William George has ushered in a new phase... the curiosity phase. His curiosity, coupled with his less-than-gentleness, leads to a great deal of breakage and mayhem. For a couple of Type A-er's, this phase has had an unsettling effect. As you read this, there are still two boxes of Christmas presents sitting on the landing of the steps leading upstairs. Six weeks into 2013... yet there they are. Largely this is because 1) I am usually "spotting" William George as he climbs or descends the stairs (no extra room to carry boxes) 2) ANY activity on the steps during naps wakens George and 3) most of my waking hours are spent cleaning up the many, many, many messes he makes each day. Instead of making any progress with projects, the daily routine involves barely keeping one's head above water in the tidiness department.
The dining room is also still overrun with toys from Christmas, and the closets are all a disaster zone again. Honestly, I have no idea when or how I will clean them, as my "helper" is ever present and insists on being a hands-on participant. This isn't a confessional; this is merely the state of things at the moment. It is in this mindset that I ran across the below quote (via MightyGirl.com):
“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” -Haim Ginott (via The Happiness Project)
Such a timely reminder.
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