The Great Wind Up

I don’t know about you, but traveling is always a bit stressful for me. Not so much, the actual going and doing, but the pre-travel hoopla and the returning home re-set. Stressful is probably not the exact word to describe how I feel but certainly a sense of anxiety surrounds the whole about-to-leave-home event. Probably because I’m the planner in my traveling group. Plans don’t just happen people. They develop. And that takes time.

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It’s Not Exactly How I Imagined It

We are going into our seventh year of inn ownership. That’s right, this week concludes the sixth year since we purchased the inn and moved to Vicksburg. A couple of weeks ago I blogged about my obsessive planning and having failsafes for the unexpected things that arise. I’m really at a loss without my lists. Well, even with a plan and lost of lists, things don’t always go according to plan.

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My Plan To Plan Has Failed the Planning Phase

If you’re like me, you’re a planner. I like things to be organized. I like lists. I organize my lists. I plan my time to make my lists. It’s a vicious cycle. But, it’s a necessary step for me. Lists keep me on task and provide a sense of accomplishment when I cross things off the list. I like to cross things off the list.

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Add That To The List

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

I’m a list maker. It serves two purposes: It helps me remember all of the very important things I must do, and it makes me feel accomplished when I check things off. I usually have multiple lists going at once. Some things need to be done but not necessarily right away. But, I don’t want to forget to do them either. Thus, the list. Sometimes I find it necessary to prioritize my lists.

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Counting The Days

We’ve probably all heard the expression, “Don’t count days, make the days count.” Well, I believe that’s a good motto. It reminds us to be thankful every single day for all of the blessings that happen around us, most of which, sadly, we don’t even pay attention to.

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Improvisation – It’s What’s For Dinner.

Improvisation: noun: the art or act of improvising, or of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation. (Musical improvisation involves imagination and creativity.)

So, we got through our very first Detective’s Comedy Mystery Dinner event a couple of weeks ago and let’s just say, it wasn’t without a good bit of improvisation. And, I’m not talking about just the actors either; I’m talking about the whole event.

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The Best Laid Plans Of An Innkeeper

Things are hopping here at the inn and I’m not just saying that because Easter’s right around the corner. And, I am in no way complaining. Keep them phones a ringin’ and keep them doors opening.

Since we’ve been here, my husband and I have developed somewhat of a routine that seems to be working. At least we’re not tripping over each other as often as we were. We’re able to work as a team to get done what needs to get done.

 

But the other stuff, the other important stuff, like writing, often falls by the wayside when days go sideways, which happens quite often. I’ve tried really hard of late to make writing a priority and to sit down at my computer every single day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Every minute puts me closer to the end of the project.

However, I don’t do well in the writing arena when I’m interrupted. I’m interrupted quite a lot these days, which makes for some frustrating writing sessions. Most times the interruptions are in the form of inn related stuff, which makes them a priority. When the phone rings, you have to answer it or you risk losing income. That can’t happen. When guests are in the house, they often wander and wandering brings them into my office, which doubles as the gift shop. I want them to browse the gift shop, so . . . I deal with the interruption.

Yes, I know I can take my writing elsewhere, but it’s not always a good thing to leave the house empty. I don’t want guests to wander that much. If they want ice, I need to get them ice, since the kitchen is an “off limits” area here. If they need extra towels, I need to get them extra towels because the laundry area is another “off limits” area. And the list goes on. I’m working on finding a different set-up for my writing, but I love my office and I have it all set up the way I like it and I’m comfortable.

Let’s just say, I’m still making forward progress on my book, but it requires a good deal more patience then I’m used to.

I’ve also had to hone my flexibility skills as an innkeeper. Stuff happens. Things change from hour to hour, schedules are only suggestions at this point. As long as it all comes together at the necessary time, that’s what’s important. It can be challenging though.

For example, yesterday morning I planned on serving breakfast for 2 this morning. I shopped and planned my menu accordingly. By 8:00 last night, I needed to completely throw that plan out the window because I now had 11 for breakfast.

We also planned on moving some furniture around and doing some painting yesterday afternoon, but at 10:00 the phone rang and someone wanted a house tour. So much for painting yesterday. And I had prepared to serve appetizers for one couple during social hour; turns out the folks who originally said they’d be arriving late, arrived right at 5:00 when social hour started. Back to the kitchen I scampered, threw on my apron and whipped up another batch of goodies.

And then I forgot about the napkins. I had about a dozen clean ironed ones left in the drawer. Do I have enough for these extra people or will I now have to do laundry. And, ooops, I didn’t run the dishwasher yesterday because there was still room in it for today’s breakfast dishes, too. Well, that was when I was only serving 2. With these added folks, there is now not enough room in the dishwasher for all of the breakfast dishes. And the list goes on.

It’s fun to be hopping around like the energizer bunny on steroids, but it requires a lot of patience and sometimes creativity. I only wish I could harness that energy and creativity for those quiet moments when I sit down to write and my brain shuts off.

Oh well, another opportunity to be flexible and switch gears. It’s a rewarding challenge.

What do you all do when plans unexpectedly change? Are you prepared to handle last minute switch-ups? Are you good and dealing with interruptions?

Word of the day: Epilimnion

Fun fact about me: I’m a much better cook than I ever thought I was.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, March 2016. Photos courtesy Google Images.

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