Operation De-Clutter/Simplify Update

It has been several months since I determined to de-clutter/simplify parts of my life that held a "too much" air about them. I'll say it has been a bit of an addictive experience, but one that has left me feeling lighter and healthier.

One of the most freeing venues of de-clutter was that of social media/technology. Obviously, ending my relationship with Facebook freed up a lot of time in my mind, and I have seen a drastic increase in my creativity as it pertains to writing. I did not realize the extent to which I'd become "mindless" in this area. For the first few weeks, on the bus to work, I would pull out my phone and look for my Facebook app before I would remember it was no longer there. It had become a mindless habit for me. That is not to cast judgment on the millions of Facebook users, but for me, for my journey, I was looking for a more mindful way to be present in my life.

Along those same lines, I de-cluttered the enormous amount of daily emails with which I was bombarded. Sales on this site, money for that cause, I found myself deleting 20+ emails every day without even opening them. I went on an unsubscribing spree and now I receive 5 emails a day from sites that truly matter to me or that I enjoy reading. I find myself looking forward to opening my inbox now that I have de-cluttered.

Also, when I write, I close all websites and email accounts and simply...write. It has surprised me! I did not understand how distracted I'd become. I have written more in the last two months, than over the last year.

Lastly, with respect to our highly connected society, I have started turning my phone off when I am out for the day enjoying the city, or the beach, or the woods with my wife. If it were not for the simple fact of sometimes needing access to my Bible (a.k.a. Google Map), I would now be content to even leave it at home. (This is coming from a person who once said she would get an implanted phone when they became available.) As my wife says wisely, "if it is an emergency, they should call 9-1-1."

I love being able to stay connected with the people I care about, but I have enjoyed this re-evaluation of my life and my desire to stay connected with the present moment. In doing so, I can have the peace of mind and contentment that makes me a more healthy and happier soul for those people I care about. In the end, that is a beautiful feeling.

Peace to you!

***As is my life, this blog is a work in progress. My desire is to facilitate constructive, respectful conversations about life and our collective journey towards peace and happiness. This has become an obsession.

Please add “your two cents worth” below, and feel free to share this blog. The more the merrier! Understanding ourselves helps us understand others—bringing us one step closer to attaining peace.***

 

Living Intentionally, part 2 -- Small Choices

Because this topic continues to stir inside, I decided to add on to Living Intentionally, with or without a cow, in hopes of continuing this discussion. My focus here is not upon massive life-altering decisions, but feel free to go live amongst the forest creatures if this will bring you peace! For me, I love a good hike or a quiet weekend in the woods, but I also love our tiny corner in this magical little city we call home. With that being said, I want to live as intentionally as possible and make choices that are best for humanity and the earth that so graciously houses us.

We continue to awaken and grow in this area, and it is gratifying to see some of the changes from the me of ten years ago. Some I find comical and shake my head at myself and think, what were you thinking? This is all part of the awakening process, and hopefully, we will never stop growing, awakening, and becoming more intentional in the decisions we make.

As we have recently been downsizing our amount of clothing, and keeping only those things we really love, I remembered a comically horrid habit I used to have. (I might as well laugh at this one and be grateful I don't do this any longer) On many occasions, I would stay out with friends for an entire evening/night and simply go buy a new outfit for the next day's work. This would usually never be an outfit that I loved, but it would get me by until I went home on the following day. I can remember doing this sometimes two days in a row! My closet was full of clothes I would wear only once! Insane to think about, but yes, I did this. Now, as I have purposefully downsized my clothing selection to 35 pieces of clothing, (excluding my uniform, 2 coats, pajamas, and underwear) I just have to shake my head and laugh at the irresponsibility of this former, and might I add lazy, self. (Why 35 you ask? I was going for 33, but I cannot part with anything else at the moment.)

We also try to get the most use out of everything. Our home is not without any plastic, but when we must buy plastic, we reuse as much as possible, and recycle. Again, we've not gone extreme and built a couch and shelving unit out of plastic sandwich bags and wine bottles, but we try to purposefully and responsibly use the items we buy. Along this same line, we've switched to using cloth napkins. (My father will be proud; he loves cloth napkins) A simple decision, but I hope to save at least one tree in the process. 

I've just discovered that our bathroom has plenty light for showering without turning on the light! Apparently, I'm slow on the uptake sometimes. We have a nice size bathroom window and there is really no need to turn on the light while showering during the day. Again, this might sound like a silly choice, but when we put minutes/hours to this choice: 5 minute shower/30 days/12 months = 2.5 hours per month...30 hours per year of electricity. Okay, so by doing this simple choice, I've saved 30 hours of electricity per year, now you see the potential if millions made this simple change. (Please don't try this while shaving if you do not have adequate sunlight! I will not be held responsible.)

Lastly, (for today!) I've thought about the way I've changed my eating habits. In an article I read recently, the author points out that more than seventy percent of grain harvested in the world goes to feed livestock for the meat industry. (Read that last sentence again...think of world hunger) We have not (yet) gone completely vegetarian or vegan, but we are extremely close, the wife closer than I am I think. (Admittedly, I still love a good burger when we meet the uncles for pool in Astoria!) Compared to ten years ago, my habits in this area have completely changed; I ate meat almost every meal. Because I was so busy, many of these meals were eaten out, on the go, and with no real thought of this consequences of such decisions. Now, if we eat meat at all, it is at most once a month--a drastic change in attitude and habit. Also, the fact that we eat out less often than I once did, has saved us a bundle. For example, even tonight, we'd thought about going out for Indian food, but I've decided to cook here instead. I enjoy the experience of cooking new dishes, and we save a bundle of money that will be better used elsewhere. 

If you are interested in shaking your life up a bit, read the articles to which I've linked throughout this blog. At the very least, look at the small decisions in your life; are there areas you can change? I know there are many other areas in our daily existence that will change in the future. Let me hear about your ideas; dialogue about such issues are essential for seeing blind spots in our own lives. And please, if you decide to move to the woods, send me your address, or at least your GPS coordinates, we'll be sure and come visit in the near future. From our tiny corner, peace to you.

*Add your ideas or thoughts below, and feel free to share this blog with others. The more the merrier.

Don't Run for the Bus

I'll admit it. New York is an odd and ironic spot on the map to have chosen to learn to slow down and simplify, but perhaps, it is precisely such a place that amplifies the unacknowledged mindset of empty busyness within so that it exposes the true need for deliberate action. Such an epicenter of motion and movement often churns up a hurried-ness, even when you are in no particular hurry!

After a few months of living here, I had fallen into the habit of running for the bus or sub. Now, this is not Louisville, where the next bus may or may not come by (or even stop) in the next ten or fifty minutes, this is Queens, New York, for goodness sake. I do not need to run for a bus! I can count the times on one hand that I have had to wait more than ten minutes for any sort of public transportation. Even if I work late and come home at some god-forsaken 3am, I only end up waiting twenty minutes for a bus. Most everyone here runs to catch the bus, sub, or air train. I asked myself one day, why am I running? I did not have an answer. I do not know why others are doing so, but I discovered I had fallen into this mindset without even thinking about it.

It is just as easy to fall into the societal trap of buying things we don't need. We have determined to simplify our life. We knew that we would be downsizing in order to move here. We went from a large two bedroom apartment with separate dining room and five closets (one of which was a huge walk-in) to a studio apartment with two small closets, and a sort-of-separate-alcove-kitchen-space. Although we'd only lived in our Louisville apartment for less than two years, we were surprised at how much stuff we'd collected. (Just ask mom and pop how much stuff we had since they so graciously let us keep it at the farm while we made our trek north.) We speak of it often now--we love our simplified life.

Slowing down, simplifying, minimizing, all of these come from an awareness that get more, be busier, strive continually, hurry up doesn't equal quality of life. And more often than not, this mindset seems to be the norm in our society, hindering us from having the time to examine our lives and recognize the faulty cycle into which we've fallen. And if we don't take the time to know who we are or where we going, being busy gets us nowhere; we are simply players in the proverbial rat race.

Below are some steps I have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, in order to reach a simpler, less distracted life. Whether or not you choose to simplify your life, give some thought to who you are, where you are going, and your level of happiness in your current state of mind. 

1. Less is indeed more -- this is the common sense stuff of simplifying. Plainly put, get rid of the stuff you don't need. (v. require because it is essential or very important) Each list will be different, but start with the sh*t you're already tripping over, and then just move on from there!

2. Give yourself space -- Just like the piles of treasures junk sitting in your garage, there are often piles and piles of junk cluttering our minds. Not to go all Buddhist on you, but meditation is the best way to clear up some space in your head and make way for creativity and clarity of thought. 

3. Don't jump off the bridge with your friends -- First, thanks, mom. I've become a much happier person as I've made choices that I've actually wanted to make. This includes giving yourself the freedom to say a kind and well-placed NO. Before you commit to something, even if it should sound like fun, make sure it is something you truly want to spend your time doing.  (Thanks for reminding me, wifey!) Don't do things because you think someone will think something about you if you don't. This is no longer middle school, and you have the right to make decisions that lead you to happiness. Many times we make decisions based upon others' opinions simply because we haven't taken the time to get to know us. As I have allowed myself the freedom to figure myself out, a new world of beauty and contentment has opened up for me. 

4. Stop running for the bus -- literally and figuratively. Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Smile, breathe, and slow down." So, Socrates meets Thich Nhat Hanh: Slow down and know thyself. This, in turn, adds to the collective peace of humanity and I think we can all agree that we need more of that!

5. Re-evaluate relationships -- I've recently given up Facebook. Now, don't get me wrong, I was a bit of a Facebook nerd, but having given it up, I realize that I want a more intentional relationship with people. This, undoubtedly, will mean fewer people in my non-Facebook friends list, but this is healthy for me. It has also made me realize that I want those intentional relationships with people who want an intentional relationship with me. I have uncovered a certain degree of OCD/unrealistic-view-of-loyalty when it comes to keeping in touch with people, and I've seen that it has become a true distraction in my ability to simply be present. 

The desired result is a more peaceful, less cluttered, more intentional life for myself and my wifey. With the slow down comes more time spent doing what we love: being together.