A Little Clean-Up, A Big Shift

A week or so ago, I was sitting in the family room and I heard a lil scratch scratch scratch. It’s that time of year again — living near a field, I’ve come to expect a mouse or two trying to sneak inside once the weather shifts. Still, it made my skin crawl. I stay mostly prepared this time of year so I don’t seem like 5 star mouse accommodations. But I did just host the holiday, so there was lots of food and I could have missed a crumb or two.  There were a couple items left overnight in the sink (not uncommon for me, honestly…even tho I get annoyed that I do it) AND I knew — knew — the basement and pantry needed attention. I’d even bought the totes. I had a plan in my head. But I hadn’t done anything with it yet.

So I took time to make a shift.  I had planned for a Sunday lazy day after the holiday of just doing absolutely NOTHING on the couch. But I wanted to make sure I was doing what I could to stop those field mice from visiting (especially from staying)! So, I took some time and got it done. Not a whole clean-out. Not a massive overhaul. Just an hour of sorting, tossing, putting things away. And it made a difference. Not just visually but I felt lighter. Like I had taken back some control.

Later that night, while tidying up the kitchen before bed — something I don’t always — I said something to myself almost offhandedly:

“I don’t want to leave a mess for future Kim.”

That actually stopped me cold. Because it wasn’t just about the sink. Or the basement. Or mice.

It was about all of it.

It was about the extra weight I carry — physically, mentally, emotionally.
It was about the cycles I’ve been trying to break.
It was about the nights I’ve gone to bed overwhelmed or frustrated or just too tired to deal.

And it was about how easy it is to keep saying “later.”
Letting her — the me of tomorrow — handle what I could start shifting today. Letting future me deal with the mess, the chaos, the stress….

That one sentence cracked something open for me.

“I don’t want to leave a mess for future me.”

She deserves better.
She deserves calm.
She deserves to feel proud of how I showed up today — not frustrated that I didn’t.

This doesn’t mean I’m suddenly perfect or productive or transformed.
It just means I found a mantra that anchors me. Something that when I read it or say, reminds me of what I truly want and who I want to become. A reason to take one small step instead of none. And that kind of shift? It matters.

So that’s the energy I’m bringing into the new year.
Not resolutions…Just reminders. Just care of future me.

You’re welcome to borrow my mantra. Or come up with your own.

What’s one phrase you can return to when you feel stuck, distracted, or overwhelmed?Something that gently calls you back to yourself. To your space. To your now.

If you find one, write it down. Tape it to your mirror. Share it with me if you want. I’ll be cheering you all on! And I’ll be over here whispering to my own future self: We’ve got this!