Simplifying Life

Becky_2

Hi fozz!

Thanks for your 12 tips for having less chaos at home.

A few years ago I set up a lever arch where I store all instruction books with item numbers and insurance details together with various bank statements. Then I have a different folder with an index for all bills. Then I have a third folder where I store all articles I find which I find useful, it's easier to find the information this way rather than keeping them in a pile on the floor which I used to do.

All the best to you.

Becky

ceridwen

...and - to give everyone an added incentive to be decluttered and organised...because it sure helps when a "bad patch" strikes in life.

Right now I'm thinking - "why on earth are all these teensy little hassle things happening right now - when I have a lot on my plate anyway and I could certainly do without them?". Just a combination of teensy bits all happening at once - pick up a phone in my home to answer it and it breaks in my hand/kitchen sink clogs/bathroom sink clogs/other stuff I wont go into and just now my father has left my house and went to get into his car and there was a "fixed penalty" notice fine attached to his car (after all these years living here - what the heck? ) - so obviously I am going to have to pay that fine if it comes to it (as he was visiting me).

I'm now sitting here telling myself that I have to make sure at all times that I am bang on top of things and keeping up the house maintenance bits at all times - then some of these teensy hassles wouldnt have happened right now when I am trying to deal with "bigger" stuff. Note to self - make sure of this in future. I dont understand why some sort of S....'s Law is happening right now on these teensy bits....but keeping well on top in future will help mitigate if it comes up again.

With my mother I get a bit "why do you have to do whatever-it-is right this second literally?" - but I do understand why at some level she is like this....I guess partly its her way of coping with the steadily-increasing illness level my father has been experiencing over the last (far too many) years - and I guess this is where I think "it could be worth taking a leaf out of her book".

So - I guess thats the thought for the day - keep well on top of the minutiae of everyday existence - because if/when the Big Problem/Upset Stuff comes along (as, unfortunately, it tends to do somewhere along the line in the lives of most of us) - then it helps avoid that situation of loads of things to cope with at once.

mary43

groatie queen - thankyou so much for your kind words.

becky 2 - I'll get that magazine on order.......don't think newsagent will have in stock -not a big enough town.

fozz - thanks for the list.............printing that out and keeping it to hand - think I'll start a ring binder off with all these little bits in..............lol

I used to work on the principle that I was a slob of a person and if someone called unexpectedly I'd whip out a couple of tins of paint and stand them on the work surface.........then it would look as if I was half way through or about to start decorating and no-one would expect the house to be anything like tidy..............lol

My Mum was always very organised with her paperwork and getting things fixed the minute they went wrong. When she was taken ill so suddenly it make things so much easier for us to find paperwork that was needed, clean nighties etc. Mum was always on top of things like washing and ironing.
I think a lot of it came from just after the war when she had to work, run the house and bring up me and bruv..........she had to be organised to fit everything in and it stuck. Dad was just the opposite..........so I blame him for what I'm like.............lol, especially the hoarding.......he was a great one for that. Even I was shocked by the state of the garage when we cleared it prior to selling the house. Dad would never take something to the tip and not bring something back that he thought might be useful.............lol
Our paperwork is all in the filing cabinet but I doubt OH would know where abouts to look if ever I was taken ill.................bet he hasn't a clue what insurance policies we've got.............lol
I always said I'd get a telephone index book and write down what was where - Insurance policies under I - top drawer of filing cabinet - that sort of thing.
Ought to do the same really for 'stuff' of dads and OH's so if anything happened to both of us my kids would have an idea of where to look for bits and pieces and what was important or valuable. I have done that with a few pieces in Mums china cabinet.........tea set from Great Aunt Annie, Dads first curl, stuff like that but there are loads of other bits all neatly stashed away that they wouldn't have a clue about what they ought to do aout.

Nice thought for the day that ceridwen - must try and stick with that.

Confession time though - had every intention of chucking out all the stuff lurking in my laundry basket in the bedroom and sort of forgot......... Very remiss of me I know but then I got bogged down with making easter card for grandson.........and, well you know how it goes..........no excuse but I have promised myself that tomorrow the kitchen gets a good sort out.........new dresser now provides a home for grandads old wine jars, so I'll start there, scrub pine kitchen table and clear debris from that (worst hot spot ever!) Weather forecast is dreadful for tomorrow and Tuesday so I won't be doing much else so there's no excuse.:j

mary43

A friend of mine found this and I thought it was oh so true - just had to add it:

Let Go
Just as the bird has to find the courage to let go of the branch in order to fly, so we also must let go of our branches if we are to know the exhilaration of soaring to the highest potential of our life. The branches we hold to are our inner attachments - our beliefs, ideas and memories. And then there are the outer attachments - people, possessions, positions and privileges are a few. But as long as we hold on to them we will live in fear (of letting go and loss) and we will never be free. And just watch those birds, by letting go of one branch they are able to spend the rest of their life alighting on a million other branches, and they enjoy the view from each. Are you flying and soaring in your life, or are you stuck on one branch, cursing others as they fly past. Go on, try it ...let go!

groatie_queen

That's lovely Mary, thank you. I suppose it's better to branch out than to fall off your perch! I love the idea of enjoying the view from lots of other trees.

Following on from a week which has brought its share of sadnesses and concerns, here is the longer version of the Deep Peace blessing to soothe and refresh us all:

Deep peace I breathe into you, O weariness, here:
O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to You;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to You;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace from the Son of Peace to you,
Deep peace from the heart of Mary to you,
And from Bridget of the Mantle
Deep peace, deep peace!
And with the kindness too of the Haughty Father
Peace!
In the name of the Three who are One,
Peace!
And by the will of the King of the Elements,
Peace! Peace!

the dominion of dreams : under a dark star - fiona macleod - 1895

ceridwen

Good morning all

Quick thought - as I had a P.M. from a "virtual friend" who worried that they might have offended me previously about what my beliefs are....and theres others who have said the same to me and might also be worried...
DONT BE! I'm not offended in the slightest ...thought hadnt crossed my mind....and there is an element from many faiths in my thinking.....so DONT WORRY! There are very wide boundaries inside "my doors" in that respect:D

moanymoany

At the moment our house is on the market - only 10 days - but if we don't sell we won't be able to retire to where we would like to be and dh has said in that case he would stay at work for another year. Fortunately he has a job he enjoys and has done for the past 30 years.

The house is 'staged' for selling and it is difficult to start to 'do' anything - in case someone wants to view. I am going to make bread this afternoon while the Columbo I recorded plays in the background.

While I feel so stressed I forget how lucky I am and I forget that I should be thankful. I was at a seminar once when the guy said that every night you should think of those things that you have to be thankful for. My list is so long - made longer by my 'virtual friends' I'm thankful to say. But I get pathetically self-pitying and only think of those things giving me stress - my mother and step-father and the sale of the house.

I need putting in a bag and shaking up - :rolleyes:

JoJoB

Hello moany, it's difficult being in limbo isn't it? You just want to be getting on and living the life you want to live but bureacratic nonsense is in the way. I too am trying to sell. My big plan was to have sold by the time baby comes and us be in a new place by the beach for the summer. Of course the market is down in the dumps and we haven't sold yet and baby will be here in 5/6 weeks so my plans are down the swanny!

You're right - it does help to pause and be thankful for what the situation actually is rather than how we want it to be. When I get wound up about the flat sale and the fact i will be skint until it is sold i give my bump a little pat to remind myself of what is really going to make me happy in the long run. Life is going to be full of these irritating little setbacks and developing perspective is all-important! A great Buddhist way of looking at lifes little frustrations is to view them as an opportunity to develop our higher human functions - eg patience or compassion. I am certainly improving my patience at the moment - thankyou Buddha for providing me with this opportunity to do so lol.

moanymoany

JoJoB wrote: »

Hello moany, it's difficult being in limbo isn't it? You just want to be getting on and living the life you want to live but bureacratic nonsense is in the way. I too am trying to sell. My big plan was to have sold by the time baby comes and us be in a new place by the beach for the summer. Of course the market is down in the dumps and we haven't sold yet and baby will be here in 5/6 weeks so my plans are down the swanny!

You're right - it does help to pause and be thankful for what the situation actually is rather than how we want it to be. When I get wound up about the flat sale and the fact i will be skint until it is sold i give my bump a little pat to remind myself of what is really going to make me happy in the long run. Life is going to be full of these irritating little setbacks and developing perspective is all-important! A great Buddhist way of looking at lifes little frustrations is to view them as an opportunity to develop our higher human functions - eg patience or compassion. I am certainly improving my patience at the moment - thankyou Buddha for providing me with this opportunity to do so lol.

JoJoB what a little sweetie you are, you made me smile.

Add my thanks to yours - thank you Buddha !

mary43

goatie queen - thankyou for the lovely verse............another one to print out and put in my pile of 'thoughts' that I know will end up in a ring binder all their own to be looked at and reflected on regularly.

ceridwen - thankyou for the lovely link............good way to start the day.

moanymoany - I wish you luck with your house sale. It's awful waiting and wondering like that.

While I feel so stressed I forget how lucky I am and I forget that I should be thankful. I was at a seminar once when the guy said that every night you should think of those things that you have to be thankful for. My list is so long - made longer by my 'virtual friends' I'm thankful to say. But I get pathetically self-pitying and only think of those things giving me stress - my mother and step-father and the sale of the house.

I try and do that myself on a daily basis.......be thankful that I'm still on this earth is the first one, the rest follow on from that. But I know how difficult it can be to be thankful for anything when life has dealt a cruel blow or things just aren't going the way we feel they ought to. The 'woe is me' feeling can creep in oh so easily.
One way to keep feeling positive (well for me anyway) is to drag out a few letters from friends that make me laugh -I've a few friends who write such funny ones - my baby grandsons photo is near my desk so whatever I do I can see him and his little eyes seem to follow me..............if I feel the house is getting on top of me I try and feel thankful that I've got a house in a world where so many haven't. Despite doing this it doesnt always stop the dark cloud hanging over my head............all the photos in the world won't make a big enough umbrella to stop it raining on me (if you know what I mean)

JoJoB is so right about the way to view things..........really uplifting. Thanks for that JoJoB and I wish you luck with your flat sale.