Fresh Shower

Things that went right today:

1) weight still coming off!

2) found out another niece or nephew is on the way

3) Holiday decorations in the stores...almost time for Christmas

I have a bottle of Tilex Fresh Shower in my shower. What a handy product! If you spray it around in there after you shower it fights the mold and mildew and eliminates or lessens the need to scrub the grout and ick. You still have to clean I guess, but far less often. So taking a minute to remember to do the maintenance each day means I avoid being assaulted with noxious fumes from the stronger stuff and don't have to breathe in mold spores or slip on slime? Pretty good deal and well worth the daily effort. In my old house the mold had already integrated itself so completely into the shower that it was a constant battle. I could practically kill myself cleaning it and it would be back within days. Sometimes I swear it was laughing at me. Very discouraging. So in this house I intend to not let it ever get to that point. Zap that Fresh Shower around every day and never let the mold gain a stronghold and I know I shall prevail. Take THAT mold and mildew!

I was thinking today how this same principle applies to so many areas of our lives. A little daily maintenance can help us prevent greater troubles down the road.

-Exercise...I am currently struggling with this one. I used to be in such great shape. Trim and fit. Life, a thyroid condition and childbearing (and to be honest some laziness too) had ballooned me to an unhealthy weight and I was always tired and often depressed. 6 months ago I got up off my tail and starting working out again only to discover that I was in far worse shape than I had realized and it was really really really hard to get moving again. I am improving daily and losing weight steadily, but it has been painful climbing back up the fitness mountain let me tell you. Wishing now that I had never let it go that far. If I had maintained the body that I had better with daily exercise and eating habits, I could have been healthier and more energetic all those years and would not have to be paying this price. Not that it can't be fixed. It is just much harder now. But I have learned my lesson well. Once I reach my goals I vow to keep it up. I never want to have to go through this again. Maintenance will be easier in the long run for sure.

-Housework- if you get it out, put it away...make a mess, clean it up. Just regular basic picking up after ourselves can feel tedious at times but think of what happens when we don't. Before long the clutter takes over the house and the job of cleaning it up takes more time than we have. It can easily become so overwhelming that we get discouraged and embarrassed to have people over even. So much easier to organize yourself and STAY that way. Easier said than done, but the principle remains true. Daily maintenance saves the day. As much as I don't feel like rinsing the dishes and want to dump them in the sink and go watch TV, the job of scraping the food that has hardened on there the next day is far less pleasant. May as well take a minute to run water over them today so I don't need a sandblaster tomorrow right?

-Schoolwork or office work or bills...whatever...If we take bites out of these tasks daily when they are not urgent, we can usually keep on a pretty steady schedule. Wait and you face an all nighter and shoddy work done while panicky and tired. Or worse we let people down or miss deadlines altogether. Why do we do that to ourselves?

-Relationships- taking the time to connect with someone every day, or at least regularly can keep a relationship alive and healthy. Neglecting that can leave us distant and out of touch. Often it is very hard to revive a relationship that has gone cold. If you love someone, make it a priority to maintain that relationship. Talk to them, touch them, take an interest in their lives and share your highs and lows with them too. Stay close...it is more rewarding than being together but far apart. This is worthy of every bit of energy we can put into it. What else is more important than our loved ones after all?

-Spiritual strength...daily maintenance in the form of prayer or scripture study or service or meditation can keep our spirits in tune and at peace. When we let life overtake us and these things get put on the back burner we can watch our characters erode and our countenances change. So let's put first things first shall we?

Most of us get this principle when it comes to personal hygiene because the result or damage is manifested so immediately. If we stop brushing our teeth or showering regularly or brushing our hair we feel nasty, look greasy and become distinctly less popular in crowds. So pretty much every day no matter what we take care of this essential body maintenance. Even when we are busy or tired or sick we still brush our teeth. (ok I guess not everyone does...you know who you are) In other areas of our lives the neglect is often not seen so readily or quickly though. We can dig ourselves in pretty deep before we realize it if we are not careful and diligent. Today I am grateful to Tilex for creating Fresh Shower to assist me in my war against mildew, and I am grateful that when I pick it up to spray it every day it will remind me of other areas of my life that I need to give some attention to as well.