Sundays

By now I've had my Saturday, my day of miscellaneous wanderings and half-hearted attempts at completing household tasks. I always have high hopes for Saturday - what I'll get done, who I'll see, where I'll go - but more often than not, I end up simply enjoying the fact that I don't have to go anywhere or do anything particular, most of the time.

After five straight days of being away from home 10 hours each, my Saturday is a reconnecting day. I reconnect with my home, familiarize myself with the kitchen, and enjoy the sanctuary of my bedroom. Messy, yes, but stressful, no. I love my home, and I love being here. I miss it and my family during the week when I'm gone. I would love to be here more often, but for now, I can accept the necessity for the transition to "home time" from "work time".

And here I am at Sunday. The morning normally consists of sleeping in a little, reading the newspaper in bed, getting some breakfast and tea, then getting online to read interesting sites for awhile. I tell myself that Sunday will be my productive day, but here I am again, at almost noon, and I've yet to check a task off my list. But I'm working on it. And I HAVE sorted out some clothes to donate to a clothing drive at work for the homeless in Toledo. Who knew I had twelve pairs of jeans? I certainly don't need that many, as I only wear three of them regularly, and I found some sweaters to get rid of, as well. I have also read quite a bit of Inc. magazine, which is a treat for my brain and an idea-booster, as well.

I think I'd like three-day weekends quite a bit. I could get the reconnecting day out of the way, then have a day for getting work done, and a day for having fun and seeing people.

Or maybe I could just not spend so much time away for work! That is my ideal solution. One day my goal will be achieved! But for now, I have come to an understanding of my weekend needs.

May your weekends be full of achievements, rest, relaxation, and fun, also!

Finding peace in simplicity

Today I begin the true decluttering process on my home. I love my home, and I want it to be a peaceful and welcoming place. The clutter and overfill of our stuff has taken some of the joy out of being here, and I don’t feel comfortable having people over.

I sincerely want to get rid of a lot of stuff today, and I want to let go of the idea that I have to find the “perfect place” for all of it in order to let it go. I think it will be most helpful if I simply bless the items and send them on their way to be of some good to someone else. Some of it will be taken to resale shops, and I will find an area to put those things until I put them in my car to transport. Other things will be listed on e-Bay or Craigslist. I will donate some, give away some, and throw away some. Probably won’t be throwing away much, though, because there’s not much real trash, just stuff I don’t need or use.

I have plastic tubs that are empty, and I can put things in them that I want to keep, like blankets. The areas with the most clutter are the basement and the living room (see photo). My bedroom is much better, and when I get the clothes sorted out (many extra clothes – I didn’t realize I was such a clothes-horse!) there will be even more space. The kitchen is an ongoing project.

I want to help others become more peaceful in their lives and their homes, so the first step is being a good example. I will journal the process here, and perhaps in this way I will SEE more of what is really here and will not be able to just put the blinders on and ignore it.

So, the scary part is letting anyone else in on what my home really looks like inside. It’s not as bad as some, but worse than many, I’m sure. We have only 680 square feet on the main floor; the basement is not counted as official living space, but we definitely use it, as my oldest son, Mark, has his bedroom down there. Now that’s a clutter of a different sort altogether! He’s in charge of that space – I try not to venture into the chaos, but he occasionally cleans it up and gets it looking really good.

Here we go!