Words About Living Lean

Over three months it's been since I've blogged. I'm sure I've lost the small handful of occasional visitors, but c'est la vie! In that time I've married off my daughter, started a new year at school, had the first Christmas alone with just my husband in 24 years, had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. So, yeah, I've been a little distracted.

But I miss blogging and taking photos and boring my little band of readers with whatever comes into my convoluted mind. So, I hope I can get back into the semi-regular habit that I had developed before.

My first incursion back onto the blogging scene will be for my friend Brittany. She asked me to come over and help her have a "clear out" as the British would say. I told her that I would, but did she want to have a clear out? She said, "No." So, I said, "Then there's no point in coming over, we would just argue." She said she wished she could get to the point where she wanted to.

So, Brittany, the following are some thoughts and quotes that have shaped me into a "thrower outer" instead of a "keeper." Maybe they will inspire you to have a clear out.

1. Tornado Threat - In the Spring, when tornadoes are common in our area, and I see the news reports I am always in shock at all the junk that is thrown all over the yard. Even if I shove something to the back of the closet I think: if we have a tornado, it's going to be thrown onto the front lawn and somebody's going to have to pick it up. I get unnerved thinking about all my junk all wet and strewn on the front lawn. So, I try to keep things trim so I won't have so much to pick up in case of tornado.

2. Resentment & Guilt- I have never liked housework. I have always felt that it was an activity that sucked up way too much of my time and effort. But I always felt guilty if my house was filthy. So, I was always on the lookout for ways to streamline, make easy and/or eliminate the job of housekeeping. After reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau, I became interested in a more simple way of life, a living with less. A favorite quote:  "I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still, and threw them out the window in disgust." There are more important things to do in life besides dusting and vacuuming and moving our junk from one place to another.

3. Selfishness - I have always felt a pang of selfishness when I just keep things and they are not in useful employment or not out to be enjoyed. To have a beautiful thing in the back of a drawer is a waste of beauty. Let someone else enjoy it!! My sister told me once, "You don't have to own a thing to enjoy it." To keep something and not use it, keeps someone else from the benefit of that thing. Let them use it!!

4. Can it fit on the back of a camel? -  "He said that it would be a nightmare for him to own more than he could fit on the back of his camel, thus inhibiting him from the nomadic life that he loved." You have to read the whole article to understand what I mean. http://amomknowsbest.com/2011/05/can-it-fit-on-the-back-of-a-camel/ Does our junk keep us from the life we want?

5. Everything has a place and every place has a thing - and when a thing doesn't have a place, it goes away to find a place somewhere else.

6. To me clutter = work (dusting, cleaning, sorting) and I don't like to work at home. I like to rest and be at peace at home. So, I want the clutter gone!

7. A monkish life appeals to me - to be unencumbered by stuff frees us up to think more, pray more, study more, worship more, do more, breathe more.

On The Other Hand....

There are reasons to keep things:
1. You have kids and you will pass the things down to the next one.
2. You are involved in a situation where you often have people in your life in need so you can share with them.
3. You are passing down family heirlooms and such.
4. You have a good reason to keep it.
5. It has a place in your home and you love looking at it and it's in a place where you can see it and/or use it.

Stagnant water stinks! To me, money, things, love, breath, water needs to be taken in and then it needs to flow back out. If it doesn't flow back out it gets stagnant and rots.

These are just my thoughts on the subject. And I know everyone is different. So, maybe it's inspired you, maybe it just made you mad. From what I've said, take what you can use and throw the rest away. Haha, that's a start!