Lately I've been involved in a number of conversations about simplifying our lives. When I mention that I've been trying to lessen the stuff I buy, everyone looks with that same longing look of "oh, I wish I had less stuff."
Now this may be a function of my age and who I know but I think it has more to do with a desire to connect with what matters to each of us. And for so many, all the stuff just gets in the way of that.
We are overloaded with clothes, books, technology and in my case, yarn.
Sometimes all the things that surround me can make me feel safe. And often times all the things around me can make me feel stuck. It's a fine line. But what I know for sure is that none of the stuff actually does make me safe, the only thing that makes me safe is my thought of being safe.
Some of my home simplification steps are:
1. Keep a paper handled bag in my office to put books in when I look through my shelves. If I don't use the book, it's time for it to go.
2. There's a space in my closet, on the floor, where I pile up clothes that I no longer wear. At least once a quarter I bag them up and take them to the Howard Brown or Salvation Army Resale stores in my neighborhood.
3. I try to use up the food in my house.
4. I clean my closets once a quarter and my drawers twice a year.
I remind myself that
a. If I am holding on to something I don't use, I'm keeping someone else from it.
b. More choices do not always add anything to my energy or my life.
c. It's ok to like oatmeal for breakfast everyday.
With each new simplification step, I feel my energy grow. There's nothing like lightening up.
Now this may be a function of my age and who I know but I think it has more to do with a desire to connect with what matters to each of us. And for so many, all the stuff just gets in the way of that.
We are overloaded with clothes, books, technology and in my case, yarn.
Sometimes all the things that surround me can make me feel safe. And often times all the things around me can make me feel stuck. It's a fine line. But what I know for sure is that none of the stuff actually does make me safe, the only thing that makes me safe is my thought of being safe.
Some of my home simplification steps are:
1. Keep a paper handled bag in my office to put books in when I look through my shelves. If I don't use the book, it's time for it to go.
2. There's a space in my closet, on the floor, where I pile up clothes that I no longer wear. At least once a quarter I bag them up and take them to the Howard Brown or Salvation Army Resale stores in my neighborhood.
3. I try to use up the food in my house.
4. I clean my closets once a quarter and my drawers twice a year.
I remind myself that
a. If I am holding on to something I don't use, I'm keeping someone else from it.
b. More choices do not always add anything to my energy or my life.
c. It's ok to like oatmeal for breakfast everyday.
With each new simplification step, I feel my energy grow. There's nothing like lightening up.
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