Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Simple Living



Today I'm craving a little simplicity. Just a good, old-fashioned tea time with a slice of spice cake and a mug of something hot.

Sometimes it feels like living simply is an unattainable goal. I have been paring down, giving away, packing up things in the house on and off for the past couple of months. Now we are getting ready to do some room re-arranging and I feel that familiar sense of anxiousness and dread coming. Where will I put everything? Why can't our house be better organized? Why did the builder put that room there? And didn't he think we might like a closet here?

I love my house and I'm grateful for it, don't get me wrong. But sometimes it feels like a huge jigsaw puzzle to me. I have two file cabinets stashed in the closet of the exercise room, along with all our board games. The dining room closet has a big bureau in it, packed with candles and candle holders, gift wrap, and presents for upcoming holidays. The storage container stuffed under our bed has some of my old artwork in it; stuff I can't bear to throw away but don't want out on display.

No matter how well I think I de-clutter, there's always more.

Sometimes I think that this is the reason that vacations are so stress-free. You have a small bag of belongings. . . and that's it! No myriad of shoes to organize, no dozen family photo albums to find a new place for, no videos and DVDs to try to keep straight in the cabinet. Hopefully I will remember all of this the next time I'm at the store or at an online shop and see something that is just-so-great-I-have-to-have-it.

But unfortunately today there is no cake or hot mug of anything waiting for me. Just a large room with many windows which will, if all goes as planned, hold our dining room furniture, my home office, and craft/art supplies in a somewhat tidy manner by the end of this evening.

Wish me luck.

5 comments:

Montessorihomeschooling said...

I know what you mean! I have learned over the last few years that decluttering is an ongoing chore, though one I quite enjoy. The first few times I decluttered our house, I thought that was it - done. But I find that even though I make an effort not to bring new clutter into the house, regular culls are necessary.

ChicChick said...

Hi Lisia,

It's good to know that SOMEONE enjoys decluttering! Actually, I do like it, especially right after the holidays. Or I should say, I like the way things look/feel after the decluttering is done.

Anonymous said...

Ugh! I know what you mean about decluttering and re-arranging. When I was getting ready to move I unloaded so much stuff and still I have so much more. I would like to join you for a piece of spice cake (my favorite) and perhaps a cup of coffee.

flycatcherjoe said...

as far as photos & albums go, you might want to check out www.thedigitalconvert.com . they are a photo & album scanning service that helps you share old photos with scattered family members. the nice thing is they'll even do albums- you don't have to take all the pics out and destroy all your work. when you consider the expense of the scanner and the tremendous time it'll take to scan on a typical flatbed plus the time to find the right software, it just makes sense. i mean 500 pics is less than $100. albums $20-30.

once photos are in digital format, sharing is a cinch. AND THEY DON'T TAKE UP ANY SPACE. most people simply don't have the time to scan hundreds of pictures on a slow flatbed.

ChicChick said...

Thanks, Pam. I wish you could join me for a slice of cake too!

Flycatcherjoe: Neat idea--not in my budget right now, but it sounds cool.