GON Reader Letter #1
Detailed Day-of-the-Week Cleaning System
I wanted to tell you that I have a
detailed "day of the week" system for my bathroom. I have divided bathroom cleaning chores by days of the week.
Examples are scrub sink; scrub bathtub; clean toilet; clean mirror; wipe off counters and cabinet tops; steam clean floor, etc.
I have each day's tasks posted on a cute illustrated list that I affixed to the inside of my medicine cabinet door.
I have to admit I don't always get to a given
day's tasks on that day, but just having the list to refer to is at least a slight motivator! Cheers!
-- Susan Livingston, Sebring, FL
GON Reader Letter #2
2 Books I Recommend
I have two books I recommend. The first is a deeply moving, yet sometimes comical, work of fiction, titled A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The second is an extremely helpful, and often recommended, non-fiction self-help book called Atomic Habits by James Clear Both books are well rated and left a good impression on me.
-- Linda Jacob
Serving God by Serving Others
GON Reader Letter #3
Dream Come True
Some time ago, you asked GON Readers, "What is something meaningful that you do on special anniversaries in your life?" In response to that...
The most meaningful date for me was July 1, 1989 and I'll begin with the 3 words to describe that day: Dream come true.
It wasn't exactly an event in the sense most people would think. Rather, it was a major move and it took place in Big
Pine, CA when we arrived at our new home after retiring from 30 years in aerospace.
As for the weather, we had come from an area along the coast where a really hot day might get to 80, it
was 107 in Big Pine on July 1. The people involved were my husband, myself, and the movers. The thing I remember most is my husband asking me, "Is this real? Are we really here?"
It had
been his dream since I first met him more than 15 years before to retire to this area of eastern California and when he first brought me here I also fell in love with the Owens Valley.
The 3 most significant events that have taken place since that day are 1) All 3 daughters moving up here, 2)
becoming a self-employed sales representative, and 3) the death of my husband in 2017.
The most important lesson I've learned is to never take anyone or anything for granted; you never know
what life will bring. The other lesson was to just enjoy the ability to take a giant step...not really knowing what is around the corner, but being open to new experiences.
I've worked at becoming organized more, especially after my husband passed away. I had literally tons of shop tools and
sporting equipment to deal with. But something I've held onto for almost 32 years now, because it has so much meaning, is the original listing for our home here and pictures that were taken after the moving company offloaded over 21,600 pounds of furniture, books, tools, etc.
Even now, every year on July 1, I take some time to reflect on how much our lives improved in many ways when we made this move and I'm thankful my husband had over 25 years to do all the things he loved in what he referred to as Paradise on Earth.
-- Becky Hurdle
