My blog intention: A practice of mindfulness, “being enough”, letting go of unneeded emotions & things….ultimately less.
I am not sure where I heard that clutter is much like visual noise. I don’t even know if I came up with that or I read it somewhere, but that concept occurs to me on a regular basis. I look around my home that is filled with baby and toddler gear/toys and I think, “look at all of this noise!” I’m surrounded by items that need attention in some way or another. Most often I or my husband need to pick up the same type of toys daily and within minutes they can easily find their way back onto the floor. Now, before I go on, let me say that I love this time in my life. I love the two little souls who leave said toys on the floor. And I believe there will be a day where I will yearn for the same clutter, dirty little hands and pitter-patter of feet on our wood floors. So while, I am addressing toy clutter, I do not want to address it as though it my ultimate burden. It’s just that as I move toward consuming less in my life, I am aware of the mental and physical space that these items occupy. As a therapist, I often teach my clients that “awareness” is one of the first steps towards change. So now, I am aware of how much clutter is in my space and I want change around it.
I have watched my mind in the last week as Black Friday and Cyber Monday (today) approached. My desire to “hunt and gather” grew with each ad that I encountered this week. I bet my mind has thought of at least 100 items I should get this week to solve some problem (be it a gift for someone or a good deal on a home appliance we need). I have the added energy that my daughter’s birthday falls 10 days before Christmas, so my desire to make her day “special” has been running high. But you know what? I have purchased minimal things. Sure, I have surfed the web and looked at more merchandise that I could possibly enjoy. So I am not immune to the pleasure of buying new things or advertising. I’m an easy target. My compromise is that I have allowed myself to look and then to reevaluate what I want to spend, which has resulted in me turning the computer off. I’ve journaled. I’ve looked up new cookie recipes to bake for santa on Christmas eve. I’ve been creating a handmade gift for my husband. Less is more when it comes to consumerism. Consuming is excess is not satisfying. It does not enliven. So this holiday season, I plan to slow down my fast-paced mind and allow less to be enough.
Nurture family counseling 