With the cattle sale four weeks from today, you might imagine that stress is predominant here at the ranch. It’s a good stress, I think, because we get to hear from and see customers that we enjoy and appreciate.

I glanced at a magazine today that, as if on call, contained an article about ways to reduce stress. I think that I’ve read so many of these from time to time that I could probably write one of my own. There are, of course, the obvious stress reducers such as eating right, exercising, focusing on breathing, meditating, etc. This particular article, however, discussed how clutter can reduce your energy creating stress. Finally, something I can actually do! First, I suggested to my husband that HIS clutter was adding to MY stress. Well, that didn’t fly at all! Then, realizing that the only thing I could actually control was my own clutter, I dove right in and started cleaning the studio.

As a good researcher, I know that you are supposed to document the condition of what you are trying to change prior to starting the treatment. Yet, I failed to take a picture of the cluttered studio prior to the “treatment” of dust and clutter removal. You’ll just have to take my word for it. The studio was dirty and very cluttered! Following a two hour treatment, two thirds of it has improved as shown in the picture. What you cannot see is the bead table stacked with plastic drawers and other materials. That is on tap for “treatment” tomorrow. I do seem to feel a bit less stressed as I look around the room (as long as I don’t turn my head too far towards the beads). Maybe there IS something to this method. I suspect, however, that it will be short lived unless I can manage to keep things straight; but for the moment, I’ll take what I can get.