07 June, 2010

Priorities

As some of you may know, I tend to live my life in a state of chaos. Organized (to me) chaos, but it's still chaotic. I've been pondering the value of simplicity recently, and have debated whether I should purge myself of possessions. This would hardly be a cure to my chaotic lifestyle, but it would help with the mess.


Books would be the first culprit (I love books, and borrow as much as I can, but still have quite a few), but then, what would I be throwing away? My language/linguistic books? Reference books? My Tolkien "shrine?" Fencing manuals? Childhood friends? Memories? Christian apologetics resources? Seriously?

Clothes would be next, and trust me, I would have very little regret should I discard all clothes but the necessary few. The biggest problem here is social norms. Appearances matter a lot; ergo, clothes matter. Ahh, for the good ol' days of 6th grade, when I had two pairs of jeans and two sweatshirts that I wore everywhere except church. Nowadays I wear my work uniform, bike jersey, fencing gear, church clothes, the occasional fancy dress...and of course, we can't leave out costumes. I love dressing up :-P

Currently, my floor is strewn with paint supplies. Grandma gave me a tube of gold acrylic paint, so I was exploring its uses the other day. I think I could get rid of all that, but people seem to enjoy my artistic endeavors with paint. Besides, I'm in the midst of (at least) two projects, and would hate to let those ideas die.

Conclusion: It's not the stuff, it's the Stuff Manager. It's not a matter of simplicity, it's a matter of managing resources.

6 comments:

Lisa said...

Simple is good. I think the same thing. Simplify. Still... learning to organize what you already have and keeping up with a system is helpful. You can see a little easier what needs to go and what can stay. I could help you, if you want...

samurai said...

What an adventure... there are so many times where i dream of just selling/giving/scraping almost everything and moving into a space half the size of a singlewide trailer. I understand what you are talking about.

May God give you wisdom as to how to streamline and organize.

samurai said...

Praying for God's guidance, and also wanted to let know that i am tagging your blog tomorrow.

Laedelas Greenleaf said...

From walt (http://tinyurl.com/2vekpkk): well said, [laedelas]. it's like paul, when he said he had learned how to live and be content in plenty or in want. in whatever financial/material situation we find ourselves in, let us glorify the Giver of all that we have. may He be with you, sis.

Walt, thanks! Congrats on your recent marriage :-)
Lisa, thanks for the offer! I really don't know what I'd ask you to do...but I'd LOVE to hang out. We should talk :-)
Samurai, sounds like extended travel :-) I'll definitely check out your blog tomorrow! Thanks!

Halo Grace said...

Okay, so I read your profile, and I freaked out. Check out my profile, and you'll understand why I freaked out. We have Tons in common!

Laedelas Greenleaf said...

Hey GraceGurl! Yeah, it's funny how much we have in common. How did you find my blog?