to get it done. The teen-aged son will be stepping up to do these going forward since he's cut back on his part-time job because school started.
2. Booze
Had to give up alcohol when I was taking meds due to a health issue in May of '22. Stopped the meds (health issue resolved) in March of '23, but I haven't felt the need to go back. Not a moral thing, just a "feels better this way" thing.
3. Collections
Got a bunch of probably worthless antiques from my mom. Already dispensed with a number of old radios that were my grandfathers.
4. Dress clothes
Short of a suit or two and a few ties, and a week's worth of dress shirts and chinos for work, certainly can get rid of a lot of my dress clothes. Don't need to dress up at the current job, and if I have an unplanned departure, will probably go to the retirement list from the other day, not a 9-5 desk job.
5. Junk
Old computer / electronics stuff (though I did get rid of a bunch of that). Impulse buys / things to try that I didn't like and didn't have the heart to toss.
6. Pet mess
The puppy still isn't housebroken (but improving), and likes chewing the fluff out of his bed and his toys. The wife insists on litter boxes for the cats in the basement and both upstairs floors including my office.
So, pet messes are again part of my life. And the only solutions are time and training for the pup.
7. Procrastination
Have a few projects sitting around, partially done. And I'm not at the point of "sh*t or get off the pot" with them. So, I blow them all off because of "overwhelm."
Did make a relatively big ask / push on one yesterday, now am depending on an old friend to read and comment on a 40 page "how to" book I've written. Still waiting on my brother's input on the same book. Been too "lazy" to ask him for follow up.
8. Clutter
I'm partially to blame, but the wife is a clutter-maniac. Almost every flat surface other than the couch seems to be covered with "stuff" that seems to become part of the furniture. Once in a while she'll get fed up and sort / toss / hide in the basement the stuff, then they cycle starts again.
Did manage to get her to agree to toss an old wooden picnic table and chairs, which went out today.
9. Sugar
With an occasional small lapse, have cut much of the sugar out of my diet. Don't know if it has helped, but my last set of blood work was good.
10. Early wake-ups
Waking up before 4am these days, and just don't like it. Can't get back to sleep, and staying up later doesn't help. The kitten tends to visit us in bed about then, wanting to get fed. And once I'm up, the brain gets in gear and I'm pretty much awake. The solution would be to hold off feeding until later, I know...
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