SOS Retired, Long Live Cottonwood Sprinkler!!

The name SOS has been retired, and I am no longer focusing on my organizing business.

SOS has brought a lot of learning and joy in my life, especially through my clients, like you, who have brought me into your homes. I will always be an organizer at heart, and may continue to take organizing jobs with clients who are willing to invest the time and energy needed to make their lives more manageable.

I will be affiliated with NAPO (National Organization of Professional Organizers) at least until next Spring, listed as “Caroline Garhart.” I will continue to study my craft – as if I could stop….I find that organizing is a day-to-day momentum that helps me create an easier life for myself. So my organizing door is not shut, it’s just a different style…..

My blog:  will still focus on thriving in our society as a non-type-A-go-getter-person (ie advocating for TYPE S – sensitive, and/or creative, and/or brain trauma and/or elderly etc). The web/blog address will change, so if you wish to get updates of my blog in it’s new incarnation, please email me at CarolineGarhart@gmail.com and I will put you on my list.

As to what I am doing right now? I have invested myself 100% in Cottonwood Sprinkler Company, which my husband and I started, and which is growing like a well-watered lawn by word of mouth from satisfied customers!  I am the Business Manager.

Cottonwood Sprinkler services Boulder County, and does maintenance, repair, and design/installations for residential sprinkler systems. We have 24 years experience, with an awesome warranty of 2 year parts and labor.

BT from Louisville says this about our last installation: “Thanks to all of you at Cottonwood for the wonderful sprinkler system and the exceptional quality of your service in every way.  It was a delightful experience, and you can be sure I will recommend you to others!”

Mental Clutter and Hummingbirds

Hummer in warmer times

Do you know where hummingbirds go when it snows?

I just returned from a hike that I take into the Rocky Mountain Forest behind my house. After some gorgeous May days, we may be getting two feet of snow tonight. The snow was falling so quietly on my walk, but the birds were singing, something I have missed during the winter. I do worry about our 5 hummingbirds staying warm. They have been here only a week.

Hiking by myself is one of the ways that I clear my mind of mental clutter. Once I see the pattern of bark on the Ponderosa Pine, or the harbinger of spring – the delicate violet Pasque Flower, my mind leaves behind the obsessions, fears, pain and what ever else I have allowed myself to obsess about at the moment.

It actually takes 40 minutes of hiking for me to clear my mind sufficiently. Then I can come back to the house, endorphins popping, ready to be with my life and work a different way.

I can’t do this when hiking with somebody else tho. It takes a rare person to want to actually want to be on that hike – instead of prattling on about generally inconsequential things. Does that sound harsh? Maybe. But when I am in the world of nature that is so much bigger than me, and seems to know so much more than me, I feel my troubles shrink down to a manageable size, if not totally away.

I like to try to steer my companions thoughts to the things around us – that gray granite boulder that looks like a giant hamster, or the alpine house that holds the people from Finland who have live up here over 40 years. Most times my pointing things out does not sway my fellow hikers from extolling their current story line – they are so fascinated by their stories, oblivious to all the life and grandeur right in front of their faces.

We all do this, of course. We find a uneasy comfort in the clutter we continue to collect and drop in our brains. And, like clutter on your kitchen table – it does multiply if you allow it!

I heard that a normal human’s brain thinks negative thoughts 80% of the time. Add to that reams and reams of totally inconsequential knowledge. I still remember my first boyfriends’ ham radio call number. That was a long long time ago (WB4WAH)! The other day somebody asked me my phone number. Distracted, I gave them a number from 4 years ago. I didn’t even know I still knew the number!

Fortunately I have learned to steer my brain around, much like a boat, and make decisions about what island of information I can visit or even pitch my tent onto. And more and more I steer away from the negative clutter, and steer more to life affirming foundations and dreams. It took a long time for me to achieve this type of discipline, but if I can do it – anybody can.

Of course this takes mindfulness and awareness. Two things that sound so peaceful and attainable, and most times so far away. It’s a lifelong process, I am finding.

I guess I should list ways you can declutter your mind, or steps to ….. but you know – I’m still in the spaciousness of the snow, looking for shivering hummingbirds. See you soon.

Uncluttering your Brain – It Does NOT Always Know Better

How many times do you find yourself feeling tired or sad or depressed, then trying to explain it away as not the way you “should” be?

Yesterday I called a friend, and had a pretty disjointed conversation with her because she was yawning every third sentence. To me, she was obviously quite tired and needed to get some rest.  However, she spent our conversation explaining to me how she should NOT be tired because nothing she had done during the day supported getting more rest.  As if a bit more rest was a weakness and not to be tolerated!

Lily and Dexter have no problems taking a siesta!

I was especially aware of what she was doing because I have made a decision to be more in tune with what my body is telling me, and to stop telling my body what it should be or should feel.   I have spent most of my life trying to  turn away from what my body says, and replace it with how I think my body should be responding.

By doing this I get caught in a tug of war between reality, and what my mind (through social conditioning etc) says I should be, think, feel.  It is a very insidious habit for me – I have spent most of my life moving past the pre-conditioning and becoming more who I really am.  This one trips me up quite a bit.

Not listening to our bodies becomes a danger not only with mainstream people, but with people who have sensitive tendencies.  Many time us sensitive types need more rest, but if we are not at peace with our specific needs, we can ignore the signs our bodies give us, to our detriment.

I have this process down to two steps:

1. I notice feel quite tired.  My brain says – I  should not be tired because blah, blah, blah…………
2. I gently turn away from what my mind is telling me, and really look at what my body is telling me, and act from that knowledge.

Yesterday I was up as usual at 6 am, and by 10:30 I wanted to go back to sleep.  Everything I needed to do seemed hard and forced.  It was possible to  take a nap, because I did not have anything  to do until 2 pm.   I started listening to the endless reasons my brain was feeding me as to why I shouldn’t be tired and could not possibly lay down (being considered “lazy” is a big trigger),  then gently turned away and tuned into my body.  It said it was tired!

I  slept for 3 hours without even moving.  Then I got up, refreshed and ready to do the tasks I needed to do -  with no hardship.  My body needed that sleep!

We have much clutter in our brains that does not serve us.  Being aware and mindful can help us figure out what is, or is not clutter.

Here’s to living mindfully!  Caroline

3 Things You Should Know after Hackers Stole my Website

I am finally am back from a long hiatus.

My website was hacked by Syrians – no kidding!

After many, many, many hours of trying to fix the damage, I was able to get my blog back up.  Mostly this was due to my friend’s insight – (Meg O’Morrow, www.MultifariousMarketing.com -  SEO Extraordinaire)

I would like to share with you 3 things I learned from this process……..

• Yes, Virginia, people can mess with your website.  Pay extra to back it up.  ‘Nuf said.

• DO NOT jump ship on your webhost just to save money.  Not all web hosts are created equal.  Some are downright obstructionist.  GO Daddy saved my a**.    Thanks Go Daddy!!!!

• If you are going to do a WordPress blog, and you think you know alot about computers, and even own “WordPress for Dummies”…I still highly suggest you get WordPress.org (the paid version.)  This will pay for itself because frankly, there is zero, ziltch, nada customer support if you get the free WordPress.com. To learn more cut and paste the following in your browser:  http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

Hope this saves you time and money if the Syrians (or whatever country who is annoyed with the US at the moment) sets it’s sight on you.

Happy webbing……Caroline

Sensitive Series #3: Understanding the Issues

NOTE:

Please first read #1 and #2

of the Sensitive Series

found in my Categories drop down menu on the blog sidebar

Do you want to create more ease and peace in your everyday life? Learning more about your processes as a Sensitive Person will help.

Below a further description of the 4 basic areas thatmay affect your life as a Sensitive Person. This is an expansion of the list in my blog entry:  Sensitive Series #2

1. Environment – You tend to become easily overwhelmed and paralyzed with a cluttered home and office.

• Nowhere is the organizing phrase “A place for everything and everything in it’s place” so true. Every once and a while I’ll run across a client who thrives in unmitigated clutter, but it’s not often.

• Most times I find that my clients will go into their offices or house rooms, become immediately overwhelmed by the clutter, and immediately leave (or at least want to).  Studies have found that a cluttered environment can lead to decreased productivity.
  

• As a Professional Organizer knowledgeable about sensitive people, I can work with you to find tools to help you focus.
  

2. Time – You allow time to control you instead of the other way around, lending to frustration and a feeling of lack of control.

• So many times Sensitive people have a view of the world that is not as structured and rigid as the rest of society. This causes tension between your  living  in a meandering time frame and needing to get your goals completed.  Learning basic time strategies, tailored to your specific needs, can allow you to reclaim your life.

• An Example: How much better do you feel when you get to your appointments on time?  For many of us, this is such a challenge, but I can teach you simple tools to help you feel more in control of your time.

3. Overwhelm – You can become easily overwhelmed with tasks, people, and the outside world

• Learning our limitations and planning for our needs can help our day go much smoother. An example: I have heard the complaint from Sensitive People that when they go grocery shopping, they generally come home overwhelmed and exhausted.

As a result  some people have found that resting for a bit, even before putting the groceries away,  helps pull them together.  They have found that without recognizing and honoring their specific needs – they will become more out of touch with themselves, strained, and argumentative with family members.

• Helping you problem-solve your specific limitations and solutions will greatly enhance your life, reducing stress and freeing up more energy.

4. Fitting In – You tend to feel that you are different, therefore wrong, in the face of “mainstream” friend and relatives, who can be vocal with their disapproval.

• One of the most important tasks I have as an organizer is to reassure my clients that they are not lazy and/or hopeless. They tend to pick these beliefs up from non-empathetic “mainstream” family, and friends and coworkers. We can explore better self knowledge, helping family member understand, and learning tool to respect all involved.
  

• I am continually told that my clients appreciate how I see them and their situations in a non-judgmental way.  I see each client as a wonderful person in their own right,who needs support and information, just as somebody else would go to a Financial Adviser for their money woes.

Part of the fun is for you to watch your progress from defeated to powerful as you learn new tools which ease your burdens, and you create more empowerment your life.

I encourage you to comment on this subject.  Sharing your experiences is a wonderful way to spread knowledge.

Fondly, Caroline

Sensitive Series #2 – Broadening the Definition

In my blog post “Sensitive Series #1: Highly Sensitive People” I explain a bit about HSPs and give you access to a test to see if you are one or you know one.

Please take a moment to take that test if you have not. (Go to Categories to your right, and click on Sensitive Series to go to #1)

Although Dr Aron’s definition of HSP’s is important, I find that other people suffer from many of the same  concerns, but were not born as HSPs.

In my business I deal with a range of people who have sensitivities that make organizing with them different from most other people.  For many of these people, becoming sensitive occurred later in life or due to an unforeseen illness or accident.  These, along with HSPs, include people with:

chronic pain,
brain trauma,
handicapped,
the elderly,
creative personalities,
ADD,
and others.

These people can be in varying levels of competence in the outside world.  One client I have  has a minimalist environment while seldom leaving the house, while another has her own business and family.  It’s all about working with our  needs and limitations and balancing the known factors so that the unknown does not send us over the hill.

Can you relate to any of the following ways that I have found that Sensitive People may have in their life experience?

1. Environment - You walk in your kitchen, see the dirty dishes and mess created by the creative and fabulous dinner party you just put on.  All you  feel is  despair over cleaning it up,  the party forgotten, you get a headache and you just go to bed, having to face it in the morning with an even more level of despair?

2. Time – Are you constantly late, no matter how you try?  Do you feel that time just passes you by, without you getting anything done?  Are you overwhelmed with he amount of things you have to do and can’t organize to save your life?

3. Overwhelm – Can being around too many people cause you to get anxious?  Do you come home from grocery shopping feeling that you have lost part of your soul, and only rest regains it?

4. Fitting In - Do you feel others are “so together” in their lives with seemly high productivity, and no matter what you do you can’t get ahead or focus on what’s important?

Giving you tools and knowledge to balancing these (and many more) factors is my job as a  Professional Organizer for sensitive people.

I have had people say to me that I don’t fit the mold of other POs they have met – some tend to be high energy, overly pushy, and with their own filing or organizing system that they make their client fit into, instead of the other way around.

Listening and finding ways to adapt is my primary role.  It’s easy to tell people how they “should” lead their lives.   I figure out how to be realistic with your set of  conditions and work with that.

As the Buddhists say “Start where you are”

In my Sensitive Series #3, I  discuss more fully the 4 basic areas that affect you, the sensitive person, and  the role of an effective Professional Organizer in working with you.

To find Sensitive Series #3 – go to the right to “Categories” and click on “Sensitive Series.”

Thanks for reading, Caroline

Listening to our Elderly

It was not the first time I had been in this situation.  My client, a 70 plus amazing lady, was standing in front of me with bewilderment and apprehension on her face.  Between us lay a state-of-the-art, fully-loaded cell phone.  Her first.  Picked out by her well-meaning son.

“It’s far more than I need,” she said, “All I want to do is make and receive calls.  I’ll never figure this out.”

Time and time again I see this scenerio as  Professional Organizer.  A well-meaning tech-savvy child wants their mother to have the best cell phone or computer, not considering what his parent actually needs.  The outcome is a sad, overwhelmed parent who does not want to hurt her child’s feelings.  Even worse, the parent is dependant on the child when they need help navigating the system, or things go wrong.

For the second time in a month, I tell another client about the cell phone service Jitterbug (jitterbug.com), after the fact.  One of several services that are geared to non-technical people, Jitterbug by-passes the fancy geegaws and provides basic service, with a large amount of live help.  Too late, the fancy-phone contract has been signed.  No point telling her that Jitterbug users are not forced to sign a contract.

Another take on this scenerio was the 70 plus lady who asked me to do research on what would be the best computer for her.  I found her the best, based on her needs at the time.  She decided to go with her son’s recommendation, a mammoth computer which included an impressive arsonal of anti-viruses and firewalls (he worked for the government) and 2 separate accounts ($$$) for accessing the internet.  This for a lady who only wanted to get pictures of her grandchildren sent to her by email.  When she told me she should have listened to me after the fact, I felt sad.

I suppose it is human for kids to expect their parents to keep up with everything they do.  Some parents do.  Another client of mine (over 80 years)  bought a laptop so lovely I felt a twinge of envy.  Her son and grandson helped her set it up.  She uses it – more power to her.

It is important to note that the enthusaism on the part of the kids can encourage the elder to try new things.  But when the new thing does not work out, the elders can also retreat into a shell of not feeling listened to and overwhelm.  It is up to the adult child to listen closely to their parent’s needs and act accordingly.

I encourage our elderly parents to keep a toe in the world by trying  email and cell phones.  As long as they can stay connected to the world around them, they will keep their brains active and feel connected.  It’s our job to make the connection as easy as we can.  There is more and more technology out there to keep the non-savvy person connected with their geographically distant family.

Other elders I know are ready to give the technical world up, and I respect that decision also.  I know some really sharp elders who can wallop me in a game of Scrabble!

(please note:  I have not used Jitterbug personally, so cannot 100% vouch for it.  Check out all fine print!)

Caroline

Dreams of an Unclutterer

Last Saturday, I participated in a “Wealth Work Party”  led by Denise Barnes, MoneyCoach.  I love doing events like this because I get to unclutter in my own home for 3 or so hours, with the support of others through strategic conference calls.  This is a good way to receive help with those “sticky” belongings that I want to release, but but feel resistant when I think of doing it alone (IE it won’t get done.)

I was able to finally let go of some family heirloom pieces that did not fit into my life/home and 2 bins of old clothes that I was going to “shrink” back into.  Really, I was!  Both of these groups had added a heaviness to my life that I did not fully appreciate until I had  – The Dream.

In The Dream, I was removing all the cobwebs off the ceiling, when I found the dessicated carcass of a hawk in the corner, covered with dust.  I brushed it down and discarded it.  That was the entire dream!

When I awoke, I was delighted at the dreams symbolism around the previous day’s cleaning.  Dreams have always been a major part of my teachings.  To me, a living hawk is the symbol of power, strength and focus.  An old, musty hawk hanging out in the rafters is certain to represent loss of power, and neglect to aspects of my life.

In waking life, it would be hard to not notice a dusty, dead hawk in the corner of the room.  For some reason it is hard for us to notice the energetic zappers we experience every day in our own homes.  We think the excess material baggage we have does not affect us.  Granted, my old clothes were tucked away in the basement, but every time I opened my closet door and glanced at the heirlooms stored on the top shelf, I always felt a quick tensing of my muscles, and the even quicker thought  “I HAVE to do something with those!”

So – I ask you – what do you see in your house everyday that ruffles your feathers?  Is it time to at least put it on your day-planner to be sure it gets taken care of?  When else will you do it?

For more information about the “Wealth Work Party”, and Denise Barnes, please cut and paste this address into your browser:  http://soulsavvy.net/services/the-wealth-sanity-work-party/

As always, comments encouraged!

Party On… Caroline

Sensitive Series #1 – “Highly Sensitive People”

“You are just too sensitive”

“You need to get a thicker skin”

“Why can’t you be more social?”

“Why do you have to be alone so much?”

You are not keeping up – go faster – do more!”

Sound familiar?

20 % of  humans are Highly Sensitive People (HSPs).  Chances are you are one or you know one.

The woman who created the definition is Elaine Aron Ph.D.   Her groundbreaking book “The Highly Sensitive Person”  defines HSP and introduces a short test for you to find out if you have any of the attributes.  The link to the test on her web page  is at the bottom of this post.  I encourage you to take it, if not for yourself, then to help recognize other people within your circle.

I write about this issue , because I not only work with these personalities, but I am one myself.

Organizing for HSPs is a whole different animal .  We can be so sensitive to our surroundings that the slightest misplaced object can throw us off.  We are also used to the other 80% of humanity telling us how wrong they are in how we do things.  trying to fit other’s expectations can cause us to feel discouraged and very alone.

I am here to tell you that we can find that

Being a HSP is  a wonderful blessing but can be a burden.  There are so many techniques available to help us, and I will share some of these with you as these blogs progress.

Please copy and paste the following into your browser for the HSP Self Test:

http://www.hsperson.com/pages/test.htm

After taking the test, are you surprised by your results?  Please feel free to comment!

Please continue on to Sensitive Series #2 which describes how there are other types of Sensitive People and the characteristics we may all share.

Sensitively Yours,

Caroline

How Hospice Work Helps my Clients

I have been away from my Hospice Volunteering for 5 months, and am very happy to be back.  Today I was delighted to receive 2 patients at a Boulder skilled nursing facility.

I have been doing Comfort Touch with my patients for 4 years.  Comfort Touch is a nurturing style of acupressure that can bring the benefits of touch to a broad range of people.  It’s primary intention is to provide comfort through techniques that promote deep relaxation and relief from pain.

Some patients are quite aware and can tell you how they feel, but some cannot.  Even though some cannot speak or nod, I can still feel them relaxing and responding under my hands.  Many times their outer discomforts such as coughing or twitching disappears as the session relaxes them.

CT requires patience, compassion, respect, and the ability to step out of one’s ego and to just be there specifically with that person and what they need.  I am always surprised about the love I feel for these people who I do not know in any other way.

These qualities I am nurturing in myself are so important when working with the elderly, Highly Sensitive People (ie brain trauma, ADD).  I listen past  what they think they should do, and listen to what they need, always stopping when asked.  In organizing and downsizing, my clients can carry a full range of emotions, each one needing to be recognized and honored.

Whether I work with a hospice patient, or an organizing client – it is a privilege that they trust me enough to allow me in their space, be it holding their feet, or sorting out their organizing issues.

If you are intrigued about the concept of Comfort Touch, please go to the following website.  Mary Rose, my supervisor,  is the developer of CT.  She works with Hospice of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, and has taken it throughout the country. (Please cut and paste these links into your browser)

http://www.comforttouch.com/

Here is the link to the Hospice of Boulder and Broomfield Counties website:

http://hospicecareonline.org/

Simply Yours, Caroline