Lisa Ottman inspired me to pull together a list of tidbits that may not be public knowledge.
1. I am inexplicably drawn to "reality shows" about people in prison.
2. And also shows on hoarding.
3. I have a serious collection of gift bags - bags that have been sent or given to me that I have held on to. (Perhaps there's a little bag-hoarding going on.)
4. I have a fair number of purses and suitcases, but I am always dreaming up ways to get my rather large hands on a few more. Especially Kipling. I bought a wonderful little backpack of theirs at Madrid's Barajas airport back in September.
5. I cannot imagine ever holding or firing a gun. Ever.
6. Sometimes I forget that cordless phones can be used anywhere. I will often stand in one spot during a conversation because that is where I answered the phone.
7. I like cleaning more than I like cooking. Especially vacuuming and doing laundry and ironing.
8. My favorite breakfast is oatmeal with blueberries, soy milk, and a little sugar. I wash it down with hot, sweet coffee.
9. I am on a mission to declutter my whole house this year. I never thought I needed to declutter because, thanks to the FlyLady, my house is clean and neat most of the time. I figured I would "just go through" the drawers in my bathroom and the shelves in my closet. Boy, oh boy. I have TONS of stuff that needs to be passed along to Good Will or recycled (like a few of the paper bags I discovered among my gift bag stash!) or laid to rest in the local dump. Just because it's neat and orderly and frequently dusted doesn't mean I need to keep it. So I am working through the house in small chunks of time. One drawer and shelf at a time. This evening, my son said he has noticed a few changes around the house. Yes!
9b. Today while decluttering in the family room, the kids and I (Yes, I have included the children in this quest to clear out the stuff we no longer need) discovered a few surprises in a game cabinet we hadn't explored in a while. There were games there that Steve and I played years ago, but that I had never played with the kids before. We spent nearly an hour playing "Outburst." We had a blast.
9c. After finding the games, the kids felt encouraged about "going through" some of their own drawers and shelves. Daniel found one of his many wallets today and discovered $8 in it. Again - yes!!! Nothing like a little instant gratification to motivate a 13-year-old to stay on the path to simpler living.
10. My word for this year is "pilgrimage."
Getting from here to there internally and externally.
In heart and mind and spirit - and hopefully in body as well.
With others and alone.
I am a woman on pilgrimage.
I recently read a great verse on this very topic.
Psalm 84:5 says: Blessed are those whose strength in is you,
whose have set their hearts on pilgrimage."
Turns out there's a blessing specifically for those of us who can't sit still,
those of us whose hearts and minds are constantly on the move.
Who knew?
I suspect that the urge to declutter has something to do with my spirit wanting to travel light...
2 comments:
On Pilgrimage was the name of Dorothy Day's column in the Catholic Worker newspaper for many years. I love it. Right there with you, sis!
Still dreaming of you, me, and the big house!
Write soon, and let me know how ya be.
Fun! Great list!
I like cooking more than cleaning, so we'd make a good team :-)
I, too, am a 'bag lady'. Purses, totes, luggage, oh my!
There definitely were some things in this post that I did not know about you, dear friend! Thanks for sharing :-)
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