Now and Zen

A while back,  during a conversation about the frustrations of house upkeep, a friend shared a practice she employs to help keep her sane during the craziest of crazy times...

As she described it, there is one place in her home (I believe it was the top of her nightstand) which, through thick and thin, come hell or high water, is always a lesson in simplicity, is clear of dust and clutter, and has just a few of her very favorite things artfully arranged on it.  This is her Zen Space. 

While the rest of the household may be falling into disarray with the family's comings and goings, she knows she can sit on her bed, take a few breaths, look at her Zen Space, and find a little peace amid the cacophony of clutter and chaos. What a fantastic idea...

SO, you guessed it! This is our quick assignment for the month!!

Where in your house can YOU create a Zen Space?? First, pick a small surface that is easy to keep cleared & dusted. Second, make sure that only a few special things are on it--maybe a special picture and some fresh flowers--nothing else allowed. 

When things are feeling out of whack and out of control around the house, focus on this one clean, clear spot that is well within your control.  Take a couple of deep breaths and take a minute to relax--you will be so glad you did.

Remember these assignments are supposed to be fun & only take you 15 minutes or less...so set your timer, and carve out a little peaceful space for yourself!

It's Awfully Bulky

Just recently, a new Costco opened up in our neighborhood and I couldn't believe all the buzz-- even my own kids were begging to go! Because I now have a new understanding of just how alluring these warehouses with aisles of abundance are,  I want to talk about this whole buying in bulk thing again...

 So, do you belong to Costco? Do you frequent Sam's Club? Do you delight in having a year's supply of toilet paper and canned beans at arm's length at all times?Shopping at these stores can be fun~we feel we are saving money and preparing for Armageddon all at the same time. How efficient! But because I spend a lot of time helping people manage the items in their homes, I would like to invite you to think about buying in bulk in a different way...

At this time there are two things of which I would like to remind you:

First, despite what the media may tell you, you are NOT a "consumer," but a human being.  Hopefully you know you are so much more than your ability to consume and accumulate...

Second, as you shop for your needs week in & week out, keep in mind your goal is not to run a storage facility, but to create a home.

If you are wooed by the thought of saving some coin, and made giddy by the thought of all that abundance right on hand at home, let's think about the real costs involved in investing in palettes of paper towels and tons of toothpaste:

• Carrying inventory (which is what you are doing, just like a store or factory) requires time...time to make sure it is stored properly, that it is used in a timely way, and that it gets used at all...it is easy to forget what is on those shelves way down there in the dark basement or shoved to the back of the freezer.
• Carrying inventory requires space--space that could be used for other productive things, or enjoyed with other activities. How many of us feel our houses need more space? Create some elbow room by not having so much of it occupied by things you aren't currently using.
• Carrying inventory has a built-in percentage of waste--we are busy people with lots of things on our minds. There will always be a portion of things that we are storing that we simply forget about. We will buy duplicates. The product will get dusty, spoil, pass its expiration date or just become undesirable as it waits on the shelf. It will end up in the trash unused.
• Carrying inventory ties up cash in things that aren't currently being used, which maybe can make sense if we are investing in something like real estate or gold, but we are talking about things like shampoo and soda. Enjoy your money now, or put it in the bank so that it is there for a rainy day. Don't tie it up in things that are readily available at the corner store that you won't need for months, or maybe never at all.

Allow the stores to provide a wonderful service to you: let them store your stuff until you need it! You are right to think that your house is much like a factory or machine that needs supplies to run efficiently. However, from Benjamin Franklin, to Henry Ford, to current day Toyota manufacturing processes, it has been proven that efficiency does not include managing inventory, but rather what is called "just in time" or "lean" practices. We can employ these same ideas, and have less waste and more time to do the things we really enjoy....

The product our little cottage factories (our homes) should produce in abundance is comfort and peace, providing an environment that supports how we want to live. Don't manage inventory, enjoy living!

Taking A Walk....

I have lived in and around the same town since I was in third grade, but there are still so many things left to discover and appreciate... Due to A LOT of HEAVY rain a few weeks ago, my normal trek through the woods with the dog was just too muddy, so the paved path near what is simply called "The Mansion" at Ridley Creek State Park called to me.  Can I just say--LIKE. WOW.

Especially  with the misty air and moody tone of the afternoon, I felt like I was on the set of  PBS Masterpiece Mystery, not just out for a walk with a Corgi....The formal gardens, although a bit rough around the edges now, made my imagination run wild, thinking about what life must have been like here in the early 1900's when this house was first built around an old existing stone farmhouse...  You know, back before the Great Depression set in, when it seemed like the most reasonable thing to do to build such an amazing, grand, sprawling structure where only a humble, plain one had existed previously. I don't know about the family's fortunes, or how they were affected by the stock market crash and all of its aftermath. Thankfully this beautiful house survived...

as well as all of the open space around it. It is such a blessing to see the beautiful things that people can create ...

and to know that other people that followed them saw the beauty in what was there, and made sure that it was preserved so that we all can enjoy it for generations to come. What a delight and blessing to stumble across a gem I knew so little about, right here in my own back yard.

A Summertime Staycation--Just Be!

Our family starts each summer with a trip to Maine, where time slows down and we are able to just BE...

sooooooo relaxing......

The ability to disconnect, recharge and just be is what is so restorative about some time away. But what about when we are back home and in the thick of things?? What about our busy, busy day-to-day lives?

So now that I am back in the office, I have been thinking about how, whether or not we are on vacation, each summer day is the perfect day to afford ourselves a "staycation."  If you aren't sure where to start in this process, your pets can be very good instructors. My officemates helped me to jot down my thoughts...

During the rest of the year, it seems we feel defined by our busyness, and busyness is the pervasive quality that describes our work, our weekends, and, I fear, our lives in our homes as well.

We often make the mistake of equating the value of something to the accomplishment, the completion, the meeting of the goal....however, life in our houses is never done. There are always dishes to be washed, laundry to be folded, floors to be swept, and papers to be sorted. Even in the summer! LIKE Always.

So, are you waiting for your checklist to be done, your hamper to be empty, and your Better Homes and Gardens photo shoot to be scheduled so you can really sit and savor summer in your home? Please don't. Be relaxed. Be curious...You know, just BE....

The reason we own our homes, other than the fact we need shelter, of course, is to hopefully derive some pleasure and enjoyment from them. Its summer--make sure you are taking time to do just that. Sit on the deck, sip some wine on the porch, and make sure you cut some of those beautiful blooms from the garden and place them on the kitchen table so you can enjoy them even more....

Alright, I have to close now because I have SO much to do this afternoon (just kidding, just kidding....)

Independence Day--Let's Find Some Freedom For YOU!

Happy Fourth of July! I hope today you are full of a feeling of freedom and bliss!! In my line of work, the thing that most often keeps people from feeling free is the excess of STUFF in their lives. So how does decluttering promote freedom?!? Getting rid of stuff that we don't love and don't find useful gives us...

• Freedom From Guilt--are you still holding on to the cake plate that was a wedding gift from your Aunt Florence just because you feel guilty about getting rid of it?? Let it go (along with all of those negative emotions), and know that it doesn't mean you love Auntie Flo any less.
• Freedom From Debt-having just what we need and love around us keeps things simple, and makes it easier to live within our means.
• Freedom From Claustrophobia-less stuff means MORE SPACE. Nothing like some more elbow room to make us feel free.
• Freedom From Dust-all those things that are kicking around in our house are things that we have to MANAGE and TAKE CARE OF. Give yourself freedom from more things to dust. Donate them and let them go bless someone else.

Declare your independence today! Promise yourself that you will spend just 15 minutes sometime this weekend clearing out things that you don't love and/or don't find useful. You will be amazed at how much more free your time and your spirits will be!