Simplifying has been on my mind a lot lately. The fact that we have so much "STUFF" and the fact that our comfy home seems to be overrun with this "STUFF" is a little annoying to me...especially for the past few weeks. I'm kind of in a weird funk, I feel....OFF somehow, not sure how or why but I feel the need for a major change a major life (or maybe attitude) adjustment. I bought a great book on simplifying (it was for homeschooling but applies to so much more). This book truly touched me, I have this need to fill my bucket more, live life instead of "manage stuff" as a friend of mine put it. With Christmas quickly approaching my desire to buy stuff is GONE, ZILCH, DI-PLEATED, OBSOLETE, NON EXISTENT! I don't need more
Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are, going to my great grandmother's house, with her tiny kitchen with ONE drawer full of toys for us to play with. That kitchen made the BEST food (well the cook did, but it wasn't a fancy kitchen with all the gadgets and quadruple cupboard space) they had no garage yet survived, the washer had to be drug into the kitchen and hooked up to the sink (bet they didn't throw their "mom I tried it on so it's dirty right?" clothes in the hamper)! My grandma had an end table that was made from a bucket of wheat (food storage) and a glass top, covered with a table cloth and complete with a lamp. She lived SIMPLY, she was happy, she spent time cooking, canning, making things work for her, and serving others. I bet every single woman that knew my grandma had a phone call for their birthday! VERY little was EVER wasted. In fact I remember her washing the wrappers to butter so she could wrap something else in it. (I use 500 feet of plastic wrap!)
Yes some of these conveniences we have are life savers, some I would not want to do without. Like, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, my mixer, garbage disposals, etc. But something in me is dying for SIMPLE, I want to just live and not have all this stuff to wade through. I'm on a mission! My to do list on my phone (yeah not wanting to give that little puppy up!) has a new ~Simplify task on it. One that I have had on for a week and don't plan on EVER checking off. So far I've gutted my closet (got rid of things that I just don't wear and won't ever, got rid of the things that I say "one day I'll fit into it again", that one day will come but until then I'm loving this body, dressing this me and I'm perfectly okay with that!), I cleaned out a bunch of paper work in the desk. Not anything HUGE or MAJOR but it's a beginning and I won't finish til my house is "orderly" til things have a place and we can LIVE and not MANAGE (and I probably won't reach that in this lifetime haha!) Baby steps, baby steps.
My great grandma's house was probably one of my favorite places on this Earth! The feeling that was there was indescribable, my little granny had time for us, she let us cut bread, peel apples, we worked, we made memories and we did it with so much less than we have now. We did it simply, we lived, we let life get in the way and it didn't mess up our schedule or our long list of "get there, go here's".
As a homeschooling mom I know my kids need ME! With that said we let life teach us a whole lot. Yeah that unschooling stuff is REALLY rubbing off on me :) (AND I LIKE IT... Shhhh!). I need to be there to help them with their stuff (mentally there), I'm famous for saying..."just a minute" and an hour later I arrive to help them. I need to not be sorting through junk mail, or trying to find the counter, or folding MOUNDS of laundry ALL. THE. TIME. So perhaps a little scheduling and a little.....eeeekk..... going to bed ontime and waking up earlier is going to be needed. But, I really like the night owl life!!!! If we are burning the candle mine burns a HECK of a lot better at midnight than 6am! This simplifying life might have to teach me some knew habits, and break some very old ones.
Life isn't like it was back when my grandma made mush and eggs and bacon every morning, but my goal is to find that balance between the modern conveniences that make this day and age so AWESOME and the little white house that I so dearly loved! There is a balance, a middle ground of finding a place for my "stuff" (or chucking it..... hey! There's a thought!) and allowing those conveniences that truly make life easier to have a place too! So here's to Simplifying! However and whatever that may be for you ~ Simplify away!!!
:)
