Father Mark Goldasich is the pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Tonganoxie. he has been editor of the Leaven since 1989.
by Father Mark Goldasich
I thought it would be a simple task to get more detailed information. What I discovered, though, both confused and delighted me.
It started with a reference in “The Book of Days,” by Guen Sublette, that the first week of October is Get Organized Week. Being a stickler, I wondered if “first week” meant Oct. 1-8 or the first full week of October. (You see, this “critical” research would take time, which meant continuing my procrastination as to when I would begin the trauma of actually organizing.)
Since the event was sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers, I went first to its website, where I found a video proclaiming, “January is Get Organized Month.” What? No mention of October or a week.
I then Googled “National Get Organized Week 2014” and up popped over 65 million results (in 0.45 seconds). Perusing the entries helped me to discover that the dates are Oct. 4-11 . . . in 2010. A 2013 entry gave no specific dates, while another site insisted it was the second week of October.
Finally, Debra Marrs cleared up the matter (I think) on her website at: www.yourwritelife.com. When started by the professional organizers group in 1992, it was celebrated during the first full week of October. However, in 2005, they moved it to January and renamed it GO — Get Organized — month. That’s why I got so confused. My perverse delight, though, came in knowing that even professional organizers couldn’t get organized enough to nail down dates all could agree upon.
OK, no matter when GO is officially or how long it lasts, its purpose is “to focus on the benefits of getting organized and the tools
and techniques necessary to achieve that goal. [It] is an opportunity to streamline your life, create more time, lower your stress and increase your profit.”
I’m with Marrs who still celebrates Get Organized Week at this time of year. We’re now in the fourth quarter of 2014, and that’s a good time to ask: How well am I doing with my New Year’s resolutions of 2014? Do you even remember them? Most of us have probably let the demands of our daily lives overtake any good intentions that we had last January of making our lives healthier, happier and holier. Why not end this year with a bang by resurrecting those resolutions and getting a jump-start on making 2015 a spectacular year of growth?
Let’s start by paying attention to our physical selves. Have we “let ourselves go” a bit? How much attention do we pay to how, when and what we eat? Do we get enough exercise and sufficient sleep? Have we been to the doctor and dentist lately? In short, how is the upkeep of our body — a temple of the Holy Spirit, no less — going?
Secondly, at least some of our happiness is blunted by all of the “stuff” that surrounds us — whether physical or mental clutter. Every undone task occupies a place in our brain and drains us of energy. For the next 12 weeks, take a look at a junk drawer, a stuffed closed, a messy garage, or a mountain of papers and restore some order to several of them. After all, with the holidays coming, you might want to have guests over or at least clear some space for the inevitable gifts that will enter your home at Christmas.
Lastly, examine your spiritual life. Do you pray regularly and attentively? When was the last time you attended a retreat or a day of prayer at your parish? Do you participate in a Bible study or a prayer group? Do you have spiritual reading material in your home? Do you volunteer some time at church or in the community, take time to visit the sick or drop a note to an elderly relative or friend? Many times, it’s this area of our lives that needs the most attention.
I recently heard a story of two little boys who were watching their grandma pace around her yard while reading the Bible.
“What’s she doing?” asked one of the boys.
“Cramming for her finals!” said the other.
Let’s not wait until “the end” to get our physical, mental and spiritual lives in order. Start with one small step in one small area.
On your mark, get set, GO!
