Simplilcity

I long to have a room in my house like this one.  Yet I know darn well, after stepping inside it, I'd go back out and get a rug to bring in to sit on while I meditate.  Then perhaps one little plant for some greenery.  Maybe a few candles.  Why not some of my favorite books?  Oh, a good place to keep my dumbbells and yoga mat so I could work out in a nice place.  I'd need music, too!  CD player, guitar, music book.  Oh gosh, by now I'm gonna need some shelves...

My life is so busy, filled with so many things I have to do, responsibilities, errands to be run... that I often feel overwhelmed.  Even with only two of us in our home, things still pile up a bit and I can’t stand the clutter.  I feel better when I’m someplace peaceful... mainly in the woods... but also in a place where furnishings are sparse and accessories are few.  So, I’m trying to relieve my stress by living simpler.  It’s a difficult task, more so than I would have imagined.  I’m starting to do this with my physical surroundings.  Seems a little weird perhaps, but I know I will feel better to be living in an uncluttered environment.  A therapist once told me I have a need to create order out of chaos.  It was an “ah-ha” moment for me.  So, I’m going with that, and presume it will lead me to other more beneficial and spiritual ways to live simply and with less stress.

Recycling has caused me to realize how much stuff we can accumulate, so I also want to simplify by using less stuff in the first place.  When I feel I “need” something, instead of going out and buying it, I’m looking around me to see what I already have that will serve the purpose.

I’m also inspired to live with less after having been to Mexico twice (not as a tourist, but by visiting family).  There, folks have small homes, neatly organized, always clean, with minimal furnishings and appliances, yet warm, cozy and comfortable.  When I’m there, I always think, “This is just fine!  Why do I need so many rooms in my house?”  Ric and I recently went to Holly River State Park and stayed in a little cabin, along with a friend.  It was plenty of space.  We were peaceful and content, felt no stress, and had similar thoughts as I had when in Mexico.  I can’t really see myself getting down to two or three rooms, but who knows?  Anyway, I’m going to start with making the rooms I have more peaceful and uncluttered.

Another thing that’s currently driving this need is a book Ric handed me to read... one of the great classics... “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau.  It’s the story of the two years he spent living in the wood by Walden Pond in his one room cabin with the bare necessities.  He found an abundance of treasures communing with nature, reading, entertaining occasional visitors, and more.  My head spins as I read his work, and think about how complicated we make our lives!

Well, here was my first test.  It wasn’t much, but I gotta start somewhere in implementing what I’m beginning to believe.  We’re going to be selling our house in the near future and move to a smaller place... however, I will still need a little space for my art studio.  A great opportunity came up to rent a room in one of our old downtown buildings.  I had lots of cabinets, drawers and a closet in my in-house art studio... but my new one downtown was just one room, so I had the challenge of not buying too many things in order to store my equipment, art supplies, framing and matting tools, frames, finished work, etc.

Tables and one shelving unit, I already had, so no problem there.  I needed storage for things, so went first to the garage.  My Christmas decorations were stored in plastic bins on a big wire shelving unit.  They didn’t need to be on the shelves, so the wire unit went to the art studio.  I emptied some shoe boxes and used them in the studio to hold paint and supplies.  I took some cups and mugs from the kitchen cabinets to hold brushes, pencils and other things.  Grabbed a lamp from one room, a chair from another, a vase from the mantle... and moved them to the studio.  I loved that more than one purpose was being served – making my art studio workable and comfortable and clearing out a bit of space in our house... plus, I saved money by not buying new things to contain my stuff.  It wasn’t as easy as it sounds... as I realized something else I “needed,” I constantly had to ask myself questions like, “Do I really need this, or is it an unnecessary luxury?  Do I have to buy this thing, or do I already have something at home that will work just as well?” It felt good not to have added to my collection of belongings! 

What I did is no great deed or amazing contribution to the world!  For heaven’s sake, I was only moving stuff from one room to another.  But what was different for me was I didn’t go out and ADD to my current stuff.  It was a little thing in the whole scheme of things.  But isn’t starting with something little, the first step in making bigger changes?  Isn’t something better than nothing?  I hope so.  ‘Cause it not only felt good, it was fun!  Fun is better than stress anytime!