Hurry Hurry Monster

Cute Monster by Sweet Poppy Cat

Yesterday I dropped in to Elinda's place, just down the road from Gardenfarm. Elinda is an artist, she is always making something. She'd baked a lovely cake in preparation, a treat for me and a welcome to country for our new French intern who I'd just picked up. We scooped cream from a huge bowl, slathered it on. When we packed up to go visit the chickens, lovely Elinda tried to push the whole bowl into the fridge. There was clearly no room. There was even scrawl on the door in red marker pen 'Inspire yourself to declutter the fridge', which she she had been ignoring for a few weeks now.

'Elinda, lets put it in a Tupperware'

'No, it will fit. I just want to go show you the chickens'.

Thats when I introduced her to the Hurry Hurry Monster.

'Elinda, you don't have a fridge problem, you have a Hurry Hurry Monster problem". Everyone has an inner Hurry Hurry Monster. Some people's monster is shy and squeaky. Elinda's seems to have the same as me: a Magnificent Hurry Hurry Monster that has won the role of Prime Minister of all our other inner monsters and angels, the conflicting impulses that decide our actions. Our Hurry Hurry monsters got their position of power by cutting all the corners of boring things, like accounting and fridge cleaning, and bribes us with big tracts of leisurely time, for fun and painting and Permaculture and being creative.

For much of our life we hide his failures and the costs of rushing so there isn't a rebellion. But now we are old and strong and have had enough creative victories to go and give dear old Hurry Hurry monster a proper performance review.

We have to pay so much interest on the time he saved for us. Shoving things into the fridge costs so much in unfindable food, just for starters. It demotivates the cooks, makes us worn out by dinner time, and then everything goes downhill. There is no need to fight the Hurry Hurry monster. He loves us. When he is tempting me with cheap wins, I've learned to engage with him like this. 'Thank-you for your offer of rushing this, and trying to look after me. You can go have a nap, I'll be brave and take over, I'll be boss lady of my energies for now'.

Elinda is a master of turning salvaged things into beautiful artworks. I have no doubt she could open the fridge one day and have it looking like a painting.

There is no such thing as a messy person. I know this from experience. There are just people with dominant Hurry Hurry monsters.

They learn and change and so do you.