Do you have a mission statement? What is it?
I dusted today, definitely not a mission, but certainly an event. I find if you try and find the silver lining of the most mundane tasks it makes them livable, if not lovable, and when dusting I take the opportunity to do a couple of things.
Firstly I spare a thought for the people in the photos, after a swish of the duster I can see them again, and send love and kisses over the airwaves, especially when I see the photo of my grandma (who died a few years ago) holding my daughter as a baby. I have a silent chat with her, telling her how we're getting on. Then I move on to the others, a smile here, a remembered joke there.
After a good squirt of polish so everyone can smell the house has been cleaned I give a wipe to this card you can see above. I came across it a few years ago, at the British Museum if I remember rightly.
In case you can't read it clearly, here it is:
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
It's by Ralph Emerson, and for me it just sums it up right, not too ambitious, not showy-offy, not cloying.
It's my mission statement and what I work towards whenever possible. I'd really love to hear about yours.
