Monday:
There is something so refreshing about turning the page of the calendar to a new year. I just bought my 2015 calendar. I have decided to make a return to paper…it appeals to my creative side. I know the general rule is to only keep one calendar but aside from the practicality of my online, shared with my family calendar it does little else for me. I am keeping the electronic one for its merits and eagerly anticipating using my lovely paper planner. My Sharpie markers are ready and waiting! The opportunity of the blank canvas of a new year in the life awaits.
As I look to days ahead resolution, energy, and minimalism are the words speaking loudest to me. January screams resolution to most, but how do we keep the excitement from waning quickly? December finds us drained but when that midnight hour of December 31 clicks over, don’t you just feel refreshed and ready to take on the world? And finally, minimalism, simplicity, a “less is more” kind of existence keeps enchanting this girl who likes her stuff and cannot pass by a great garage sale or second hand store. So, a new journey will begin again…
Tuesday:
Noah Webster, in his 1828 dictionary defined resolution as: “6. Fixed purpose or determination of mind; as a resolution to reform our lives; a resolution to undertake an expedition.” Now, I have never been a new year’s resolution kinda gal but when I read that definition all three aspects of it resonated with me as they clearly are fueling the fire for my 2015 goals. I find myself enamored with the idea of a more simplistic life and thus have resolved to undertake the goal of moving through my home and parting with those things that impede my cleaning efforts, stifle my feelings of comfort and contentment, and just plain no longer bring me joy. I also resolve in the year ahead to not bring things into my home that detract from a feeling of simplicity around here. I am ready for an expedition! Yes, I am ready to reform my life by minimizing the stuff of my surroundings…and in the process really experience what I value most. I bet it won’t be things.
Wednesday:
Returning back to Webster, I like his take on “energy” – 4. Strength of expression; force of utterance; life; spirit; emphasis. I just love how a new year breathes life back into my being. It seems that as a year wanes, so does my energy. Since the opportunity to hibernate like a bear doesn’t exist for us humans, I am grateful that I can approach the cold winter months with the gumption to conquer some things before warmer weather entices me back outdoors. This year, each room of our home seems filled with opportunity for change, be it slight or extensive. A bit of paint in the bedroom, more sense of order in the pantry, and a complete overhaul of the plethora of crafting items in the studio give me more to do than time will allow and certainly no time for hibernation. After moving through the holiday season ahead, it will be time to take all those Pinterest pins and roll back my sleeves to make our retreat from the outside world even more a place to relax, to laugh, to cook, and to create with my family and to share with others.
Thursday:
Now, it should not surprise anyone that the word “minimalism” does not appear in Webster’s 1828 dictionary. Interestingly, though, neither do the words minimum or minimize. I guess that world was void of super-sizing and overabundance. How delightful! A modern day definition upon a quick Google search says, “a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity”. In my endeavor to redesign my home in 2015, simplicity will be a key thought. I don’t see myself as ever becoming one of the minimalists whose focus is extreme spareness. It would be unfathomable to me to own only one crock pot! The perception of minimalism is as varied as the person striving for it.
Quite honestly, if you were to walk through my home today and again at the end of next year, you may respond, “what changed?”. But I will know. Gone will be the clutter in the drawers, in the linen closet, throughout the kitchen cupboards, and oh indeed in the craft room/studio. Behind the scenes will be an organized, simplistic existence and, I suspect, it will become contagious and its effects will creep out amongst the bookshelves, mantle, and array of trinkets displayed throughout my home. Unseen will be the overriding sense of peace and tranquility that I, and hopefully my family, will feel. 12 months…one day at a time…a gentle change moving throughout my home.
Friday:
So…here we are. We have arrived at another Friday. It is uncanny how quickly the weeks rolls by. My test project was my kitchen. From the outside, it was tidy but hiding behind the cabinet doors and in the drawers was more than we needed or used. It entered a reformation stage BUT since I took it a cabinet or two at a time, our homeschool was not impeded and supper arrived on a cleared dining room table. Earlier each day, the table had been the place of both schoolbooks and the contents of the emptied cabinet of the moment. Useful and desired contents were returned to their space in an orderly fashion and the rest have found a temporary home in a box in the trunk of my car until they can be delivered to the local donation spot and find their next home. I could not be more pleased with this process. Slow and steady wins the race they say.
I see clearly that I have finally found a process that fits my lifestyle. I don’t have time for mass undoing and redoing…this little by little approach allowed life to continue on in a smooth, productive, and uncluttered pace. I will return to the kitchen project in January. Since I already have a foot moving in a positive direction, I hope it will be easy to delve back into. In the meanwhile, the adventure of Thanksgiving week awaits my family followed by the Christmastime season. The organization tasks will just have to wait…their is family to be enjoyed!
“Minimalism.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimalism>.
“energy.” Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. 2014. http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/energy (7 January 2014).
“resolution.” Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. 2014. http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/resolution (7 January 2014).
