No new pictures today. I'm thinking of slowing the picture posting down a bit and maybe doing a recap of the week's looks on Sundays. It's getting difficult to find the whole minute to get my picture snapped each day. No, seriously it is. But that's not really what I wanted to write about today. Topic du jour is: Other areas in my life that Project333 is affecting.
You see, this month in addition to clearing out my closet and dresser, I am also clearing out my house to make way for my new tenant. Trouble is I currently live a 2.5 hour drive from that house. And I'm in school full-time, 5 days a week. Add in that I share a vehicle with my mother and have an 11 year old to get to and from grade school each day (no bus service..grr) and it gets a bit stressful. My weekends end up being a whirlwind of driving, cleaning, sorting, purging, packing. The result of all this is me, (usually) collapsing in a tearful, exhausted heap, overwhelmed by the amount still left to do.
I have A LOT of stuff. Albeit useful interesting stuff, but still A LOT. Books alone number in the hundreds. Add in my other hobbies and interests and the body count mounts. Oh, did I mention I have a kid? Any of you who have children are well aware of how much STUFF comes into your life when that bundle of joy arrives. Any of who don't have kids, and think that you can really control what people will give you (or give to said child directly...often surreptitiously because you've already explained eleventy million times that you really don't have room/space/any desire for xxxxx item(s) ) well, you're kidding yourself. You will be thwarted, ignored, countermanded at every turn by loving, well-meaning relatives and friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for every hand-me-down, and gift we've gotten over that last decade. The generosity we have received has kept Lani clothed and amused for all of her 11 years. But WOW! Cleaning-out/packing up her room yesterday was exhausting. Luckily, she is a pretty savvy kid. When I showed her the car this morning, still filled with what I brought out of her room, she completely agreed it would be best to sort through and donate any unused/outgrown/unneeded items to friends, the local Goodwill, and our other favorite the Seton Center (a local group of nuns who serve the poor in our area).
What I am trying to keep in mind, focus on, and cling to to keep me sane in all of this, is that I don't really NEED so much stuff. But it is hard...I look at all my crafting supplies and think of how happy it makes me to make cards. Or at my fabric stash, and how much I enjoy sewing. Or even all my kitchen equipment and how I love to cook for friends and family. How I love to create menus and develop new recipes. I truly do need a certain amount of equipment to accomplish that.
I am hoping that by clearing out all but what I really love, use, and have room for, I'll create space in my life to get back to doing all those things. Because sadly, even though I do derive so much happiness from my hobbies and interests I do not have space to pursue them. Ironic I guess, but probably not unique.
So here's to the idea that Project333 is infiltrating my brain, and will help me tame these other areas as well.
How about you? How is this project affecting other areas of your life?
You see, this month in addition to clearing out my closet and dresser, I am also clearing out my house to make way for my new tenant. Trouble is I currently live a 2.5 hour drive from that house. And I'm in school full-time, 5 days a week. Add in that I share a vehicle with my mother and have an 11 year old to get to and from grade school each day (no bus service..grr) and it gets a bit stressful. My weekends end up being a whirlwind of driving, cleaning, sorting, purging, packing. The result of all this is me, (usually) collapsing in a tearful, exhausted heap, overwhelmed by the amount still left to do.
I have A LOT of stuff. Albeit useful interesting stuff, but still A LOT. Books alone number in the hundreds. Add in my other hobbies and interests and the body count mounts. Oh, did I mention I have a kid? Any of you who have children are well aware of how much STUFF comes into your life when that bundle of joy arrives. Any of who don't have kids, and think that you can really control what people will give you (or give to said child directly...often surreptitiously because you've already explained eleventy million times that you really don't have room/space/any desire for xxxxx item(s) ) well, you're kidding yourself. You will be thwarted, ignored, countermanded at every turn by loving, well-meaning relatives and friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for every hand-me-down, and gift we've gotten over that last decade. The generosity we have received has kept Lani clothed and amused for all of her 11 years. But WOW! Cleaning-out/packing up her room yesterday was exhausting. Luckily, she is a pretty savvy kid. When I showed her the car this morning, still filled with what I brought out of her room, she completely agreed it would be best to sort through and donate any unused/outgrown/unneeded items to friends, the local Goodwill, and our other favorite the Seton Center (a local group of nuns who serve the poor in our area).
What I am trying to keep in mind, focus on, and cling to to keep me sane in all of this, is that I don't really NEED so much stuff. But it is hard...I look at all my crafting supplies and think of how happy it makes me to make cards. Or at my fabric stash, and how much I enjoy sewing. Or even all my kitchen equipment and how I love to cook for friends and family. How I love to create menus and develop new recipes. I truly do need a certain amount of equipment to accomplish that.
I am hoping that by clearing out all but what I really love, use, and have room for, I'll create space in my life to get back to doing all those things. Because sadly, even though I do derive so much happiness from my hobbies and interests I do not have space to pursue them. Ironic I guess, but probably not unique.
So here's to the idea that Project333 is infiltrating my brain, and will help me tame these other areas as well.
How about you? How is this project affecting other areas of your life?
I've been in the process of clearing out my house to get it ready to sell. Then I happened upon Project 333, and figured it would help me clean out my closet. Both things have me thinking/re-thinking about really fundamental questions. I always knew our stuff is more than stuff, but I didn't *really* know it. Now I do. Learning more all the time. Good luck with your house. Oh, and if you want to see a pre-teen girl who loves her stuff, check out these pics in my blog about cleaning out my daughter's room: http://intertidalyears.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/no-crazy-cat-lady-to-be/
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