Becoming Minimalist

Inspiration!

Most people are influenced by inspiration.  They are exposed to an idea or an example and they find themselves drawn into a new path of awareness or action.  That has been my experience with downsizing and decluttering.  My personal journey towards less has been shared here in my blog - and several wonderful readers have let me know my sharing has inspired them.  Thank you.  I think that is how some movements are started - inspiring each other and passing it on.

I do not aspire to become a card carrying minimalist, but I do find inspiration in that movement.  I do strive to free myself from the weight of things for very selfish reasons.  I am freeing myself from extra work of maintaining stuff (sadly no hired help in my future,)  reducing stress (which I seem to have more than my share over the last 10 years,) and reducing distractions (the ability to focus seems to be the first mental ability to fail as we age. *sigh*)  In addition, it makes my visually impaired husband's life just a little less frustrating.

So let me share with you a blogger who has inspired me.

BecomingMinimalist.com

Joshua Becker is the writer of Becoming Minimalist and he is the author of the book The More of Less.  I love the title of his blog because it suggests that minimalism is an ongoing process not a final destination.  His blog was born from a place where we have all "visited" in one way or another:  dedicating precious time to the management of stuff rather than to people we love and experiences we desire.

He had the typical life filled with a happy family, a satisfying job, a normal house and an all too familiar over abundance of stuff.  His story begins one weekend when he decided to clean out his garage.  His 5 year old son also wanted a piece of his time to play in the backyard.  With promises to play when the cleaning was done, he proceeded to empty the garage onto the drive way to approach this task in a thorough and logical way.  Soon he was overwhelmed by the enormity of the exposed stuff and the effort it was going to take.  It was then that his neighbor casually commented: "Maybe you don't need to own all this stuff."  From that simple statement he quickly realized what mattered was time with his son and not the stuff in the driveway.  Inspiration in its most infantile form!  That experience sparked the beginning of a new way of living that he shares in his blog.  I don't have a garage or a 5 year old child, but strip away the window dressing of that story, and his sudden realization was mine as well - it just took me a little longer.  I encourage you to visit his blog and see if his experience could also be yours.

Recently he hosted a guest post from Sarah Peck.  Her story is titled:  The Story of Enough: Giving Up (new) Clothes for One Year.  Although I have never been into collecting clothes I took time to read her story.  The clothes saga is the window dressing of her story.  The underlying truths can be nailed down to a few words -  I have enough.  I am enough.  And "enough" is different for everyone.

Yes, that is EXACTLY what I believe.

I have captured a few of her quotes below.  I encourage you to check out her post on BecomingMinimalist.com - and maybe spend some time visiting with Joshua Becker.  I don't think you will be disappointed.

Quotes

Sara Peck

The Story of Enough: 

Giving Up (new) Clothes for One Year.

"Our world is filled with messages that tell us we don't have enough space, enough stuff, enough clothes, enough fitness.  We're never skinny enough or pretty enough or good enough or rich enough."

"...the idea of minimalism isn't about reaching a goal or checking off a box, or reaching a certain destination.  To me, minimalism is realizing that what I already have is enough, and that adding clutter to the pile won't make it any better."

"Stripping away the excess lets us get to the bones of what really matters.  Get to the heart space.  Get to the pieces that are important.  And that level can be different for different people."

"Untethering from the need to consume was surpassingly easy.  It was the attitude change that made the most difference: looking through my things and realizing I already had enough. ...  It was relaxing and reassuring to know that what I had was okay.  What you are is already good enough."

"Sometimes a subtle attitude shift or a small sacrifice can make a big difference.  Like taking the time to appreciate that what you already have is enough.  And your effort?  It's enough."

My Life List - Monday, June 6

I am joining the blog Smidgens, Snippets and Bits in sharing "My Life List."

Thankful for ...
Pod casts and audio books.  I discovered the joys of audio entertainment when my husband start to lose his vision and was forced to transfer his personal library into auto formats.  Talk about a silver lining to a dark cloud!  Although there are times when reading (and owning) an actual book is preferred, mostly I am happy to listen to the audio version allowing freedom do other things.

Outside my window ...
No rain!  Sun.  Finally.  My world is very green at least for now.

Watching this ...
I have been watching a TV series called The Sixties.  This 10 episodes series can be found on Netflix and covers the turbulent and changeable decade of the 1960s.  I recommend it.

Here is a brief listing of what that decade contained.
TV comes of Age, The Berlin Wall, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuban Missile Crisis, Assassination of JFK, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, The Beetles and all the British music groups, The Space Race and the man on the moon, the RFK/MLK assassinations, riotous Democratic convention, Nixon's rise to power, social change sparking feminism and the legalization of birth control and gay rights, culture changes with relation to sex and drugs, and Rock and Roll.    

Wow, that was a full 10 years.  Those were my high school and college years and I remember all these events.  But it wasn't until I watched this series of episodes that I realized just how big a decade it was.

Pondering this ...
Why is it necessary that I MUST lay down sometime between 1:00 and 3:00 to "rest my eyes" every single day, even after I have slept well at night, even after I have had plenty of water to drink and not dehydrated, even when I have had a relatively quiet morning.  Why, why, why!!  Three years ago I didn't need to do that!!

Quoting this ...

I am a fan of Mark Twain's outlook on life.

My week - a Peek ...
This week started on a high note and a low note.  On a high note - We enjoyed lunch with good friends.  We don't get out as much as we used to - my husband's limited vision makes these kinds of excursions a bit more of a challenge for him - but they are still important.  Friends are one of the gems of life.  On a low note - we found a wonderful condo that we almost placed an offer on.  But when saner heads prevailed over the weekend, we decided to pass on it.  It was located about 30 minutes north of our current location.  Although 30 minutes doesn't sound all that far, when you are as close as 10 minutes to your family support system, adding another 30 minutes to that commute is not appealing.  Oh well, we will be patient and hope that the summer will produce another condo possibility.  The rest of the week is uneventful.

What keeps me awake at night ...
I worry (mostly between 2:00 and 4:00 am) that moving my visually impaired husband out of this townhouse (a home he knows intimately) is a mistake.  We both agree we should have a residence that would allow us to live on one level.  At a minimum, we should live in a place where we could reach our front door easily with a walker or wheel chair.  Sadly, this town home is not that place.  But right now, in this minute, we are able to live here comfortably.  Is it an over reaction to move before the need is there or is it the adult thing to do before we are forced by circumstances?  It is easy to talk yourself into staying in a home you love and can manage now.  It is the comfortable and simple choice.  But just when you have yourself convinced that it is ok to stay ... your husband misses the last step on a flight of steps and falls on his hip.  And that is exactly what he did on Sunday.  He is ok, but ... guess it is not ok to stay here.

That is it for this week in my little corner of the world.

Put the Skids on Time

What the heck!

It is June 4 already!

  JUNE!

  JUNE!!!

Does anyone else feel like it shouldn't be June already - it should be more like March, maybe April, but definitely not June.  Although it is still technically spring, it will soon be summer in my little area of the world.  SUMMER! Unbelievable. I feel like if I blink, I will miss summer entirely, skip fall and be facing winter ... again!

I willingly admit that as I age I have a love hate relationship with time.  I love that I have more free time day-to-day than at any other point in my life.  I love that I can do nothing for a day - pushing planned to-dos into the future, because there is more time in my future than ever before (hopefully.)  I love that through the passage of time I have learned to be more respectful of the time gift I have been given ...  'retired time' when I can do mostly whatever I want.  I love all that.  You don't get to 69 without knowing that some folks never get that gift.

But there is a hate side to this equation.  I hate that my future time can be counted in mostly years and not in many decades.  I hate that at 69 I don't have 69 more years ahead of me.  In fact, in just one small decade I will be 79 - a time when the chances of living another decade are considerably smaller.  I hate that because of time my mortal body is starting to have problems - that my 'retired time' will be shared with an aging body that has a built in obsolescence.

I need to put the skids on time - slow it down.

  But how is the question.

Think, think, think ...

I've noticed that when you aren't paying attention to time, it speeds up and slips away.  If you are paying attention and are more mindful of the moment - time seems to slow down.  I may have read that somewhere.  In truth,  that is just a 'mind game' as time never slows down or speeds up - just keeps ticking away - totally irregardless of what individuals do.  It is only our perception of time that may change with attention to it.

Maybe time is like a fortune of gold coins.  The quantity of time or gold coins is a fixed number - unknown and different for everyone.  Each minute spent is a gold nugget that cannot be replaced.  How each golden minute is spent is in our control - not much else is within our control.  But can that approach put the skids on time?

Maybe trying to slow down time is the wrong approach.  Maybe the best way to handle time is to see it through the eyes of a dog.

My dear grand dog, Grimace who passed away this spring ... who never pondered time,
who lived in the moment, who spent his golden nuggets of time
making others happy.

That face says, "This is the moment that counts, Grandma.  Not yesterday, not tomorrow.  Just today.  Now can I have that treat you are holding?"

I am still learning Grimace.  

I am not as smart as you.

Right sizing

I recently read the term "right sizing" in a blog post on Miss Minimalist.

Miss Minimalist hosts a weekly post featuring readers who are pursuing a minimalist life style.   Those posts very interesting as they allow you to peak into the lives of folks making big changes.    This Monday she hosted "Heather in Texas" who used the term "right sizing."

Yes!

That is what I am doing.  Getting things to a size that fits me!  What a great term.  It does not dictate a one-size-fits all style of living.

And in truth, I think it is what we all do in our lives.  Size it to fit our desires.

It got me thinking.  Why did it take so long to seek out my own personal right size?  Some of the writers on Miss Minimalist are in their 20s.  Amazing that they should be so independent of thought at such an early age to know what size life is right for them.

Not so with me.  I was very impressionable as a young adult.  Looking back my desires and goals were often formed from those around me.  I believe the biggest influence in my early 20s came from my future mother-in-law.

They say first impressions are the most lasting.  Certainly it was so with her.  Her small two bedroom apartment looked like a gift shop. Decorative objects filled every flat surface and wall.  Weekends were spent keeping artful displays dusted, polished and organized. Yearly, she would hand wash all the walls and ceilings, and every year she would get down on her knees and scrape off all the weekly layers of "Wash and Glow" (one step wash and wax solution) from all the floors with a paint scraper.  She would then apply a new layer of "Wash and Glow" to her floors and the cycle would begin again.    During this time she would rearrange all her furniture and decorations.  Her drawers and closets were perfection.  Nothing gave her greater joy than having someone comment on what a lovely home she had.  In hindsight, sadly, it is evident that her home reflected her worth in her eyes.

In those first years, I admired all that.  Coming from a lower middle class family that did not have any disposable income, her apartment and style of living made a big impression on me.  My dysfunctional family was the opposite of everything she was.  I didn't see the negative life experiences and disappointments that lead her to such a controlled way of living.  I wanted to "right size" my life to reflect what I saw in her.  And in many ways I did.

I came to understand, however, that her obsessive focus was on objects - not people.  Objects didn't disappoint - and people did.  As she aged her social contacts became limited.  Her "friends" were her hairdresser, the grocery store checker, the taxi cab driver.  Now I know that those folks could easily be discarded if they disappointed.   She had right sized her life to one narrow little path to minimize disappointment.

Those early influences lingered on in me for years and years.  Eventually I learned to love and accept this woman for who she was while growing to understand that her "right size" was not right for me.  She was a wonderful grandmother to my children.  She died almost 20 years ago and I miss her to this day.  But her life style influence has almost totally faded from my radar.  It took about 40 years, but my own style is evolving in an entirely different direction.

Right sizing my life kicked into high gear when mom died.  I am reaching what is good for me.  The size of our house may continue to be too big, but the contents are reaching a level that is manageable and comfortable.

My Life List - Memorial Day Weekend 2016

My Life List

I am joining the blog Smidgens, Snippets and Bits in sharing "My Life List."

My Life List Currently: 

I am thankful ...

... on this Memorial Day for the citizens who gave their lives in service to our country.  My earnest wish is that we can live in a world where there is no need to memorialize deceased military citizens because the world will be at peace.  Human beings being what they are, I am sure not even my great grandchildren will live long enough to see that day.

Looking out my front window ...

... I see well maintained green spaces and terraces.  I live on a small hill that separates us from the street.  It was the distance from the street that attracted me to this location.  Townhouse developments are typically uninteresting, cookie-cutter communities that resemble each other.  Frequently they have tiny front yards that hug a parking lot.  The developer of this community created an appealing space at the entrance where some of the town homes are up off the street allowing some sense of privacy and style.  The original landscape has matured.  After so long a time I hardly even notice its inviting beauty until someone else comments how lovely the setting is.  I'll miss this view when we leave.

As I ponder ....

... the Memorial Day holiday and this political season I can't help but wonder how our country got to such a dysfunctional place. I try to avoid taking public positions on political and religious views.  No one's deepest beliefs are changed by raging discussions of these topics.  But I am so uneasy at the national trends right now, I feel the need to express a worrisome opinion somewhere.  My blog ... my space .... my opinion.

I am a registered Independent.  I have supported both Democratic and Republican candidates over my voting history.  One party never has all the answers.  But we are so divided as citizens now, and I believe that this division is reflected in the leadership we elected ... polarizing us even more.  Setting aside policy differences, when we cannot even replace a Supreme Court Justice using the rules our nation lives by - our Constitution - we are in a very sad state.

I believe current candidates are the most diverse (and one is just plain frightening) choices for President in our history.  Sadly no candidate shows the leadership potential to pull us away from our derisive path.  I admit to being a big supporter of President Obama ... not because I agree with all his policies, but because he is an educated, even-tempered, thoughtful man who has served with grace under incredible pressure.  If a person of his quality could not bring us to more national unity and understanding, the current batch of candidates most certainly will make things worse.

When the nations of the world look at our struggles to pick a leader ... a leader who historically is the leader of the free world ... I am sure they cringe.  What has happened to America?  Are we going through a "terrible twos" period in our history, or a mid-life crisis, or are we in decline as the voice of reason in a crazy dangerous world?

I hope we are in a momentary "blip" in our history.  That calmer more reasonable minds will prevail and we return to a better sensibility of who are ... and behave accordingly!  (I am such a polly-anna!) 

What I am learning ...

... I am learning to keep my mouth shut about this political stuff on Facebook.

What I am reading ...

•  This Bitter Treasure by S. W. Hubbard.   This is the 3rd book in the Palmyrton Estate Sale Mystery Series.  The lead character, Audrey Neaton, is the owner of an Estate Sale company.  The mysteries revolve around that various estate sales she coordinates.  There is always a mystery and there is a bit of romance but the theme that attracts me is the estate sale business.  Great fun!

What I am creating ....

Besides an ulcer :-) ...  I am still working two shawls.

Discovery time ....

I bought two new items this week.  During a period when I am not buying much of anything, I was kind of surprised by these purchases.

• The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker.  I obviously have a weakness for reading non-fiction books on this topic. Rated on Amazon as 4.8 stars out of 5, I couldn't seem to pass this up.  I usually buy Kindle editions because they are cheaper and don't take up space, but for this title, the Kindle was more expensive.  I probably will pass the book on when I am done.  My designated shelf for books is full and I am not going to allow it to spill over.
• The Handbag of Holding -  Ok, this was a fun impulse purchase.  I will admit to a bit of a tote bag obsession.  I always have a knitting project or two, plus my Kindle and my iPad with me.  I am always on the search for interesting and functional totes.  This bag is the latest in that search.  The origins of this bag and name are found specifically in the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons (D and D).  A "bag of holding" is described as a "wondrous item" used by gamers to hold a great number of items that would normally be to big or to heavy for the bag or a person to carry.  It is "a bag that has an interior space considerably larger than its outside dimensions and can hold up to 500 pounds.  The bag weighs about 15 pounds regardless of its contents."  See?  Wonderous!  Anyway, I came across The Handbag of Holding on Amazon.  It is a tote designed to hold a lot in an organized fashion and its zipper pulls are 20 sided dice (another game reference.)  It has a handsome tailored look, and I love the game reference.  I used to play D and D with a group - and my husband and son still play monthly with same group of individuals for over 35 years.  

Feel free to check out the Amazon links.

What I am watching ...

I finished watching House of Cards and am now struggling to find another highly rated series to follow.  I have sort of run out of titles.  Any suggestions?

I started a TV series call Grace and Frankie.  The actors are Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen - all actors I enjoy.  Briefly, it is a comedy about two women finding out that their husbands are not just work partners, but have also been romantically involved for the last 20 years.  The wives have a strained relationship already and coping with this news doesn't make things better.  I have seen the first two episodes and I am not entirely sold on it, but it has multiple seasons and is highly rated so I will give it a few more episodes before I decide.  Sometimes these things grow on you.

What's on my camera phone ...

The beautiful lady is my daughter, Kristin with her dog, Milo.  This picture is one of the professional
shots taken for sales promotions where my daughter works.
She is the Director of Sales at a Retirement Continuing Care Community in DC
and Milo is considered "part of the sales team."  Folks love seeing
that pets are part of the life in a senior community so it is not an idle title for Milo.
He is not on the payroll, but he pulls is weight. :-)

A quote I want to share ...

Some things in life cannot be fixed.  They can only be carried.  Megan Devine

In my experience most things can't be fixed.  They must be carried.  And the load of carried items just keeps getting heavier as the years pass.  I think that is why people get shorter as they get older - the weight of life gets heavy.  :-)  Well, that is my story, and I am sticking to it.

A peek into my week ...

It is the end of one month and the start of another.  I feel the pull to start initiate and/or re-commit to things at the beginning of a month.  I plan to focus on these 3 things:

• With the downsizing efforts reduced, I have time to finally get my photo albums and loose pictures organized.  I am also hoping to do some journaling in the finished albums - adding thoughts and remembrances in and around the mounted pictures. Nothing fancy - no scrap booking or artistic endeavors - just a way to make the parade of photos more interesting and maybe more meaningful to someone else should they show an interest.    
• Increase my step totals beyond the 7,000 average I do now.  Goal remains 10,000 steps a day.
• Be more consistent in my stretching routine.

A peaceful Memorial Day to you!

Remember what all those soldiers died for.

Make your citizenship count in a positive way.

Authenticity Shawl

The second shawl I am working on is called Authenticity.  The first picture shows the finished project as shown on the pattern.  This is another pattern that can be made bigger by repeating the 16 line pattern any number of times or by adding to the garter trim.  I plan on making this one a bit bigger as well.  

The yarn I am using is Berroco Lustra is which is 50% wool and 50% tencel.  As a result it has a shiny appearance.  The picture below is closer to the true color of the yarn than the succeeding pictures.  But even so, the gray threads in the picture below seem to be 50% of the color - when they are not.  It has a more deep purple pink look to it.  Maybe when the shawl is done, I can take a picture of it out doors in natural light.

The picture below is provided just for comparison - they don't look at all the same when they are exactly the same ball of yarn.  Lighting is so important when trying to capture color.  I hardly ever get it right.

Here is my progress knitting Authenticity.  As you can see, it will require very strong blocking to bring out the pattern.  Also, this pattern is not the most difficult lace pattern I have ever done, but it does need your attention while knitting.  I am always counting the different sections to make sure I have the right number of stitches before beginning the next row.  I try to be so careful, but mistakes happen more frequently than I would like.  So far I have caught them at an early stage.  I will be very glad to get to the lower garter boarder where I can relax and to worry about counting sections.

Hitchhiker Shawlette

As mentioned in a previous post ... I am working on two shawls.  

This first shawl is an asymmetrical  shawlette.  

The yarn used was a Socks that Rock medium weight.  The dyer has a tendency to create yarns with bold large shifts in color.  The dying technique can cause pooling of colors (large areas where a single color can collect together resulting in uneven or badly placed blotches.)  Finding the right pattern for these Socks that Rock yarns is important if you want to avoid unintentional pooling.  

Also interesting to note is that when the yarn is in the skein it looks different from when wound into a ball.  The two yarns above looked exactly the same before I put one into a ball.  They look so different to my eye.

The pattern I used is called Hithhiker.  The designer's picture is a smaller version.  This shawlette can be made bigger just by continuing to knit until you decide to stop.  My version is generally bigger.  

This pattern has the advantage that you can work on it without paying much attention.  You knit every row (known by knitters as garter stitch) and the instructions for the points are very simple.    Generally I like to have a project that requires little or no attention while I knit so I can watch TV or carry on a conversation with friends and not worry about making mistakes that require major ripping out to fix.

Once completed this seldom needs blocking.  The garter stitch lies beautifully flat and needs no massaging through blocking to look "finished."  Most knitted garments need gentle blocking and some shawls required excessive blocking to bring out the pattern and provide a finished look.  Not so with this pattern.

I think this is my 4th Hitchhiker.

Next up - a traditional shawl.