Routines set us free to FLY anywhere

When we are so tied up with the day-to-day CHAOS of our lives, we sometimes don't take time to keep up with what is going on around us. We assume that the people who are elected or appointed to various boards have our well-being in mind when they make decisions. Sometimes this is not the case.

Last year I was interviewed by several radio stations and a newspaper from Ireland. Our FlyLady way of living was being attacked. She said that when a woman is stuck with the housework, she doesn't have time to pursue business or politics. I rebutted her misconception. I told her we were not Stepford wives. We were taking care of things so that we could be anything we wanted to be. I also told her I was a wife, mother, grandmother, former elected official, business leader and FLYLADY.

If I had not had my house in order, I would have never stepped into a political arena. I would have been trapped and silenced by the CHAOS in my home.

With the CHAOS turned to peace, I was willing and able to step up and do what my community and my Internet family needed. Our home did not fall into a mess. My routines were firmly in place, and I was FLYing. I had a job being a county commissioner and almost at the same time our FlyLady mentoring system began. Yet our home looked nice.

Have you ever paid attention to the number of women there are in a room of elected officials or who are in management? I have studied this, and I believe our homes keep us trapped. We don't feel like we have time to do anything other than what we are already doing. So we let the world pass us by, while we just try to keep our heads above water. We are so busy putting out fires that we forget about our passions. I am not saying that housework is a woman's job. I am saying it is the woman who feels bad about the house when it is not done. We can't help that this is how we have been conditioned by society. We are the nurturers and the nesters. We have been told that we can have it all; the home, family, career and a rewarding life. But no one ever gave us an instruction manual. We were just expected to know how to do it all. When we struggle with one part and the guilt begins to take over then we neglect the other areas. We have all said it, "I don't have time."

"I don't have time" goes deeper than just getting involved with your community. Those words rob you of time with your family and of taking care of you. Ultimately you are the one who loses. You are so rushed that you don't take care of yourself and get sick because you are not eating right or not taking a few minutes to get a drink of water.