DrDeClutterBlog.com

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Celebrate life and our/your Independence with life!

Get off your chair and exercise - in the most fun ways this year!

Happy 4th!

When left in a sun drenched car, a pet is in torture, so easily avoided. Too many pets are lost to heat stroke each summer, when it can be prevented easily.

Unlike people, your dog’s normal body temperature ranges between 100 and 102.5 degrees F. When body temperature elevates above 106 F, normal cooling mechanisms are overwhelmed and fail, resulting in a serious condition requiring intervention and medical treatment.

Dogs don’t sweat - that’s why they pant. Your dog can suffer a mild to moderate temperature increase called heat stress/prostration (103 to 105 F) to a potentially life threatening condition referred to as heat stroke (106 F and higher). Certain breeds are more prone to heat injury than others.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Heat stress can happen quite rapidly, sometimes only in a few minutes, especially in dogs that live primarily indoors. Even pets that live or spend a lot of time outside can succumb to the heat if their cooling mechanisms are exceeded by weather extremes.

PREVENT HEAT STROKE
1. Clip/cut long haired dogs.

2. In the heat of midday, keep your dog indoors in either air conditioning or in a well-ventilated area with circulating fans.

3. If you have a pet that enjoys water, keeping a small pool of water outside provides a fun and cooling environment:  just enough water to play in but not over your dog’s head. No pool? - spray from a hose or a sprinkler will help.

4. Keep clean, cool water for drinking.

5. Limit exercise time. Limit vigorous exercise to early morning and after sunset or eliminate long walks/jogs until the weather cools.

6. Extra note: Remember that dogs can burn the pads of their feet on hot pavement.

7. Don’t forget that any dog left outside in summer weather needs shade, shelter, food and fresh water.

8. Never leave your dog in a car. Your car can reach 120 F in minutes, even on a cool day with the windows open, exceeding your dog’s cooling capacity in no time.

9. Be aware that the outside temperature may actually be warmer than what the thermometer reads. The heat index, a measure of the temperature and relative humidity, makes it more difficult for a body to cool down by perspiration. A temperature of 85 F can actually feel closer to 100 F (or higher) depending on the index.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS OVERHEATED
1. Cool your dog with tepid water; do not use cold water as it can shock their system.

2. A fan will help to cool and circulate air.

3. Call your veterinarian immediately, even if your pet seems to have recovered.

PETS CAN SUNBURN TOO!
Why do pigs wallow in the mud? Because they are light pink and white skinned and would otherwise sunburn without coating of mud.  Pigs know how to take care of themselves! White and lightly colored pets can suffer sunburn too, but won’t look for mud to coat themselves in, and you wouldn’t want them too.

Long-term sun exposure can lead to skin damage and in some cases skin cancers just like in humans. If any type of discoloration or sore appears, consult your veterinarian for a check-up. Areas that are commonly affected are the ears, eyelids and nose.

BOTTOM LINE
If you really love your pets, pay attention and take mindful care of them - you are their master!

Thank you The Pet Place for the input.

This magnificent horse of many recycled parts can be seen at the Leanin’ Tree Museum, Boulder, CO. I just love it!

What crafy, creative things can you do with your left over parts?

Make sure to get out and see your local treasures this summer!

Detox, as a term, is usually used for the body, like alcohol, drugs, toxins, health and wellness. But, your “stuff and things” can be just as “toxic” – dragging you down, making you feel depressed, apathetic, bad about yourself and, well, sick.

It’s easy to think that we don’t have time to declutter and organize a pile or two, or that a few minutes won’t make a difference. But, if we don’t start and do something, the “toxins” just get worse, right? 

Example: While I was putting laundry into my clothes washer minutes ago I noticed that the molded impressions on the door to the laundry room were dusty. I got the washer started, picked up a dishtowel out of the laundry basket, dipped the corner of it into the washer water and went to every door in my apartment and wiped off the decorative impressions that have been catching dust. This took about 3 minutes! A TO DO, TO DONE! I feel much better!

How about your clutter and messes, overflow and piles?

Create a “Detox Plan” to get the “too much, don’t really need and excess” out of your life so that you can focus on what’s important, what brings you joy and what makes you happy.

DETOX PLAN: DO THIS

1. Choose the room, space, closet or pile that is upsetting to you, making you frustrated and unhappy.

2. Go into it, look into it, look at it and feel the feelings it brings up.

3. Now, walk out or away from it.

4. Shut the door behind you if you can, or turn your back to it.

5. Take a big cleansing breath and shake it all off.

6. Now, act as if you’re a visitor, a stranger to this house and space.

7. Open the door or turn around and look at this area again, but this time with emotional detachment. View it as an “observer or witness.” Just softly gaze and look at all that is there with no reaction.

8. Now, without emotion, just sense what does not belong there. If “this and that” were not there, how would it look? Do you know where a pile goes? Where does “this or that” belong if not here?

9. Time to do the doing. Take just 10 minutes and move stuff. Move the “this and that” out of the space. Put into a donate box or back into a room, space, container, compartment or system where it belongs.

Make small, doable decisions on what you can in just 10 minutes.

10. Are you missing a system in which to store your “it” — like a bookshelf, cupboard and box? Then, take a notebook, measure the space you need for the system, write it down and plan to take care of it.

11. Do another 10 minutes. Etc., etc.

12. Now, put emotions back in. How does it feel to get movement going? How does it feel to see the floor, the shelf or wall empty?

Use small time blocks and chunks to detox the unhealthy emotions you have about your environment, while doing the doing of cleaning it up at the same time. All good!

Let me know how it goes!

“You’re not a doormat,
you’re a door prize!”
~ Marge Simpson, The Simpsons 

It’s very easy to “keep your tongue young lady (or man),” depending on your childhood and cultural programming, and sometimes real fear of others retaliating. However, hiding your light under the proverbial bushel is not the answer to living your life fully and brilliantly.

I once met a lawyer, who when he found out I taught assertiveness skills to women told me to stop doing that! Then walked away. He was dead serious.

Change is not always easy, but screaming at the top of our internal appauled person, wanting to say what we believe and be heard can be debilitating. Not speaking up can literally cause illness.

So, it may feel stressful to speak your mind and share your point of view. And of course you don’t have to either - but, only if you want to grow, change and enjoy your life fully.

If you need help being more assertive, I can help. See here for more information.

Make sure to take those memories on film or with digital clicks this summer!

And, when you scrapbook them, write down as much as you can that will describe it so that tomorrow and decades from now anyone can know what the event was, where you were, the date, names, ages, what people were saying, funny things that happened, etc. 

June 21, 2009: My friend Suzi and her 13 year old daughter Laura from Nebraska. They came up to visit with husband/dad Myron to Estes Park. This photo is at Celestial Seasonings in Boulder. We took the tour; the Mint Room cleared our heads! This is Sleepytime Tea Bear in the tour video show room before the tour.

Why write all this? There is simply no way that you or they will remember those details if they are not recorded in some way, especially when on vacation when time gets blurred and neat fun factoids get lost and forgotten.

Don’t miss out on a great experience touring the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory and Gift Shop when you’re near Boulder, CO. The Mint Room is awesome!

Clutter effects your energy, decision making, earning power, others perception of you, your perception of yourself, plans and choices.

Organizing is the key to productivity, efficiency, freedom,
self-esteem and peace of mind. Organizing holds a lot of power!

Getting and being organized in all areas of life makes life work better, smoother and gentler. But . . . when chaos rains (yes, I meant to spell it that way!) where do you start to take control and make order?

“Where do I start?” is one of the first questions, or desperate pleas, I hear from most of the people wondering how to get and stay organized.

I agree with Plato who said, “The beginning is the most important part of any work.”

So, here’s the answer: Start with today’s clutter.

“Yeah, but . . .  what about the basement, the attic, the garage, the heaps and piles in the closet?”

Start with today’s clutter.

This includes all incoming clutter, usually routine, like the mail: snail mail, junk mail, email, etc. DO THIS: a) Immediately discard junk (recycle please); b) Quickly mark and file what is important; c) Use appropriate labeled storage keepers for the rest.

“Yeah, but… what about the basement, the attic, the garage, the heaps and piles in the closet?”

After the daily routine is complete, move on to the most visible messes. Choose the most frequently used room and select one (only one) section with the visible mess like your kitchen counter, dining room table, a closet, desk, a ‘can’t get it closed’ drawer.

Have your prep tools ready — boxes for recycling, trash can and reroute container — schedule uninterrupted time, and dig in!

It may feel slow going (like exercising and losing weight!), but keeping on top of the daily messes, creating “homes” for everything and dealing with the next one-mess-at-a-time will get you there.

Happy organizing!

NEED HELP? If you can’t get started, my How to Lose Your Big “Buts” Audio Learning Course may be of great help! Find out more here.  

I also make “House Calls!” and “Coaching Calls.”

Instead of waiting for life to get better, do something about it.

I don’t know exactly what age it is, but at some age (if you’re lucky to get to that magical age) you’ll hear it. You’ll hear yourself saying to yourself, “Why didn’t I get on this issue when I knew I could have done something! Why did I wait so long?” They’re called regrets.

Exercise, weight loss, finances, family, friends, health — it’s the human condition to wait. But, it’s also an opportunity to raise your consciousness and life experience NOW, to get going on your problems, issues and dilemmas, no matter what they are – so that “someday when” you don’t have to hear that voice talking to you in your head!

If there is an area of your life that is not doing well, don’t ignore it, don’t “wait” to see if it works itself out.

1. Sit down and write out as many options as you can for solutions.

2. Take action on the most realistic solutions one-by-one.

Just start!

Reminder
I have a new 6 session course to help you with this. Go read all about it and see if it’s time for you to “Lose Your Big “Buts”"  and learn The Keys to Overcome Indecision, Gain Focus and Take Right Action.

Transform your excuses into right action, and into peace, calm and joy!

If you’re reading this Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., I’m in the Longmont United Hospital starting my colonoscopy. I’m sure I could write up something creative about getting organized for one; not getting stressed over it, etc., but, Dave Barry does such a better job – I’ll just let him tell you about it!

Dave Barry’s Colonoscopy Journal

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.

A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis .

Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner.

I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn’t really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, ‘HE’S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!’

I left Andy’s office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called ‘MoviPrep,’ which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven.

I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America’s enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.

Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation.

In accordance with my instructions, I didn’t eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.

Then, in the evening , I took the MoviPrep.  You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water.  (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug.  This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ‘a loose, watery bowel movement may result’.

This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative.  I don’t want to be too graphic, here, but:  have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch?  This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle.  There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt.  You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently.  You eliminate everything.  And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.

The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic.  I was very nervous.  Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage.  I was thinking, ‘What if I spurt on Andy?’  How do you apologize to a friend for something like that?  Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said.  Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts; the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand.  Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down.  Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep.

At first I was ticked off that I hadn’t thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode.  You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist  I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere.  I was seriously nervous at this point.

Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.

There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA.  I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, ‘Dancing Queen’ had to be the least appropriate.

‘You want me to turn it up?’ said Andy, from somewhere behind me.

‘Ha ha,’ I said.  And then it was time; the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade.  If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea!  Really!  I slept through it!  One moment, ABBA was yelling, ‘Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,’ and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.

Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt.  I felt excellent.  I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.  I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

ABOUT THE WRITER
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

On the subject of Colonoscopies…

Colonoscopies are no joke and you’d better be trotting yourself into the doctor’s office for your check up after age 50 too!, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous. A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. ‘Take it easy, Doc.  You’re boldly going where no man has gone before!’

2. ‘Find Amelia Earhart yet?’

3. ‘Can you hear me NOW?’

4. ‘Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?’

5. ‘You know, in Arkansas, we’re now legally married.’

6. ‘Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?’

7. ‘You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out…’

8. ‘Hey!  Now I know how a Muppet feels!’

9. ‘If your hand doesn’t fit, you must quit!’

10. ‘Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.’

11. ‘You used to be an executive at Enron, didn’t you?’

And the best one of all.

12. ‘Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?’
 

Social networking is all the rage now, we hear about Twitter and Facebook, MySpace and YouTube on sitcoms, the nightly news and commercials, it’s absolutely mainstream. Social networking is changing how we use, watch, learn about and report the news and information, as well as make connections — business and personal. All good! 

But . . . if computers and online-lives are taking away from family time, is it all good?

This is a question each person must ask themselves in the battle to stay connected to our families, children and spouses; to enrich our lives with our families — not to invite one more distraction into our lives of strangers and information that may make no difference (what you ate for breakfast) and BFFs who change weekly.

Studies are coming out now showing that online social networking contributes to less time spent with family, affecting family connections and relationships.

In the first half of the decade, families reported spending 26 hours a month together. By 2008, that dropped to 18 hours, according to the Annenberg Center for the Digital Future.

Certainly varying work schedules, travel, rising dual-income households, increasing commute times and work days, and participating in multiple children’s sports and activities are factors too. But the quick and continual (meteoric) rise of online social networking — what is new, exciting, cool, affordable and accessible by almost everyone — overshadows many of these other reasons in some families.

What can we do? Enjoy, use and utilize what are amazing technological advances and systems to help us connect like no other time in history, to do business, meet new people, help one another and create communities that in fact can be very helpful and real. And, at the same time, make sure you are shutting it off, making face-to-face contact and time with your family, kids, friends and others who are here and now right in front of you.

Need we remind ourselves of the famous Harry Chapin song lyrics . . .

“And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin home, dad, I don’t know when,
But we’ll get together then, Son,
You know we’ll have a good time then.”
Cat’s in the Cradle and Other Hits

The sadly ironic thing about this new distancing of relationships is that all the family members are in the same room, on cell phones, computers and other mobile devices, all talking to people around the world (and sometimes to the person within touch distance!!), but not one another! They ARE all home, but not HOME. 

Relationships take time and work. Use it or lose it applies! And, if we’re talking about you being a parent, it’s a whole ‘nother level to this issue. You and your children will pay for gaps in their time with you for a life time. That is not worth it. Childhood development depends on real-time with parents and family, make sure to make that happen.

Am I an “online social networker?” You can find me at on Twitter. Not every moment, but I’m there, http://twitter.com/drdeclutter  Just getting onto Facebook (to tell the truth, ‘m not great at all these sites - I like “face-to-face”.)