Stuff Gone....need more stuff gone

Had rummage sale.
Weather sucked.
Had some sales, but not nearly enough to put even a dent in the pile of stuff.

Thus....having another sale and monitoring weather closely to shoot for warmer and dryer for the big day.

Uggg.

-I think I can only muster the strength for one more try. Anything not sold is going to donations at the nearest of those type facilities.

Even with a lot of stuff gone- I suddenly look around and see everywhere...more, more, more stuff. Some of it is useful functional stuff. But some of it is not really.

One thing that strikes me suddenly is the obssession in this culture with clothing. I have enough clothing in my house to wrap the thing in them! A lot of the stuff has hardly ever been worn. Most of it is very repetitive....as in dozens of pairs of jeans, drawers full of underwear, t-shirts upon t-shirts. I am always reminded of the ginormous pile of clothing in my possession when I do the wash.

I have a strong feeling it is not supposed to be this way.
At least not for Me.
I feel weighted down by all these possessions.

Gotta get lighter.

Physical Health

All my life I have remained fairly active. Much more some of the time. Compared to the "average person" I am pretty fit. A few years ago I decided to stop running (which use to be my main thing for cardio-fitness). Bad knees caused me to replace running with biking.



Lately however (for about a year)- I have slacked off. I can tell too. In the way I feel and the size of my fat reserves. :)

I am still in decent shape...so I do not feel it will be difficult to ramp of the intensity/frequency of my "designated" exercise activities. Thus I have begun to regularly ride my bicycle again. It is more than just the physical aspect....I find that it is meditative as well. The tough part is taking time out of my days to DO this activity. It is easy to find other things I could do....my situation in life is such that I am busy....I have taken on many tasks and responsibilities. But it IS worth it and I know I can commit myself to the exercising thing if I make it a priority.

MAKING IT A PRIORITY is very important. Then there are no excuses and it becomes a reason for you NOT to do the other things. "No, I'm sorry, I can't do "X" today...I have to go ride my bike" PERIOD.

Here is something I have learned: The secret to losing weight and/or being fit is.......drum roll please.......
pushing your body physically against resistance of gravity consistently with purpose over time and eating the correct nutrients in NECESSARY amounts....while avoiding most (if not all) of the fun "extras" we humans have concocted for entertaining our taste buds.

That's it. Simple. No pills, no potions, no shakes, no powders, no books, no tools and equipment needed.

We legitimize our excuses and reasons when it suits us.

I had my 35th b-day this year. I promised myself many years ago that I would maintain my health and fitness. I may never hit the big time, or be rich, or win the Nobel Prize.....but as long as I am able at all...I CAN take care of this body that houses ME.

As I have gotten older I have gotten progressively healthier. So I am on the right track. I hope I last a long time and continue to feel the benefits of such choices.

LESS Stress

I realized quite a while ago that I am prone to going overboard with emotions. This I believe adds to my potential for experiencing certain kinds of stress. I stress over life....I worry about future (possible) events. Most of the bad stuff I imagine never comes to pass. The troubles I do encounter are never that bad. I find that I always rise to challenges as they loom. Even so....I am an emotional person and my thought processes are colored by the deep tides of feeling I exist within.

Ironic that I often maneuver myself into adventuresome situations that push my boundaries and test my guts. My own roller coaster of life has led me to highs and lows. I believe I have been fortunate however......and I am learning that worrying is really a waste of time. Even if the worst thing does happen...worrying over it will not change the outcome. Better to remain calm, focused, and even keeled....even in the midst of the shit hitting the fan. It is a hard lesson to sink into my pyche but I have made progress.

The key to less stress (for me anyway) I think is not to avoid or change aspects of life, but rather to change MY OUTLOOK...my mind...my thoughts. Something I have learned: It IS possible to control one's thoughts. It gets easier the more you practice awareness/consciousness. Of course it is also easy to slip back into old thought patterns. Life maybe is practice of some kind. I'd like to think we get to move on based on our growth and management of ourselves after this life. One day I shall see.

Anyway....I have been plagued by my own demons for so many years. I can feel their grip loosening as I journey on through time. This makes me feel glad. Who knows what the future will bring. I know this much.....stress for any reason at all is not worth the positive energy it steals away. I want to practice exorcising more of the negative thoughts and feelings from my experience. Being mindful of this desire sets me off in the right direction. It is up to me.

Budget

A budget is very important.

This is what I was taught and I can clearly see how a budget works.

However......I hate budgets.

For one, I have always disliked math. I do not find it engaging to think of numbers doing things with other numbers. Also, I have come to see money as a necessary evil that can easily become the controlling factor on the course of life.

I have experienced money in many different capacities. Good and Bad. In the end I don't like it much. I have an undeniable need for it based on the circumstances of life. I am well aware of its influence.

At this time I feel a strong desire to keep my budget as low as possible. Always being open to new ways to reduce it. For me a low necessity for money is freedom. Freedom from the grind. If I do not need a lot of money (and I do not think any person does) then I free up time for things other than working to attain more money.

Freedom. Freedom from the burden of debt and cyclic never ending bills. Freedom to spend time with loved ones. Freedom to learn new things and to engage in activities I enjoy.

There are a great many activities I enjoy. Things that make the efforts of life worthwhile and acceptable. The world is so vast and alive with things, activities, places, people to pass before my perception and create this ever flowing experience of living. That is richness to me. Concentrating on the moments we are in. Vibrantly open and free from the angst of non-acceptance, of desire, want, fear, anger, jealousy, and judgement. So many people seem to trade off part of being alive in exchange for a career and acquisitions of objects. I have been on that track myself and for me it was dull and draining with manic highs and lows.

I don't know if I'll ever hit one out of the park with regard to the pursuit of money......but it doesn't really matter to me. The things I really want in my life I have. I am enjoying my experience and as long as I can abide in a simple fashion that fulfills basic needs and comforts I will rest easy indeed.

Get Lost CoverGirl. Avon Be Gone.

Ditching most of the cosmetics. I emphasize MOST. I'm maintaining some vanity as a hobby. ;-)
I am fortunate right now that I spend most of my time at home. When I am here I do not wear make-up. For some occasions and when going "out" I will sometimes use powder and mascara....but that's about it. Ok....the occasional lip gloss.

Several years ago I had a make-up DRAWER. This was devoted to stuff for smearing, painting, and applying to my face. Even then I never used half the stuff. I started weeding things out. Now I have arrived at an attitude of acceptance of what I look like.....THIS IS IT....and while I'm a realist about our beauty obsessed culture I am not interested in spending much time on accessorizing my face.

I like to look good.....and by that I mean: clean, hair and appearance neat, healthy, fit body. In the past I have colored my hair, gotten perms, spent time getting made-up, etc. I just don't feel like engaging in those things much at this time. Who knows....maybe in my 80s I'll go wild with hair and make-up. Currently I'm digging on the clean, neat, and fit thing.

Less make-up (AND creams, gels, lotions, potions, pumices, loofahs, and cleansers)- is far easier on the money budget. Less space is needed for storing said items when they are not indulged in.

I swear I am not a health, nature, enviro, super enthusiast.....HOWEVER I have always been in love with the natural world- I don't see how smearing weird chemicals that were mass produced at the lowest possible cost on my skin is important, necessary, or even good for me?????? Skin probably does it's best when left to its natural condition.

I am considering using some natural mineral pigments and dyes in the future.....but my budget for such things is not normally in proper proportion to the price they go for. Oh well.


Speaking of budgets.....that has a lot to do with life doesn't it?
I'll be writing about that too.

Big Rummage Sale Upcoming

As part of my changing philosophy I will be participating in a mult-person rummage sale this autumn season. In this pending yard/rummage sale I will be putting up for sale MANY things that I've been toting around with me for quite some time. Life Dander? Perhaps....





I do believe I will be selling off/getting rid of most of my Christmas decor. (I have quite the collection as I believe I was previously suffering from some strange mental disorder involving whole house staging for x-mas that has no basis in anything reasonable.)




I have unfortunately come to see many of the holidays that are so zealously celebrated as having a consumerism and materialism driven foundation. These are marketed events for conditioning a willingness to spend money on stuff......mostly unneccesary stuff that clogs up the arteries of the energy flow of life. Life is worth celebrating....don't get me wrong. I just don't feel the need for a "special occasion" in order to do so. Nor do I feel it is necessary to spend money or acquire things to properly make notice of the special nature of this life.



I will also be putting my Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations on the chopping block. I have been thinking about all these things for many moons now. I asked myself...what does this add to your life? Does it carry a positive charge - having these bits? What do things affirm about a person...if anything? Is it entertaining, worthwhile, helpful, beautiful?



Well....after my musing on it I determined that a lot of the "extras" type stuff that I have is like a dead weight in my life. I go through the motions with the little traditions I have established....but they don't carry the same significance for me anymore. It's a bunch of empty hoopla of which I don't feel a connection. I just see a pile of stuff in boxes....to be taken out, then placed back into...stored, moved, cleaned. And for what? Just sick of stuff.

The more stuff I move out of my life, the more peace and happiness I experience. Good reason to lighten the load and ditch "shopping" as a recreational activity.

First Post

Ok- so everyone undergoes changes in the course of life. We have that in common. A journey of change. I think perhaps I am writing this blog as a way to document part of my specific path.

I feel a compulsion to change. After all the input from living this life I was thrust into I have begun to feel a shift in perceptions. It seems like a pretty big shift. But that is of course relative to the way of measurement.

This blog may not accomplish much....but writing is an exercise I have always felt inclined to engage in. Maybe it is cheap self-therapy......it works for me. If anyone reading this is inspired, entertained, or informed then bonus points.