simplify

I read an interesting article yesterday that really resonated with me, about simplifying your life. This is something that I've been wanting/trying to do, and not just for financial reasons. I complain that my apartment is too small, but in truth it's that I have too much stuff. I know I need to seriously edit my stuff, as my brother calls it. I have been talking about doing it for ages. The problem is, how/where to start? It's so overwhelming.

The person featured in the above article has a blog, charmingly called Rowdy Kittens, and she has lots of great tips and links to get you on the path to simplicity.

One of the things from the article that I really liked was the emphasis on experiences over possessions. Taking a vacation with your family, say, instead of buying a fancy new car/large-screen TV/etc. We (as a society) are so deeply entrenched in consumer culture that we don't even notice it anymore. I really only started noticing my own tendencies when I didn't have the cash to do it anymore. I didn't think I was that much of a shopper, and compared to most people I know (coworkers, family, neighbors) I wasn't, but I did shop more than I needed to, and bought things I didn't really need, and haven't really used.

Yes, I am sick and tired of my wardrobe, but it's rather more than an awful lot of people have, and there's nothing really wrong with it. Sure, I could use some new shoes that aren't beat up/stained/worn, but the ones I have are serviceable. And so on.

I've been doing some inner work that nicely ties in with this, I think. I've been working on forgiveness. Forgiving everyone, and I mean everyone, both past and present, for anything they've done that has hurt me in any way. That's harder than I thought it would be, especially when someone continues to hurt me after I've forgiven them. Forgiving myself is just as difficult. But I have to, in order to move on. The rut I'm in is as much my own making as not. Probably more.

So, every day I will be doing something, anything, to reduce the clutter in my life. Start small, keep at it: that's my new motto.

simplify

I read an interesting article yesterday that really resonated with me, about simplifying your life. This is something that I've been wanting/trying to do, and not just for financial reasons. I complain that my apartment is too small, but in truth it's that I have too much stuff. I know I need to seriously edit my stuff, as my brother calls it. I have been talking about doing it for ages. The problem is, how/where to start? It's so overwhelming.

The person featured in the above article has a blog, charmingly called Rowdy Kittens, and she has lots of great tips and links to get you on the path to simplicity.

One of the things from the article that I really liked was the emphasis on experiences over possessions. Taking a vacation with your family, say, instead of buying a fancy new car/large-screen TV/etc. We (as a society) are so deeply entrenched in consumer culture that we don't even notice it anymore. I really only started noticing my own tendencies when I didn't have the cash to do it anymore. I didn't think I was that much of a shopper, and compared to most people I know (coworkers, family, neighbors) I wasn't, but I did shop more than I needed to, and bought things I didn't really need, and haven't really used.

Yes, I am sick and tired of my wardrobe, but it's rather more than an awful lot of people have, and there's nothing really wrong with it. Sure, I could use some new shoes that aren't beat up/stained/worn, but the ones I have are serviceable. And so on.

I've been doing some inner work that nicely ties in with this, I think. I've been working on forgiveness. Forgiving everyone, and I mean everyone, both past and present, for anything they've done that has hurt me in any way. That's harder than I thought it would be, especially when someone continues to hurt me after I've forgiven them. Forgiving myself is just as difficult. But I have to, in order to move on. The rut I'm in is as much my own making as not. Probably more.

So, every day I will be doing something, anything, to reduce the clutter in my life. Start small, keep at it: that's my new motto.

another lost baby

feed me, please, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I came across this baby bird this afternoon, and when I bent down to take its picture, it opened its mouth expecting me to feed it. Poor little thing must have fallen out of its nest. I didn't see a nest, or any parents nearby, but there wasn't much I could do for it. I don't know what kind of bird it was, or what it eats. :(

( more )

How many lost or abandoned babies does this make now? A gosling, some bunnies, ducklings, and turtles. Well, the turtles weren't really abandoned; their mother lays the eggs and takes off. But still. Lots of baby animals this year.

I said a little prayer to Artemis, and hoped his mummy found him.

another lost baby

feed me, please, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I came across this baby bird this afternoon, and when I bent down to take its picture, it opened its mouth expecting me to feed it. Poor little thing must have fallen out of its nest. I didn't see a nest, or any parents nearby, but there wasn't much I could do for it. I don't know what kind of bird it was, or what it eats. :(

( more )

How many lost or abandoned babies does this make now? A gosling, some bunnies, ducklings, and turtles. Well, the turtles weren't really abandoned; their mother lays the eggs and takes off. But still. Lots of baby animals this year.

I said a little prayer to Artemis, and hoped his mummy found him.