Simplifying Life

mary43

My 'simplyfying' today has nothing to do with any decluttering in the house - just me taking a day for myself and give 'me' a chance to be normal (well, normal as possible.............lol)
Yesterday was so stressful it fair wore me out to the point where I overslept this morning............hate getting up like that in a rush.
So while OH has gone to get the weekly shop I'm having some 'me' time and doing what I want as opposed to what I really should do.
None of the things on my little timetable are going anywhere..........the clutter will still be in my bedroom waiting for me another day when I just might feel more able to tackle it and actually enjoy it.:j

chunksmum

hi there, just want to let everyone know i got my book today and its a great feeling knowing theres still nice unselfish people about. thanks jamiedodger:beer: :A

JAMIEDODGER wrote: »

hi guys, i have three 'simplicity' books i have finished reading and i wondered if anyone wanted them

i have:

voluntary simplicity by duane elgin

timeless simplicity by john lane

affluenza by john de graff


i am happy to post to whoever PM's me first, you dont have to have all three just pm me the one you want (if any lol)

jamie

Topher

I've been tracking this thread on and off now. I'd like to thank you for what it has done for me. Apart from some monster visits (with car boots full) to the charity shop, in my bid to de-clutter, I've realised a few things as I've thought about other people's experiences and ideas.
One of these, that I'd like to share (if you don't mind) is that I spend a lot of time and energy trying to create some image I have of a perfect life. This isn't a very clear image, so I'm very susceptable to suggestions for purchasing "life enhancing" stuff. What I don't manage to do is spare a lot of time for living this life. I don't manage to sit down, in front of the coal fire, on my 1930's suite, drinking a slow cup of tea from the 1940's china, made from Twinings tea leaves in the earthenware pot. I have all the props, I'm just usually too busy out of the house buying more props, or thinking and planning.
A key skill for me would be to stop, and enjoy what is already accumulated, and darn well use it! Knit with the wool and needles collection, make the Christmas baskets out of the saved Christmas cards, bake and serve the food made from the collection of recipe books, and the well stocked cupboards.
Thanks to this thread I have started to do so, (but it takes practice not to slip back) and my shopping is now simplified to the local farm shop, the W.I. market, and the nearest supermarket which is a small Co-op. I'm a long term member of the Co-op after researching its ethics etc, yet still scour Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons for what I might be missing out on. A trip to the Co-op is less than 1 hour door to door, any of the others take around two. Simplified shopping is quicker and cheaper, and supports local.
As you can see from the mentions of the type of "stuff" I buy, I'm not particularly a BIG spender, but it all still amounts to props for a lifestyle I admire (crafty housewife) but don't pursue. I NEED less choice, and I NEED to start to live NOW!

I'm not sure this explains things very well but I wanted to try out some of my thoughts here. Sorry for rambling.
Topher

Ellidee

:T Topher I feel as though I could have written most of what you posted above . I am always striving to live life a certain way but it's always somewhere in the future and never in the NOW if you know what I mean. Thank you for articulating so well something that I need to get to grips with and also for the reassurance that other people are the same.

mary43

Topher you've said it all ! I can spend a lot of time thinking about what I should or should not be doing, making, etc. leaving no time for either doing what I want or simply doing nothing except curling up with a good book and enjoying 'time'.
I've had a traumatic week this week with one of the boys I have so today has been very much a 'me' day to do what I want to do................phone a friend, write a letter, update my list of stuff to do that I've actually done to give me a bit of that 'achievement' feeling. Haven't done much but as long as I've got a few ticks thats ok by me.

Quality of life is something we can quickly lose sight of in a bid to find a way of getting that quality that is right under our noses.............we just need to open our eyes now and then and it's there.

Thankyou for such a splendid post:j

Ellidee

mary43 that's a good idea about updating your 'to do' list. It's so easy to focus too much on what still needs doing and not enough on what we have achieved.

chalky_75

Topher -- I read these threads and agree with most but yours I agree with totally . Life is not at the end of the rainbow it is in the journey,

ceridwen

mary43 wrote: »

My 'simplyfying' today has nothing to do with any decluttering in the house - just me taking a day for myself and give 'me' a chance to be normal (well, normal as possible.............lol)
Yesterday was so stressful it fair wore me out to the point where I overslept this morning............hate getting up like that in a rush.
So while OH has gone to get the weekly shop I'm having some 'me' time and doing what I want as opposed to what I really should do.
None of the things on my little timetable are going anywhere..........the clutter will still be in my bedroom waiting for me another day when I just might feel more able to tackle it and actually enjoy it.:j

You'll get there Mary...dont stress yourself. I noted the comment earlier in the thread that you are obviously a "giver" and that is the impression I have of you as well. So - to use another favourite phrase of mine "dont beat yourself up".

mary43

I was talking to OH about this today and he said we must say 'no' to some of the kids when they leave and come back for help but he knows as well as I do that its not in our nature to do that and we'd feel even worse if we sent them away.
What we do have to do is prioritise things a bit more I think and give where it's needed most and will be beneficial. We try to teach the kids how to help themselves before they leave us but its a cruel world out there and when they get 'knocked' it hits them hard.
On the plus side, the ones we've helped also help us..............one does a bit of gardening if I ask him and when he just popped up to visit he got the hoover out and did that for me. A girl we had will always be there like a daughter I never had.............on fact she's got her own key. And they''re not the only ones...............it makes the job so much more worthwhile.
And you're right.................memo to self 'don't beat yourself up' and I won't.

I will persevere with the household de-cluttering, albeit it slow and make it a pleasure, not a chore that way its something to actually look forward to doing. How long has it been since I went through my old jewellry box and rifled through the tin of silly badges that were once all the rage ? It'll be a trip down memory land in many ways .......:j

Charis

I got my first organic veggie box delivered today. It's such a nice thought that the potatoes were probably grown in a field I can just about see from my window. However organic veg is not cheap and when the trimmings from the cauliflower amounted to about twice as much as the edible part, I thought 'I'm not wasting that!' . I also trimmed the outer leaves from the savoy cabbage and chopped everything up finely. I used the (free range chicken) stock I had made and frozen last week, inspired by an earlier post on here, and made a vegetable soup with other odds and ends an a couple of onions. Roughly blended, with some bits left in it, it was the most delicious soup I have ever tasted. I don't fancy the stored tins of you-know-wHo's cream of tomato soup now. Oh, and the organic potatoes, after I had washed off all the lovely mud, made tasty wedges. I didn't want to shake them in the oil in a polybag (not eco friendly) so I used an old plastic pudding basin with a lid, put olive oil and seasoning and the wedges in the basin and shook them up vigorously. Baked on a tray like oven chips, my son says they were nicer than "the real thing" That might be because they were the real thing. :rotfl:I'm trying to make one change or do one thing a day towards simplifying life and getting back control over what we eat and what we spend our money on. I have no idea what happened to my list of New Year resolutions. This is much more inspirational. :T