Obesity & Starvation

I was donating plasma the other day and the television on the wall was showing a promotion by World Vision. They were visiting villages in Africa and the closed captioning was giving details of the children and people being highlighted. Two year old children without enough to eat. We all know the stories, we see the pictures, we hear the pleas for help.

Here in North America, the news stories tell us that the prevalence of diabetes has doubled in the last 30 years - to 357 million people. Mostly due to increasing obesity. And that is only for the adults who start to see diabetes showing up in middle age. Let's not talk about the increasing number of obese children and teenagers who are still headed for the obesity bandwagon.

Which makes me wonder... how can these two stark contrasts exist in the same world? How can we have starvation in one country and obesity in another country? And be OK with that?? Because let's face it, we are essentially "OK" with it. We don't rise up against our governments and demand an end to Carbon emissions which are altering the climate and exacerbating desertification in sub-Saharan Africa which forces people to become climatic refugees. We don't stand up and demand an end to the deforestation of Amazonian rainforests. We don't stand up really... as long as it is NIMBY (not in my back yard), we are content with our lives. Oh sure, we have twinges of guilt but... really...

Maybe all obese and overweight people should be forced to sponsor a malnourished or starving child? Maybe the junk food companies should be forced to sponsor poor countries like Haiti? Because in the great circle of life... what goes around... comes around... We might do well to think of that for our future.

12. CDs

Alright, so a few weeks back I completed the transfer of all of my music cds into my new desktop computer, into iTunes. Now that that is done, it's time to look at all of those cds and ask the question... do I still need to keep them? If all of the music is in the computer and in my iPod nano, then do I need to keep the originals? Could I just let go of them? That is the question... Because as soon as I think about getting rid of them, there is something inside of me that goes "NO.... what if you need them!! What if the computer dies or the sound files get obsolete or..." Funny how that happens...

Logically, seriously, realistically, I do not need these hundreds of cds. I could get rid of them. I could let them go... I could... But will I? I know from past experience, that cds are very heavy and bulky to move. I don't want to keep schlepping them around with me. I would really like to just let go of them and move on without them. That would be at least 3 less boxes to move in the future. And it would free up some wall space as the cd racks could go as well.

Maybe it's time to use the Peter Walsh method here as well, except a bit more ruthlessly. So, if I have 200 cds, maybe it's time to let go of 20% of them... which would be 40 of them. Could I let go of 40 cds? Probably... I can already think of some that I don't love and that could go by the board. So, maybe that's the way, just start somewhere and start pulling them off the shelf and see how far I get.

Now, that that's done... it's time to take them to the used record/cd store and see what I can get for them. I know that I'll never get back what I paid for them. But even $1/cd is better than nothing, because right now they aren't doing anything for me other than using my space in our house!

11. Bookshelf in Living Room/Dining Room

Well, although I haven't been blogging about it, I haven't been neglecting my little declutter something every day routine. Yesterday, I took a bunch of stuff to Value Village, stuff which had been starting to clutter up the basement. Now that it's all gone, it's amazing how much space is created! Love that sense of space.

I was watching Peter Walsh (organizing guru) on OWN the other day and he was helping some people declutter there books. His method is to take 10 books and get rid of one of them. If you do that every once in a while (and don't buy books all the time), then pretty soon the book collection will be manageable.

So, the book shelves in the dining room and the living room. Well, they have doors in front of them, so you can't see how many books are in there, which is a definite bonus. But... there are a lot of books in there. On my side, there are all of my scriptural textbooks from my master's degree. Have a referred to them in the last 7 years. Not really. Am I likely to read them again any time soon? Probably not. Am I ever going to refer to them again... most likely not. Hmmm... what to do... I could use the Peter Walsh method and try getting rid of 10% of them. That seems reasonable. It's easier to go through and choose the ones that I really am not attached to and leave the ones that I am attached to.

With that done, I can now take them to my favourite used bookstore and try floggin them there. If they don't take them, then it's off to Value Village that the go.

750 Words

So, I've been writing my morning pages on the website 750 words. I was up to a 55 day streak, and just a few days away from completing the month of June without missing a day. I was a happy Albatross (30 days in a row) well on my way to receiving the Pteradactyl badge (100 days in a row) when... yes, I missed yesterday! Sigh... I woke up this morning with a sinking feeling in my stomach. Maybe I just forgot that I wrote something yesterday? I remember thinking about it several times yesterday but when I logged in... alas... I definitely wrote nothing yesterday. And now, I have lost my lofty Albatross status and am back to being an Egg... Sigh... Well, today is a new day and it's time to dust myself off and try again!

Amazing how well it works, these little badge incentives. I really do not find it burdensome to sit down and write my 750 words, mostly because it only takes me 7 or 8 minutes on the computer, whereas 3 long-hand pages takes at least 30 minutes. Funny how that happens. Maybe I need to actually write on the computer for 30 minutes to match long-hand writing? That would be an awful lot of words!!

Karma?

Two stories of two car accidents:

On December 7, 2007, a cement truck rear-ended a small car stopped at a red light in Calgary. Two adults and five children died in the small car. The driver of the cement truck was convicted of man slaughter sentenced to a 8 year jail term. He was returning to Calgary after pouring a basement foundation at an acreage near Nanton, AB. According to witnesses, the cement truck was speeding and traveling erratically, passing on the shoulder of the highway, prior to the accident.

On Monday June 20, 2011, a small red Toyotoa Corolla rear-ended a transit bus stopped at a bus stop on Granville Street in Vancouver. Three adults, all members of a Hutterite community from Wainright, AB, died in the Corolla, and one occupant is in hospital with severe injuries. The bus passengers and driver were shaken with only one minor injury. The accident happened at the corner of Granville and Nanton Avenue. According to witnesses, the Corolla was travelling at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic prior to the accident.

The name of the cement truck driver: Daniel Tschetter
The name of the Corolla occupants: Daniel Tschetter (61, injured), his wife Suzy, her son Danny Tschetter and his wife, Debbie (all deceased).

On Monday June 20 and Tuesday June 21, the cement truck driver was granted compassionate leave for undisclosed reasons. His upcoming parole hearing has been postponed until October.

I read these stories and I wonder... is this karma? Is it fair? Is their some form of cosmic justice?

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Fatal+crash+trucker+postpones+parole+hearing/4991694/story.html
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Three+members+Alberta+Hutterite+colony+killed+Granville+Street+crash/4983878/story.html

Plasma

Today I donate plasma again. Plasma is that yellow stuff that oozes out when you have a scratch or a wound. They separate it out from the whole blood and then return the red blood cells to the donor. Plasma is used for cancer and bone marrow therapy, along with some bleeding disorders.
Every minute of every day, a Canadian somewhere needs blood or blood products...

Only 2% of eligible Canadians donate blood or blood products...

What's stopping you?

Tis the Season for.... Rhubarb

Yep, they are everywhere!! Every back alley, every front yard... It seems like everyone grows rhubarb. The only thing is... not everyone harvests rhubarb! The question is, what to do with rhubarb? Yes, I know you can make cakes and tarts and pies and all sorts of things but... there is so much rhubarb out there, how is one supposed to use it all? It's sort of like zucchini in the fall... an over-abundance... too much of a good thing.

For the last couple of springs, I have been eyeing the ubiquitous rhubarb, that appears around every corner and thinking "I should really pick some and do something with them". I've been searching out recipes and the one thing that looks like it might be useful is a rhubarb relish or chutney. That actually sounds like it might be useful for dinners. Growing up, we had rhubarb, and while some people would eat the stalks raw, I never developed a taste for the tartness. My mom makes rhubarb cake, but I'm not a big fan of it... so... need something else to work with! I did find a good website http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/ which as all sorts of recipes. Who knew that one could use rhubarb in so many different ways! Maybe rhubarb wine would be an option too?

I guess for me, I just see thes harvestable things and want to do something with them!! So... I went out this morning and... harvested some stalks of rhubarb. Lots of the patches I know of have already put out their flower stalks, but I did find a younger patch that didn't have flower shoots. Chopped up the stalks when I got home and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer... We'll see what comes of them!

Lily of the Valley

Tis the season for Lily of the Valley as well! These are probably my second-favourite flower after Lilacs... at least for pick-your-own flowers. Freesias are even better, but they don't grow around here! Anyhow... I have scoped out several Lily of the Valley patches that are accessible and pickable. Yesterday I did a little tour and found one patch that was ready to harvest! They are so cute and smell so wonderful...

When I was growing up, we had a big patch of Lily of the Valley in the front yard and would always go out and pick bunches to put in vases around the house. They remind me of my mother and of our house...

It's funny how things can pull us back into our memories, smells particularly. Smelling lilacs brings me back to my childhood. Smelling Lily of the Valley draws me back to a different aspect of my childhood. These tangible sights and smells can transport us back in time. Which might be why so many of us hold onto physical things... we are holding onto the memories that these things evoke in us. I wonder what would happen if we divested ourselves of all physical reminders of the past... would we be less likely to dwell in the past? Would we be unable to recall events from our pasts? It's like the things are triggers that pull us back into the past... so what would happen if those things weren't around?

Hmmm.... now some things might trigger unpleasant memories... and other things might trigger pleasant memories... but most things seem to trigger a combination... Would we give up the pleasant memories along with the unpleasant?? Good question...

Tis the Season for... Lilacs

I love lilacs. Love them... love the look of them and the smell of them. Love having them in the house... just not in an enclosed room because then they give me a headache. And now is the season for lilacs here... they are everywhere, in full bloom, and the whole atmosphere seems fragrant with their perfume. I love the various purples that they come in... and the odd white bush. There are also "fake" lilacs out there, some other bush, that pretends to be a lilac, but there is nothing like the real thing.

When I was a toddler, we lived in a little house that was surrounded by lilac bushes/trees. Maybe that's what started my lifelong love-affair with lilacs? Maybe it's ingrained in my genes at this point.

I read up on how to cut lilacs so that they will stay fresh longer in a vase, and so far it is working... cut them in the mornings. Cut the stem on the diagonal, and immediately put them in a bucket of warm water with some flower preservative. When you get them home, do not crush the ends of the stalk - that will damage the vascual tissue. Instead, slice the bottom inch of the stalk lengthwise with a knife, so that it is split. Put them in water with flower preservative... and voila... lilacs that stay fresh longer...

Garage Sales

So our local community area had a Garage Sale day the other weekend. Of course we went and took a look around... you never know what you might find. Sometimes we find things that we actually need, like a vertical freezer. Othertimes, we see things that we really don't need, but might just snap up because they are such a good deal. After a few months of enjoying those things, we might then send them on to Value Village. It's kind of a fun way to spend a Saturday, or at least a few hours on a Saturday.

But, it does go against the prevailing trend in our house towards decluttering. We are trying to let go of things, and then end up bringing more things into the house via garage sales! Mind you... as long as they don't become a permanent fixture, then it's not too bad. One thing comes in and two things go out... That works pretty good... as long as two things go out of the house! That is the key... otherwise if things just come in and never go out, well, that ends up looking pretty ugly.

I know some people who like to collect things, whatever it might be... pottery or china or tea cups or spoons or whatever. Some people go to garage sales just looking for their collectible. I'm kind of glad I've never developed that habit. If I collect anything, it is family tree information. Others might thrill at the hunt for a collectible. I thrill at the hunt for a tidbit on the family tree. All works out to the same thrill of the hunt and the joy of discovery... just with less stuff to clutter up the house.

So, why all this decluttering? Well, I find that when I declutter I create a bit of physical space, which might not be huge. But the other thing that is created is psychic or emotional space. Somehow there is less "stuff" in my space to draw my attention and my energy. All of the stuff is an energy drain... sapping my attention and energy. Consciously and unconsciously. So, why not let go of it and create some space, some energy and some attention that can then be devoted elsewhere.

Being Right

So, I'm still reading this Being Wrong book, about halfway through, and it is quite fascinating. We think that we weigh all the evidence and form our opinions and judgements in a very rational way. So that when we come up with an answer or a stand or an opinion or a belief, we are convinced that we have done a good job of getting there. We are also convinced that our answer is right... like Right! But then, if other people have a different answer or stand or opinion or belief, we think that they haven't done the same due diligence in forming their opinions. We think that they are lacking in information. We think that they are somehow less diligent than us. They don't believe the same thing that we believe, and if we are right, then they must be wrong. And guess what, they think the same thing about us...

We see this most commonly in religion, where Catholics, for example, believe that their religion is the true faith and that other religions just don't have it all together. If people of other faiths only knew the whole truth, then they would obviously become Catholic. And Muslims think the same thing... and Evangelical Christians... and Jews...

Truth is though, we don't always form our opinions or beliefs in a rational, logical way. We go with the herd a lot of the time. We don't see things as they really are, we see things as we believe them to be... Every single opinion, belief, judgement we have about anything... always has the possibility of error within it... We don't have all the answers, but we sure think that we do!

Tumbleweed Houses

I've come across the story of Jay Schafer before. He's the guy who built a tiny little house called Tumbleweed and has lived in tiny houses ever since then... 89 square feet (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/) There is something appealing to me in his story. The idea of having a tiny house for $50,000 and living lightly upon the earth. The big thing for me is... the space... or lack thereof. I look around our 1500 sq ft condo and all of the stuff that we have and think... how could that ever be decluttered?? The kitchen alone wouldn't fit into one of the Tumbleweed houses!! Not a chance... not a hope...

Which leads me to wonder... how much of our stuff do we actually use? For instance, there are things in our kitchen that we have never used, or use maybe once a year... Which begs the question... why do we hang onto them? Basically because we have the space, or as my mother would say "it eats no bread" (sounds much better in German!).  We have the space, it's not bothering anyone, so let's just keep it. But instead of always upsizing... what if we downsized? What if we were able to let go of things to the point that we could begin to leave a smaller footprint on the earth?

There's a quote in Jay's book that says:
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. (William Morris)

The Tumbleweed houses are also mounted on wheels... so they are mobile... I like the idea of that, the ability to pick up and go somewhere else. I must have a travel bug...

10. Cat Toys

Yep, the cats helped me declutter their toy box. They weren't around and I thought it would be a good idea to get rid of toys that they never play with. But as soon as I started rooting through their toy box, both of them appeared like magic with their inquisitive little faces. With their disapproving supervision, I managed to get rid of a variety of things that they have never played with... and managed to empty their toybox by about a third. It's a small thing, but it's something that's been hanging around my space for a while... So now it's done and there's another ziploc bag full of stuff that has gone into the Value Village box.

So that is done, and it only took me 10 minutes! That's what I like about this method of decluttering... it doesn't take a long time, just 10 or 15 minutes a day and a tiny corner of the house is done. Do that often enough, and it's amazing what can be accomplished.

9. Old Computer

With the new computer set up and running well, I don't need the old computer. But... my temptation is to hang onto it "just in case". But I've got all my programs up and running so... there is not excuse really. But, what to do with it? There's the monitor and the cpu and the mouse and the keyboard and tonnes of cables. Time to let go of it. I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting a drive-wipe-out program, so I just openned up the computer, took out the harddrive and attempted to disable it with a little sledgehammer. Those things are tough!! Encase in steel with a screw that uses a weird shape (not slot, not hex, not roberts, not phillips)... so it's dented and rattles on the inside, which is good enough.

Now, I know that I can take the stuff to the electronic recycling depot or to Staples, so I just need to do it. I was reading an article today about rare earth metals, and how they are in practically everything technological nowadays... everything from cell phones to catalytic convertors, to windmills, to computer hard drives. And pretty much all of the world's rare earth metals come from China and questionable mining practices. So recycling all those computer parts is a good thing... recycling rare earth metals.

8. Declutter Box of House Repair Thingies

There is this paper box that has a variety of miscellaneous things for the house. I have separate boxes for electrical, plumbing, painting, etc. But this big paper box has all sorts of things: plastic zip ties, tub caulking, steel wool, serious duct tape, curtain hooks, picture hanger wire, rolls of that rubber anti-skid stuff, bales of string, plant hooks, etc. etc. Quite the hodge podge...

So today I sat down and went through the box and was actually surprised at the things I was able to let go of. First off, the curtain hooks... haven't used them in years... and I can always get them cheap again at Value Village so... Also the plant hanger hooks. These are the ones that go in the ceiling and I had about 20 of them. I think I picked some up once at a free garage sale or something. Anyhow... I kept 6 or so and let the rest go. Some of the tub caulking tubes as well. They're probably dried out in there anyhow... and we have a bone coloured tub, so white tub caulking isn't going to work!

So, it's only one box but... it makes a difference. I now have about 4 boxes of stuff sitting downstairs that is destined to go out the door and that is 4 boxes worth less of stuff in the house. Every little bit helps!

Truth and Beliefs

I read another book the other week which brought up an interesting point. If something is true... for example, that the earth is a roundish... then to say "I believe the earth is roundish" doesn't make it true. To say "I believe the earth is flat" doesn't make the earth flat.


To say "I believe in God" or "I do not believe in God" does not alter the truth that God exists or does not exist. So our beliefs are really quite irrelevant to the order of the world. If something exists or is true, that is that. If something does not exist or is not true, then no amount of belief is going to alter that.

Which makes me wonder... with so many world religons out there, all professing to have the truth, all believing that they have the truth... what is the point of all that? What is the point of fighting over our beliefs? Beliefs that can change from one minute to the next, or from one year to the next or from one century to the next. We all think that our beliefs are the truth... but what if they aren't? Beliefs have defended slavery. Beliefs have defended the Holocaust. Beliefs have defended terrorism and mass murder. For what?

That's where we then claim to have the truth and know the truth. Because if our beliefs don't convince things... then we will say we have the Truth... and know the Truth... But do we?

Being Wrong

I've started reading a book called Being Wrong, all about this whole human thing of erring and making mistakes. The author says that making mistakes and being wrong is actually one of our greatest gifts. It's how we learn things... it's how we make different choices. I'm only in the early stages of the book, so it will be interesting to see how she comes to that conclusion!!

So often, we see mistakes and errors as abject failures on our part. We castigate ourselves or others for mistakes and failures. We have a heck of a time admitting that we have said or done something wrong. In fact, we like to believe that we are right pretty much most of the time. Apparently that is the tricky thing with being wrong... you never know you are wrong in the moment... but always after the fact. At the time when you are making a mistake or error... you always think you are right... Our recognition of it as a mistake or as something wrong is the moment where we see what we've been doing.

Which makes me wonder... even if we know something is "wrong"... when we do it, we still think that it is the right thing to do... Otherwise we wouldn't be doing it. Do do the wrong thing, knowing it is the wrong thing and believing it is the wrong thing... well, that would be kind of crazy... Which means that we are master justifiers... we can justify pretty much anything. We can convince ourselves that black is white, or at least a fetching shade of grey... Amazing actually...

So, ultimately, how do we really know that we are doing is right? And we're not talking about moral right/wrong... although that can get swept up into the whole things as well. What we're talking about is making a decision or a choice... and having it be the right one.. Can we ever know? And does it even make any difference if we decide wrongly?

Birds

So I figured out what that robin was doing outside the office window... It was building a nest in the big spruce tree outside! Drove thec cats nuts for a while and was like television for them. They would sit on my desk for hours and watch the robin bringing in twigs and grasses and fussing with its nest.

Alas though, we had a week of torrential downpours and I don't think the nest location is ideal for keeping any little birds or eggs dry. So far, it seems like the nest is abandoned but... you never know... so we'll see how it goes.

For now, the cats are highly sensitized to anything that goes "bonk" against the window. This morning, there was a loud bonk from the living room and Rascal and I both ran to investigate. There was a little sparrow lying outside on the stones, kicking its little legs. Another sparrow was hopping around it. I went outside and picked up the little guy and tucked him against an old patch of cat-mint, hoping for the best. Twenty minutes later, I went to check on him, and he was gone... Much to Rascal's disappointment! Both cats were very interested in the smell on my hands though!

By the way, still decluttering, but needed a break from blogging about it!

7. Declutter Box of Framed Pictures in Basement

There were maybe 8 framed pictures in this box, little ones mostly... and I got rid of 3 of them. Which is pretty good I figure. A couple are going to a friend of mine, if he wants them. One is going to Value Village. And I'm keeping the rest for now... we'll see... Maybe I'll keep the photographs and ditch the old IKEA clip frame... We'll see. But there we go, another box gone, or at least a half box.

I'm not sure why I hang onto all these things for so long but... I do. And now is a great chance to let go of things. The other day, I read about a condo complex that had a sewer back-up. Twenty units had up to 50 cm of sewage water in their basements. Now, that's a forced declutter!! Far better to let go of things voluntarily... and then I don't need so much space to store things... and there's less to worry about!

Things do create worry... and concern... we have to care for our things and insure them and protect them. But for what? Especially the things that we don't use or love anymore... like these photographs. Good question...

6. Declutter Basement Binder Box

This actually turned out to be two boxes, which is a bonus! I knew about these boxes... they had been sitting in the basement for a few years now. At one point, when our humidifier over-dripped, they even got splattered by calcium-rich water and ended up looking like they were snow-sprinkled.

So, today, I sat down there and pulled them out and looked at them. There were 5 course binders with notes from my theology degreee. To keep or not to keep?? That is the question. Have I referred to them in the last 8 years... no... am I likely to refer to them... no... Can I let go of them??? Ahhh!!! So I phoned a friend who basically told me exactly what I already knew... and with that little bit of encouragement, I was able to open up the binder rings and happily pitch the notes into the recycle bin.

The second box contained some extra framed pictures and photographs (more on that in the next posting)... and underneath them... two more binders!! These were the infamous Lay Formation binders that I've been looking for for months and months. I figured I must have already pitched them and yet here they were... It didn't take long to let go of them as well.

Seven thick (2.5 to 3 inch) binders are now empty and going off to Value Village as well. And I am 20 lbs lighter... maybe more... or at least my possessions are that much lighter. It feels good to let go of that stuff... and it only took 20 minutes...

5. Declutter Computer Stuff

So, this is always a big one too. There are cables that might come in handy. There are the instruction manuals that might be needed some day. There are the cds and dvds of software that might be useful. There are all sorts of things... So, today I decluttered the little mountain of computer paraphernalia (that would be a good spelling bee word!).

I got rid of all the disks relating to my old computer. I got rid of manuals from two computers ago. I got rid of little boxes and containers which used to hold a new webcam or whatever. I got rid of anything that didn't relate to the computer that is actually sitting on my desk. Amazing how much space that created!! Amazing how many disks my old computer came with! I found cables that were for my old personal organizer, which bit the bucket a year or two ago.

Now I have quite the pile of stuff to go to Staples or to the electronic recycling bin. I'm not sure where they will go... just that they will go... In the meantime, there is a mountain of stuff starting to form in the basement... what with Value Village boxes, Second Hand Bookstore Boxes and Electronic Recycling boxes...

It feels good though, feels like I'm letting go of a lot of useless things and creating some space for other stuff to show up!

4. Declutter Office Supplies

Well, this was a fun one! You know how you pick up pens wherever you go. Maybe from an old workplace, or a conference or a workshop or... high school. And you keep them because they are perfectly good pens. You test them out every once in a while and get rid of the dead ones, but the live ones are still writing well, so you can't throw them away, so you keep them. Mind you, they aren't your favourite type of pen and you never use them. But you keep them... I'm not sure what for... but I keep them. So, today I decluttered pens and stuff... I went through all of the pens and pulled out all the ones I never use, put them in a ziploc bag and they can go off to Value Village. Then there was this old ruler... I've had it since Grade 5. It's white plastic with cm down one side and mm down the other side. I never use it because I have nice metal rulers that have both inches and cm... But I've kept it because... I've had it a long time... 35 years or so. But now... it's sitting in the garbage can... yup, I let it go!!

So, what with one thing and another, I did pretty good in decluttering the office supplies. There's some more space, and that always feels good... But do you ever wonder... why did we ever go to disposable pens? Pens that we can only use once and then throw away? Whatever happened to the pens where you would just get a new pen insert and keep going? I'm not sure when that transition happened, but we sure do throw away an awful lot of plastic with pens nowadays... Do they even still make the refillable ones?? I found one in all my stuff, and I kept it... you never know when it might come in handy....

3. Declutter Book Shelf in Office

This was actually number 4 on my list, but... it happened today as I was there, and it felt like I needed to declutter in the office! Well... there weren't many books I got rid of, maybe 5 in total. Which is still something, as there aren' that many books in there. So, it's created some space on the bookshelves and that means that I can put away the piles of books that have been sitting on the edge of the bokshelves... Which makes the whole office look neater and more streamlined which... is a nice thing!

I did manage to find a box for the decluttered books, but it is definitely overflowing, so I'm going to need to find another one somewhere. And a visit to the second hand bookstore is in order once I look at the living room bookshelves!

2. Declutter Book Shelf in Bedroom

Well, that didn't take very long at all... Admittedly, there aren't a lot of books in the bedroom, but I was able to get rid of a few. The one thing I am noticing, is that I'm finding books tucked away that I have been meaning to read for a while. They get hidden behind this and that, and I end up forgetting about them. The trick is to have them out there, visible where I can see them and remember that I want to read them!

I haven't actually done a recent tabulation of how many books I have that I've been meaning to read. Last time I checked, it was around 30... sigh... So, no more book buying for me! I need to take enough books with me on a trip to ensure that I don't end up in some airport bookstore buying another book or two! Mind you, those are the ones that I do tend to read quickly but still... I'll just "buy" some from my own bookstore!

The one thing I'm noticing is I need some empty boxes pretty quick! I have a few stacks of decluttered books sitting around and I need to get them out of the house before they just migrate to some other spot.

My ongoing to-declutter list from June 1 is always being updated... I'm still trying to get it up to 100!

1. Declutter Book Shelf in Spare Bedroom

Whoo boy... I've been debating about whether to follow through on this idea of altering 16 little things over the course of 100 days. Do I really want to take on decluttering something everyday? And all the other 15 things that I listed? Sigh...

I was looking at this bookshelf this morning and thinking... there are books on there that I could let go of. For sure, there are. Books that I've read and kept mostly.

The 100-Mile Diet. Great book... will I ever read it again? Probably not.

Non-fiction books about Harry Potter... the spirituality, the theology... etc. About seven of those books. I used them about 6 years ago to do some seminars when the movies and books were all the rage. Do I need them now? Probably not.

The Golden Compass trilogy - I've only read the first book... and not the other two. Will I read them? Probably... so that is a keep.

Decluttering books... they motivate me and inspire me to declutter. When I feel like things are getting out of hand in my life... I just pull one off the shelf, read it for a bit, and I'm good to go. Have I re-read them all? No. Are there some I could let go of? For sure...

Nature books, hiking books, outdoor books. Definitely a keep... But there might be a few things I could let go of...

Genealogy books - now these ones I need to take a closer look at. Genealogy for Dummies... well, I can probably let go of that one as I am no longer a beginner at this... So, definitely a few that could go.

Should I aim for a number? How about... 20 books? Could I let go of 20 books off of that shelf? There are probably 100 books on the book shelf, so that would be 20%. If we go by the old rule of thumb that we use 80% of our things 20% of the time... and only use 20% of our things 80% of the time... then I should be very much able to let go of a piddly 20%!

Oh, and there is another bookshelf in that room too... a little two shelved nightstand... with paperbacks doubled up on the shelves. These are my most favourite paperbacks that I read over and over again... But there might be a couple that I could let go of... maybe... I'll have to check...

The truth is, we outgrow things after a while. We grow into different books. We grow into different music. We grow into different art. We grow into a different exercise regimen. We just grow. So it makes sense that we would be able to declutter and let go of things. If we keep on holding onto the things that we've outgrown well... that could get kind of messy!

Well... the long and the short of it is... 20 books have been decluttered. Not too bad for 15 minutes worth of work. There's a bit more space on the bookshelves and a bit more space in my life.

Declutter 100 Things??

Alright... so 100 Things to Declutter... let's go...

1. Bookshelf in Spare Room
2. Bookshelf in Bedroom
3. Bookshelf in Office
4. Office Supplies
5. Computer Stuff
6. Box of Binders in Basement
7. Box of Framed Pictures in Basement
8. Box of Misc. Household Repair Thingies
9. Old Computer
10. Cat Toys
11. Bookshelf in Living Room/Dining Room
12. CDs
13. Laundry Room supplies
14. Light bulbs
15. TV and Phone cables/cords
16. DVDs
17. Puzzles
18. Games
19. Clothes
20. Kitchen Cupboard - under sink
21. Bathroom - Cleaning Supplies
22. Scrapbooking Supplies
23. Photos
24. Slides (35 mm)
25. Pictures on the walls
26. Stamps
27. Emails
28. Inside of Truck
29. Gardening Supplies
30. Gardening Tools
31. Gardening Shed
32. Tools
33. Workbench
34. Canned Food
35. Kitchen Appliances
36. Cookbooks
37. Plastic Containers
38. Glove Box in Truck
39. Empty Boxes
40. Nic-Nacs
41. Filing Cabinet Drawer 1
42. Filing Cabinet Drawer 2
43. Appliance Manuals
44. Junk Drawer in Kitchen
45. Utensil Drawer in Kitchen
46. Cupboard Above Fridge
47. First Aid Supplies (old and expired)
48. Luggage
49. Throw Pillows
50. Sheets
51. Towels
52. Bedding
53. Shoes
54. Jackets
55. Coat Closet
56. Office Shoulder Bag
57. Records
58. Tape/CD Players/Decks
59. Bath supplies
60. Dresser
61. Easter Supplies
62. Genealogy cupboard
63. Freezer
64. Fridge
65. Vases
66. Candles
67. Big Old Trunk in Basement
68. Tablecloths
69. Napkins and Placemats

(69 and counting)

OK, that's all I can come up with for today! I am seriously tempted to start splitting things up, but I'm going to trust the process and see what else will come to me as the days progress. At least I'm good for a month. Anybody else have any bright ideas??

100 Days to a New Life

I came across this link the other day from the http://www.lifehack.org/ website... It caught my eye and I'm thinking I might print it out... It's called 60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days. Now that is quite a list!!

The first thing to do is look at 100 different ways in which you can declutter things in your life. Day 1 - declutter books. Day 2 - declutter Cds. Day 3 - declutter empty boxes. Or whatever. The first thing that came to me is... I don't have 100 areas of my life to declutter!! Unless I turn Declutter Clothes into various things like: Declutter Socks, Declutter Jeans, Declutter T-shirts... At that rate, I could probably turn one thing into 20 things! But I like the idea of it!

Now, I have to admit, keeping track of doing 60 things in one day might be a bit much... I'll be lucky if I can tackle 10 of them... But it's an admirable idea... and given that they have put the list into categories, maybe the trick is to choose 2 from each category to start with... Eight categories... two from each... that's 16 small ways to change my life in the next 100 days... Cool idea...

So let's see... which ones... which ones...
Home
#1 - Pick one thing a day to declutter for 100 days... I like this one
#3 - Walk around house and fix/repair/handle one thing a day
Happiness
#4 - Write down 5 to 10 things I am grateful for each day
#5 - Write down 20 things I enjoy doing and do one a day
Learning/Personal Development
#8 - Choose a book requiring effort and concentration and read a bit for the next 100 days
#12 - Keep Morning Pages for next 100 Days
Finances
#15 - Scourt Internet for frugality tips, choose 10 and implement them for the next 100 days
#17 - Don't buy anything I don't need for the next 100 days
Time Management
#20 - For the next 5 days - track how I spend my time, create a time budget and stick with it for the 95 days
#22 - Identify 5 ways in which I waste time and then limit the amount of time I waste...
Health
#32 - eat at least 3 servings of fruit/day
#36 - drink water instead of pop
My Relationship
#47 - write someting positive about my partner each day
#49 - three actions to strengthen the relationship and do them each day
Social
#53 - don't pass judgement... period
#54 - do a kind deed for someone each day

There, that doesn't look so bad... now I just need to print this out or write it out and keep it with me. It is affirming to know that I already do some of those 60 things, so I've got a start already! I figure it's one way of making our world a better place!