I woke up late this morning, after a very peaceful night's sleep. I read and meditated for about half an hour and when I came downstairs I began my task of filing and then dong some cleaning and I realized that sometimes it is the simple tasks that can be the most important in clearing my mind to be able to take on more difficult tasks later. By clearing my “working space” I also clear the working space in my mind.
I have been learning a lot recently about minimalism, appreciating simple things in life and I recognize that I have too much stuff. I also realized that my “stuff”, the things “living” in my house are the things that are often in control of what I do. The things constantly need to be moved, looked after, and they take up space. Now some of these things may be important, but I recently cleaned out my pantry and at the back I found cake mixes that were several years outdated. If I hadn”t had so much “stuff” in my pantry, I would have noticed that sooner.
I also have too much food in my freezer. I live alone, so I don't really need to have a big freezer anymore, but since I do I often will buy things to put in it. The problem is, if I don't eat it soon enough it gets freezer burn and is then wasted. So who is in control?…..my stuff.
I retired from my day job almost 5 years ago and brought home boxes of papers and books from my 25 years of career counseling. My thought was that I would use this “stuff” as I continued to work in the field part-time from my home. I have not yet opened some of the boxes. They are sitting upstairs in one of the bedrooms just taking up space. So who is in control?….again my stuff.
My kitchen table is a “catch-all” for all kinds of papers, pens,, pencils and more, and this is where I work. Is it any wonder that sometimes I feel scattered? I think it is time that I begin to control my life instead of being controlled. I will begin today to spend a minimum of 15 minutes per day cleaning some aspect of my world. This may involve giving away books (gasp, the horror, but am I really going to read them all?) or perhaps some of my material (but really, I am going to quilt some day……..) or even some of my yarn? I have a whole container of knitted scarfs and toques to give to someone or some group. Yes, today is the day I take control. How about you?
To your success – BANABU
Fran