One of my "words of the year" is Simplify. This is a pretty common theme for me, as I tend to try to do ALL OF THE THINGS only to get overwhelmed and do NONE OF THE THINGS.

Getting the house ready to sell helped me to practice simplifying my life. I packed or got rid of most/all of the things that I thought were not necessary for everyday living. This reminded me how much STUFF accumulates when you live in a house for almost two decades! I know I should never need to purchase another:

• Pen

• Notebook (until ALL of the blank ones I have are filled)

• Coffee Mug

• Wine Glass

• Yoga Blanket

• Black T-shirt

• Etc. Etc...

We spent hours sorting through our belongings. In the beginning, I was taking each item in my hand, deciding if it "sparked joy," aka Marie Kondo style. Because of my tendency to overthink everything. This did not work for very long.

Aw, this sparks joy because of a memory...

But it's been broken since you brought it home.

So, you should say "thank you" and let it go...

But you've kept it for so long, why give it up now...

Etc. Etc...

As the kitchen counter remodel finished up, and it was time to keep everything out of sight for potential buyers, I became less picky about what would stay and what would go. Or I decided to pack it and make the decision later. So, I will be thinking about some of these objects again, probably within the next few months.

Getting to the simple takes time and energy. Decisions have to be made. Heavy boxes sometimes need to be lifted. If you've always done it the Hard way, you're going to make mistakes on the way to Simple.

In yoga and meditation practice, the direction to "just breathe" can be ridiculously difficult.* When you are trying to simply breathe, there may be additional steps:

• Maybe you focus on the temperature of your breath

• Maybe you focus on the depth or shallowness of the breath

• Maybe you notice the thoughts that show up in your mind

• Maybe you attempt to let that thought move on by

• Etc. Etc...

So, be gentle with yourself when you are trying to make your life easier. You'll get there. Decluttering creates a clean space. This is true when simplifying your home or quieting your mind.

:)

This also makes me think about...

It is possible to cook simply at home. But when you are accustomed to having a cabinet full of spices, different-sized whisks, various strainers, and at least seven small kitchen appliances in rotation, and now they are packed and waiting to move to Florida, it takes more creativity to make it simple.

Or, in this case, it takes more simplicity to make more creative meals. I've been using HelloFresh for a good number of my dinners since I cleared out my kitchen. Except for spending 50 cents at Goodwill for a cooking sheet, I've had everything I've needed to prepare these meals with the few pans I have in the house. And there are no leftovers, just in case we need to get "showcase ready" on a moment's notice.

Here's a pic of my recent dinner. If you want a discount on Hello Fresh, message me, and I'll send you a code for a free box if I still have some available.

*I am trying to stay away from the word "just" when describing anything. Nothing is "just" anything to everybody.