| View Blog
|
|
|
It has been quite some time since I last blogged. As I've stated before, I only blog when I feel inspired to do so. In the time since my last blog, my life has been busy, but very fulfilling. I did the long-term sub job, and enjoyed every single minute of it. This was probably the deciding factor in applying for a new position opening in September. My interview is next Friday. I'm fine with whatever happens. I have learned not to question why things don't always go the way you may think they're supposed to go. It's just life's way of keeping you on the right path.
I've also been reading some interesting books on simplicity. For those of you who don't know what simplicity means, it basically is getting rid of the unessential "clutter" in our lives so that we can live the way we want to live. Many people think that simplicity is about deprivation and living the life of a pauper. And in some cases, people make the choice to be frugal: sometimes because it's the only way they can live the way they want to; and others still choose this for environmental reasons. They feel it's a huge waste of resources to posess more than they need in order to survive. When I say clutter, I mean material, emotional, and mental clutter. Having a lot of "stuff" means more things to clean, maintain, and pay for. Having a job that isn't rewarding and that you hate comes with a lot of mental clutter. Much energy is expended when you work every day at a job that you hate. Whether that means a long commute, a high-stress environment, or not having a passion for what you do every day. Emotional clutter can exist due to a strained relationship or not dealing and coming to terms with a tramatic event. Choosing to live simply means getting rid of the clutter so that there is nothing standing in the way of "living".
I have started the process of decluttering our house. I have worked at this at different times in the past few years: the first time once we got past the "baby" stage; other times when we had garage sales; and yet again when I just couldn't stand to look at it all anymore! LOL! The area that has really been neglected is our master bedroom/bathroom. Walking into my closet the last few months causes me to moan and roll my eyes. After reading a couple of books on simplicity, I was finally ready to declutter. So I started yesterday and cleaned out my nightstand and dresser. Ironically, I had just gone through my clothes a few months ago and THOUGHT I had done a good job. Needless to say, I have another 2 bags ready to go to the Salvation Army! I also have a pile of other things: picture frames, purses, duffle bags (just how many duffle bags does a person need?), decorative items, and such. I pulled things off the shelf and realized I still had my wedding shoes!!! WHY?? Did I expect to wear them again? No, I think I just had sentimental attachment to them, so I couldn't get rid of them before. Now they are in my "donate" pile. I also pulled a couple of boxes of keepsakes down and went through the contents of those. I still had my high school sweetheart's senior picture, along with every card he ever gave me. I kept a couple of cards, and threw away the rest. I still had every Mother's Day, Christmas, and birthday card given to me by every friend, relative, sorority sister, aunt, cousin, and boyfriend I've had in the past 20 years. Again: I had to ask, WHY?? I have a lot of stuff that went into the garbage pile. I also have a small pile of recycleables. I even had the small wine bottle that my hubby and I drank in our honeymoon suite!
I had a long talk with my aunt, who is more like my sister and only 11 years older, and we agreed that decluttering is a very surreal experience. The things that we hang onto our a culmination of memories and events of times past. We can't bare to part with them because we attach feelings to them. They sit in a box in a corner someplace and collect dust for years. The boxes keep getting bigger, and there are more of them over time. Finally, we grow tired of looking at them. We pull the boxes out of the corner and open them up. We spend hours looking at things that we've kept, shed a few tears, and then we get rid of them. It's like we're attempting to hang on to things thinking that it would be a shame to get rid of them because the person would be offended; or somehow it would be bad because it would mean it wasn't meaningful. When you really think about it, it's pretty silly because the memories are alive and well and at our disposal whenever we wish: in our hearts and minds. I was successful in condensing 2 boxes down to 1. Who knows? Maybe in the future, my box will get smaller. I'm pretty much done with one side of the closet, but I still have to see what's in the 2 boxes on my hubby's side! I honestly have no idea what's in them. I'm hoping to finish the closet tomorrow.
In one of the books, it suggested going through all your momentos and meaningful possessions. If you were to have to evacuate your home and had 5 minutes to get out, what would you absolutely HAVE to take with you? It says THAT'S the amount of momentos you should have. The rest of it you may feel sad about losing, but you'd get over it.
My goal is to keep my wardrobe functional, but simple. A designer-names girl I am NOT, but I do shop at "decent" retail stores. I need a work wardrobe, but as a teacher I don't have to dress up in dresses and heals every day. I strive for comfort when I'm teaching, so my basic attire is a pair of nice Docker's or dress pants, a pair of comfy shoes (not sneakers), a blouse or sweater, and maybe a blazer, depending on the season. I think 4 pairs of pants in neutral colors and a couple of skirts; a couple of dressy blouses or tops in different FLATTERING TO ME colors; 3 sweaters; and a couple of blazers is sufficient. 2 pairs of shoes is probably enough. I also have a casual wardrobe which consists of 2 pairs of jeans (1 everyday and 1 trouser); about 3 t-shirts in FLATTERING colors; 3 pairs of capris; a pair of sneakers; and a pair of comfy shoes. Because I live in the northeast, we have 4 seasons, but my summer wardrobe is very similar except that I have 3 pairs of bermuda shorts in neutral colors, a pair of skorts, and a sundress. I own about 4 pairs of sandles/flipflops. Even looking at this list makes me think that's a lot. Maybe there will be a point when it's too much. Obviously, I haven't included PJ's, bras, walking clothes, or my running shoes. But even so, I have scaled-down considerably from what I had before. I have recently made a committment to only buy clothes I love and that flatter me. I would rather spend full price for something that looks good on me than buy something on sale that doesn't.
I am planning on going through my entire house this way. I'm taking no prisoners. My husband and I have had a kitchen space issue for quite some time. What is the solution to this problem? Is it to put in a shelving unit to accomodate all the stuff? Or, is it scale down on what we have? I think it's the latter.
I would like to get to a point where all unnecessary "stuff" is cleared out of our home. I can feel myself getting lighter already!
|
|
Posted by tootie33 on 2008-06-04 20:06:15 | Rating: | Views: 42
|
| |
|
|
