Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

Tomorrow is Good Friday, a name that always confused me as a child.  Isn't Good Friday the day that Jesus suffered on a cross?  Isn't it the day he died?  I understood why Easter is a joyful celebration of his resurrection, but not how such a dark and sorrowful day could be called "good." Whether or not you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ after his sacrificial death on a cross, you may still enjoy celebrating Easter as a time of renewal, hope, and love for family and friends.  But how can Good Friday fit into that? The realities of life I don't know many people who don't carry a burden of fear and anxiety.  Even if it's usually in the background, we all have daily stresses, looming challenges, ongoing difficulties, and potential griefs.  The world isn't perfect, and troubles and disappointments are real.  It's not a matter of if – it's a matter of when .  At some point, something will be hard to handle. An optimistic viewp...

Maybe you've been decluttering and organizing for a while now.  You're making progress, but you're not really feeling that serenity and happiness all the minimalists talk and write about. Yes, things are more manageable in your home.  You're not spending so much time searching for things or deciding what to wear.  And yes, your home is... shall we say prettier ?  You're looking at fewer piles of neglected things, fewer things that you kept out of guilt or inertia, and more things that you actually enjoy seeing.  The things that bring a smile to your face.... Oops.  Sorry, that just snuck in.  I'm writing about how you're not feeling the joy, and how you're wondering why you should continue with all of this minimizing.  Let's try again. 6 reasons to get excited about having less 1.  You're saving money. Seriously, start keeping track of the money you save because you're not buying stuff you don't need.  Remember the cute merchandise you...

I was reading an older post by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame, and he mentioned a semi-regular feature on GQ called 10 Essentials .  Each entry features a designer, entrepreneur, or celebrity naming 10 things that are essential to them. A valuable exercise I won't link to GQ's feature, because within moments of looking I could see that it was basically a hard sell for luxury consumerism.  But I love the concept, and think it would be useful – and possibly fun – to think about the 10 things that are my essentials. 1.  What I wear Jeans.   Almost every day I put on a pair of black or dark wash jeans.  I love the comfort and versatility of jeans (you can dress them up or down).  The ones I buy are designed for my plus-size body, but almost everyone can find a style and cut of jeans that fits them, looks and feels good, and wears well. 2.  What I also wear Sketchers Go Walk shoes.   Affordable, comfortable, simply designed – black Go Walks * are my d...

What is the American Dream?  That depends on when you're talking about it. In the beginning, the American Dream was about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."  It came from the idea that all people have a God-given right to pursue their own course in life, without regard to their rank at birth, within the confines of an agreed-upon moral code.  Freedoms included those of speech, worship, peaceful protest, fair courts, etc.  (We'll ignore for now the fact that these liberties didn't usually extend to women or people of color.) By the mid-19th century, the American Dream had expanded to include the promise of free land, granted by the government if you "proved up" by building a house, raising crops, and enduring the dangers, loneliness, and harsh weather of the frontier.  Millions of people spread westward, hoping for new and prosperous lives.  (We'll ignore for now the fact that this land had been stolen from indigenous tribes.) Many other ...

Imagine checking into a nice hotel room.  It doesn't have to be the most expensive, just a clean and pleasant place in an area you want to visit. Put the key card in the slot, open the door, and imagine what you see.  You may or may not like the color of the bedspread and drapes.  You may or may not like the artwork on the walls.  But you probably like the super-clean, spa-like bathroom and neatly made bed.  Extra pillows and in-room coffee are nice too.  (One place Jon and I like to stay on the Sonoma county coast has a gas fireplace in each room.  Love! )  Hotel rooms offer a place to shower, store your clothes, and sleep while you're traveling for work or fun.  Maybe they have a nice pool or a beautiful view.  Nothing more.  Nothing less. It's that simplicity that beckons you to curl up with a good book.  Maybe you'll watch a bit of TV while you snuggle into the robe that's provided.  Or you might take a nap in the afte...

We live in a culture of plenty.  So it's pretty typical for us to believe that we need more than one of almost everything.  Of course you need a backup spatula, cooking spoon, or sauté pan!  Naturally you want a selection of bath towels, dinner plates, and athletic shoes!  It's only common sense to keep an extra umbrella, water bottle, or charger (or two, three, or a lot more). We don't even question this. Yet a lot can be gained by not owning more than we need: We save money when we don't buy all the extras. We save space when we don't store all the extras. We save aggravation when we don't have to search through all the extras. Not to mention the resources we don't waste, and the waste we don't generate, when we don't manufacture and package and ship all the extras. Over the years, I've reduced my belongings to the point where I own a single copy of items that many people own multiples of.  Some items are small and inexpensive, others are la...

If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you probably know that daylight saving time begins this Sunday , March 10th.  (In Europe, you still have a couple of weeks before summer time begins.)  Yes, it does seem to arrive earlier each year, although the current law which has it begin on the second Sunday in March has been in effect in the U.S. since 2007. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the World Sleep Society oppose daylight saving time and call for permanent standard time.  The U.S. state of Arizona is one of only two states that does not observe the change (the other is Hawaii), citing energy conservation as the reason.  With the hottest metropolitan areas on the continent, having an extra hour of sunlight while people are active would cause them to run their cooling systems longer, using even more energy than they already do.  I believe the same is true here in the Sacramento Valley, but California has chosen to observe DST. The tyranny of the clock As w...

Recently, I returned home from a weekend trip and immediately unpacked what I took with me, washed a load of dirty clothes, and put everything away.  I felt settled and at home.  It was a good feeling. A few days later, I was having a hard day.  I started cleaning.  I cleaned the refrigerator and wiped the kitchen counters.  I decluttered a few old papers from my file box.  I swept the porches and mopped the floor in the entry hall.  It felt good. Self-soothing with home care For me, cleaning, organizing, and decluttering are a form of self-care.  I feel satisfied when things are clean and neat.  I feel like I'm managing my life and ready for what's next. I know that these activities can feel overwhelming for some, and so we avoid them.  The feeling of not knowing where to start, or that there's just so much mess, can make you feel like a failure.  But if you can just begin in one small area, you start to feel a measure of control,...