“More Stuff.  More Space.  Less Life.” How true is this quote?  As we move into the holiday season, I am once again contemplating the meaning of all the stuff around our lives.

I met a lady yesterday, who was inquiring about a membership to the YMCA.  Her kids had asked her to come up with some “clutter free” gift ideas.  As a family, they had decided that more stuff was utterly unnecessary.

After our conversation, I was left pondering the values in our consumptive culture.  How do our things serve us?  How do they detract or add to our livelihood?  What do they do to our relationships?  How does stuff find its way into our precious homes?

When people visit, I often hear comments such as “Your place is so neat.  How do you do it?”  I often equate it to my hyper-perfectionist personality and the fact that we don’t have little people running around yet.  However, I also now see a deeper root cause.  Jeremy and I don’t live with a lot of stuff.  Consciously or unconsciously, we have been very intentional about what we bring into our home.  Throughout our marriage, we have continued to purge and let go of the things that no longer add value to our lives.  Through this process, we’ve found both healing and freedom.  The things in our home mean something and often shine on special memories.  They reflect who we are and what we believe in.  They support and nourish our souls, as we retreat from a harried, hectic day.  The stuff in our lives is separate from us.  At any time, moths or thieves, floods or fires, could take it all away.  Upon this reflection, we are centered in knowing that our eyes need to be fixed on something greater.  Something more real.  Something more lasting.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

~William Morris

So, when we go to the stores today, we walk around, immersed in the glamour and sparkling of advertisements.  Our eyes grow wide and our mouths well with thirst over all the yummy, delicious stuff within reach of our fingertips.  We dream about bigger, better, and more.  For a tiny moment, we get lost in the world of illusion; thinking all our problems will be solved if we stuffed our home with all that neat, shiny stuff.

Sale items are my poisonous apple.  While I often don’t need it, I can find every reason and excuse to bring it home.  I mean, it’s a great deal!  It was meant for me to find it!  Shoes and purses are definitely my weakness.  But, bygone, I’ll make room in my closet because it’s worth it!

New Table. Old, Spooky Decoration.

During a recent trip to Target, I came across an aisle full of clearance furniture.  Modern, sleek, new; just calling my name.  I quickly snatched up one of the tables, feeling a tiny twisting in my stomach.  Did I need it?  Heck no, but I proceeded to walk around with it in the cart.  Tiny voices, from both shoulders began speaking.  After bouncing between need and want, I headed toward the checkout line…..with the table.  I had talked myself into deciding it was worth it.  Plus, it really was something I had my eye on for a while, but knew it would only find its way into our home if it drastically came down in price.

When I got home and put the tiny table in the place my mind had picked out, I began to contemplate the price of many things filling the average home today.  This little table cost me two hours of work.  Yet, I began to think beyond that.  Time cleaning, moving (near and far), and decorating also needed consideration.  Over the course of a lifetime, this tiny table may end up taking more of my life than I originally understood.  Not to mention the real estate (space) it now required in our overall square footage.

While this illustration may seem small and worthless, I do have to wonder how this illuminates a greater story.  If our eye is fixed on this stuff, if it only adds to our meaning of success, then what have we lost?  How have we volunteered our time to this stuff, while replacing our capacity for authentic love and real relationship?  In what ways might our stuff neglect or cover feelings/situations that need to be indebted to time?

“We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.”

~Donald Horban

How will you keep space to love those around you?  What will your buying criteria, in response to more life, be this holiday season?

I had a vision the other day.  I was standing in the eye of an intense storm.  All around me, swirling faster and faster, were things representing my life today.  God, school, church, work, responsibilities, hobbies, and relationship commitments.  And, although everything was twisting around me rapidly, I realized I was planted firmly in the middle of it all.  With this realization, I was reminded that I chose many of these things and at any time, I had the ability to drop them.  When this happened, the spinning began to illustrate a slow motion clip from the movies.  As this took place, I started to see each object more clearly, completely defined.  My sight and focus came back.  God most definitely showed up to reveal something important.  He was offering me the gift of being present.  It was imperative that I see these things and know the choices behind the chaos.

How will you step into this season?

For the past several weeks, I’ve been noticing the pace of life picking up rapidly.  One of my favorite things to do is people watch.  I often wonder where everyone is going and what they are doing.  As always, the speed of life is fast, especially as we approach the holiday season.  Our ability to stay present, mindful, and in the moment is tested to its breaking limit.

As we enter into November and December, I’m beginning to sense the tyranny of the urgent in many lives.  Thanksgiving and Christmas become one more thing on the “to do” list.  Between turkey roasting and present searching, it’s all too much for some.  Whatever happened to the spirit of the holidays?  Where have the hearts of gratitude and joy gone?  How did this time of year become something that so many people despise or dread?  When did it become a time of selfishness and hostility?

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Working at the YMCA, I’m experiencing a bit of the holiday, economic, and political frenzy.  It’s almost as if the attitudes of some individuals switched sourly with this season.  Honestly, some people are just plain rude, aggressive, and mean.  Taking their frustrations and negative energy out on a complete stranger seems to be a strategy they are willing to expel.  In fact, anyone working in the service industry can attest to this right now.

So, who will you choose to be this season?  What attitude will you manifest?  If last year didn’t go so smoothly, what things will you change this time around?  How will you bring your spirit back into the Spirit of this sparkling, magical season?  Maybe going out for dinner is an option, instead of the traditional (often stressful) home cooked meal?  Maybe the gift of your time and presence could replace the material things you wrapped so meticulously last year?  Whatever it may be, our ability to step back and clearly see each day, one moment, is a gift.  Will you openly receive it?

“For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is “hurry”.  And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close.  It is only now perhaps that we truly recongnize the spirit of Christmas.  It is not a matter of days or weeks, but of centuries – nearly twenty of them now since that holy night in Bethlehem.  Regarded in this manner, the pre-Christmas rush may do us greater service than we realize.  With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal.”

~Burton Hills

How will you be present to those around you this holiday season?  What practices or disciplines will you adopt to invite the Spirit back into your heart and home?

Paper, paper, paper!  How many of you feel buried or overwhelmed by the task of keeping up with the piles of paper?  As we approach the holiday season, I’d like to offer some organizing tips and a bit of Paper 101.  With a little know how, the stress involved with understanding and conquering household paper can decrease dramatically.

So, where do you begin?  First, you need to recognize your habits.  Do you pick up the mail, walk in the house, carry it to the counter, and set it down on the pile from yesterday?  I know that some families have stacks and stacks of unopened mail, cluttering their eating and kitchen areas.  It’s a common place for paper to fall when decisions are not made on a regular basis.  And, while mail is a large contributor to the clutter that lands in our home, paper can come from a variety of other places.  Become aware of these places and consciously make an effort to minimize the amount you allow into the home.

Types of Paper.

Beside recycling or trash, there are four different types of paper:  Action, Project, Memorabilia, and Reference.  If you make it a habit to sort through the mail as soon as you pick it up, you will dramatically cut down on your paper clutter.  About 70% of the mail coming into the home needs to fall straight into the recycling bin, trash, or shredder.  If you don’t own a shredder, I highly recommend investing in one for identity theft purposes.  I would also encourage you to set up a paper sorting system (inbox, recycling bin, shredder, and trash can) close to the area you initially tackle incoming paper.  Personally, I have an attractive basket that holds the paper I have decided to keep.  Each Sunday night, I carry the basket into our home office and sort each piece of paper into one of the four types.

Taming the papers on the kitchen counter!

TYPE ONE.  Most of the incoming papers require a quick ACTION.  To Pay, To Call, To Review, To Discuss, To Enter, To Reconcile, and To File are a few options.  Over the course of a few weeks, determine the actions you use most and then create a system to capture and house this type of paper.  Personally, I have an Action Center with four drawers labeled:  To Do, To Enter, To Review, To File.  They are positioned by priority, so the “To Do” items are to be handled earlier in the week, working down to the “To File” papers at the end of the week.  The discipline needed to maintain this system is heavy, so if you tend to view items as “out of sight out of mind”, an open drawer product will work best for you.  TIP:  Recognize that your paper can go through a journey.  The first action may be to call someone for advice.  Once you have an answer, the next step may be to enter this information into your computer.  After this is complete, that piece of paper may either be filed or thrown away.  By breaking it down into manageable steps, the daunting task of making decisions about what to do with your paper is much easier.

TYPE TWO. The second type of paper is called PROJECT paper.  This can be items that you are collecting over a longer period (months) and require large amounts of energy, research, and time.  Examples might be a room remodel, hobby, upcoming trips, events, etc.  Project papers can be organized into desktop files, wall bins, boxes, or binders.

TYPE THREE. Another type of paper is something called MEMORABILIA.  This is anything that sparks a memory or invites emotion into your home.  It might be a favorite art piece from one of your children, a special handmade card, concert ticket, quote, or certificate marking an important day or landmark.  This type of paper can be displayed openly, in a container, or a frame.  Personally, I have something that I call a WHY box.  It holds cards and handwritten notes from people that I love and meet.  On a rainy or dark day, my spirit is lifted when I pull these pieces out and remember all the people God has placed around my life.

TYPE FOUR. Type four papers, called REFERENCE can be divided into two categories:  Above and Below Ground.  Above ground papers are those that your refer to often.  Restaurant menus, contact information, sport schedules, school papers by child, calendars, appointments, etc.  These items are best stored in a binder.  The second category of reference paper is called Below Ground.  This is the material that should live “out of sight” in your filing cabinet.  Major categories might include Household, Medical, Financial, Professional, and Personal.  Underground reference paper is rarely touched, but it is important to have a system set up that allows you to retrieve information quickly and efficiently.  A filing cabinet or boxes work best.

By breaking paper down into smaller pieces and truly understanding what needs to happen, you minimize the piles of unknown paper in your home.  Don’t be afraid to make decisions!  If you have some catching up to do, start small.  Maybe one or two piles a day.  Retrain your mind and before you know it, you’ll be on your way to taming what some call, the paper tiger.  Good luck!

“I write down everything I want to remember.  That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.”

~Beryl Pfizer

How have you tackled and controlled the paper in your home?  What works best for you?  I’d love to hear any tips or ideas not mentioned!

I recently started work on a masters degree in Spiritual Formation from George Fox Seminary.  And while it has only been five years since I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I have to honestly say I experienced a bit of syllabus shock during the first week.  We have to read how many chapters?  And, oh that paper only has to be 14 pages long.  No problem!  Now that I’ve had a few weeks to adjust and get organized, I’m feeling more calm and focused for each new task ahead.  For the most part, I feel extremely excited and blessed to be learning what I am learning.  Between Old Testament I, Women in Church History, Spirituality and the Mystics, Knowing Self, Knowing God, and Spiritual Direction Experience, I have 8.5 credits!  Needless to say, I’m busy.  However, while I feel like I have no free time right now, I can’t think of a better way to spend my time.  At the core of my studies, I am learning about God and growing in my personal relationship with Him.  I have already been challenged in a variety of ways and look forward to the amazing new community that is surrounding me.  Yahoo for school! 

One of the benefits of my intensified schedule is the fact that I’ve had no time for television.  I can directly relate this to Finding Simplicity because in the past, I have often caught myself sitting on the couch, mindlessly flipping through channels.  Or, you know this frame of thinking.  “I’m only going to sit down for this one show, just a 1/2 hour.”  And, three hours later.  Well, I don’t need to explain.  Without television, I am finding a whole new realm of energy.  I tried to sit down last night to watch one of my favorites shows on HGTV (a network I could never fully give up!) and I found myself distracted with other things.  I wanted to read for relaxation or create a card for someone I was thinking about.  Lately, television for me has not felt like a good way to spend my extra time.  More than ever, I feel how wasteful and distracting it can be to our lives.  It steals our time and feeds into unhealthy addictions.  And yet, how many households across America allow their children and families to be numbed and temporary fascinated by its persuasion?  How would our culture be different if people used this precious time to learn about the One who gave us our watchful eyes?  I definitely see this pattern changing in our own home over the course of this new school semester. 

“Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object.”

~ Author Unknown

One of my dear friends (thanks Trudi!) recently shared a powerful and moving song with me that encompasses some of what I’ve been feeling as a result of my new chosen study and reflection on time.  It reminds me of the one who created us from the beginning and who sustains us to the end.  If we don’t take time to learn and grow in our faith (away from the t.v.), what do we really know of holy?  How can we truly appreciate and acknowledge all of the blessings and joys of this life?  How can we face the tragedies and see a tiny glimpse of significance and hope in the pain?  Things of this world don’t always make sense to us, but we have a God who loves us beyond measure and wants to fill the void and emptiness we might often feel inside.  Take a few minutes to listen to this song and see if it moves you the way it has moved me.     

“Television hangs on the questionable theory that whatever happens anywhere should be sensed everywhere.  If everyone is going to be able to see everything, in the long run all sights may lose whatever rarity value they once possessed, and it may well turn out that people, being able to see and hear practically everything, will be specially interested in almost nothing.”

~ E.B. White

How will you use your “free time” this week?  What relationships or activities can you turn the volume up for?

Have you noticed how words can have a powerful effect on the outlook of our daily lives?  What kind of words do you surround yourself and family with?  Are they uplifting, comforting, encouraging, or inspiring?  Here are some of the words that have been purposefully placed around our home to help keep Jeremy and I centered and focused on the possibilities and priorities in our everyday living: 

 

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

~ Mother Teresa           

 

What kind of words affect you the most?  How have you intentionally surrounded yourself in them? 

Have you noticed how our lives are structured around time?  It’s like we are always chasing it, but never fully catching up.  Do you ever just feel like throwing out the clock, along with the responsibilities of everyday life?  Between laundries, ironing, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, polishing, mowing, repairing, running errands, buying groceries, paying the bills, preparing dinner, cleaning up after dinner, feeding the pets, walking the dog, and taking out the trash, our lives are filled with things to do.  And, that’s only a fraction of the responsibilities in the average American household.  Unless you are blessed to have the resources to hire a personal housekeeper, how in the world do we fit it all in?

Lately, I’ve been more aware and in sync with the systems we’ve created in our home.  For example, I recently placed the key cleaning tools and bottles into one, easy to carry basket.  So simple and so time saving!  I am always trying to make the chores more efficient and less reactive.  In other words, I am trying to place boundaries on the “to do’s” that can often overtake and overwhelm anyone trying to accomplish it all.

“My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be.  No one else cares.  Why should you?”

-Erma Bombeck

One of the ways we can lessen the stress of the responsibilities in life, is to break them down into smaller, more manageable pieces.  It doesn’t need to be done all at one time!  Nor does it have to be accomplished every single week.  Each family and household is different, and it is imperative that communication be clear when discerning the comfort level of cleanliness.  Jeremy and I do not yet have children; however I know that the sharing of household duties will be something we instill and encourage early on. 

Here’s how the average week currently looks in our home:

• Mondays:  Paperwork & “To Do” list review
• Tuesdays:  Bathrooms 
• Wednesdays:  Dusting & Vacuuming
• Thursdays:  Laundry
• Fridays:  Meal planning, groceries, and errands
• Saturdays:  Garbage

By assigning these core chores to a specific day, I find that we are less reactive and more intentional, which allows us freedom in other areas of our lives.  Jeremy and I both know that we need to have all clothes that need washing into the laundry room by Thursday morning.  After talking with some friends this past week, I realize that many of you do laundry daily, especially if you have small children.  If this is the case, I would suggest that the kids be actively involved in the process.  Even at an early age, they can be taught how to sort the darks and lights.  Give them their own basket and hold them accountable for bringing their dirty clothes to the laundry room on “laundry days”.  It’s also extremely helpful and efficient to wash only when you have enough clothes to make a full load.  Creating a team is the best way to successfully run and maintain any household.

While some people despise household chores, I find them extremely therapeutic.  I often get some of my best and most creative ideas as I vacuum.  Or, I find that dusting and polishing visually wipe the dirt from my worries and fears.  Simplicity invites imagination into the home and turns the mundane parts of life into extraordinary events.

“I enjoy mowing the lawn, it relaxes me.  It gets me outdoors, it’s good exercise, the freshly cut grass smells great, and the engine is loud enough that I’m sure no one else can hear my thoughts – or intrude upon them.”

~Astrid Alauda

What “systems” have worked successfully for your household?  How have you intentionally set boundaries around the amount of responsibilities in your life?