Simplicity...better than before

Trying to gain this "simplicity" in my life seems like a never ending battle. There is never enough time in the day...for anything! There are moments when I think I am going to completely lose it and then there are those times when I really feel like I have it together. Right now is not one of those times.

I know there are others out there that are feeling the same way as I am. How do I know this? I read your comments on Facebook...I read your blogs...I read. I think we're overwhelmed.

I am overwhelmed just thinking about it!

So what happens when we're overwhelmed. We shut down. We stop participating. We go MIA. Then the guilt inevitably sets in...at least for me.

Well, I can't feel guilty anymore. And neither should any of you! We try to do so much, be everything to everyone and cram so much into our days. Run...run...Run...run...RUN...it's crazy!

 

So what's a busy working woman suppose to do? What's a busy mom suppose to do?

Take a break...give yourself a break!

Stop doing...whatever...it's okay to slow down and take some time for yourself. Spend time with your husbands. Spend time with your kids. Spend time with yourself. And when you're ready to start in again with things, like writing or reading each others stuff, then ease back into it and do whatever makes you comfortable.

So despite the fact that I haven't written much for the writing prompts, it doesn't mean I am not thinking about any of you. I try to read your blogs and musings on Facebook whenever I can. But for now, just like some of you, I am taking it one day at a time, doing what I can in the moments I have available. The rest will just have to wait until tomorrow.

Oh! And the simplicity that I am longing for...as much as I want it all right now, I've realized that I am getting closer to it every day and even though today might not be perfect, it's definitely better than what I had before.

 

Simplicity

There is nothing more important to me at this point in my life than simplicity. My life has been really complicated for many years and frankly, I am just over it. To make it to this point in my life has been a long, long journey, and when I finally got here, I had a very difficult time accepting it.

To simplify ones life is difficult. We've become comfortable with the way things are, even though we have cluttered up our space to the point of suffocation. While we might complain that we need to purge some of the accumulation, we just simply can't let go. Sound familiar? I felt like this for a long time. Some days, I still feel like this, so it takes me a really long time to part with the things that have brought me comfort over the years. 

Unfortunately, if you don't clean out your space every once in awhile, you never get to have anything new. And I am not just talking about the material things. Periodically, I think it is necessary to let go of some of that emotional baggage. You know what I am talking about, right? The could have, should have, would have moments that sometimes hold us back because we just can't let them go. Frankly, don't you want to be sitting in your easy chair (my favorite chair is this adirondack one right here) and relaxing instead of stressing about something you did a long time ago? I know I do. If there is one thing that I've learned in my years (and I am not that old), is that the past is the past and you can't bring it back. So let's just leave those moments back there and think about the here and now.

Simplifying your life is suppose to make things easier. But one's version of simplify is going to be very different than the next person's. So while I am out writing for all my new projects and it seems like I have taken on more than one person could possibly chew, the reality is that I feel pretty good that I have actually downsized my life to a more manageable, comfortable and pretty simplistic state. 

 

And when it comes time to take out the broom, shovel and anything else I can find to scoop up the excess, or rest assured, I will have no qualms about taking it all to the dumpster and throwing it out or just sweep it out the door. Why? Because today, more than ever before, I am all about keeping my life as simple as possible.

Wishing you moments of simplicity!



***I have written this piece for a group on Facebook that I joined, GBE 2: Blog On. This is week #41 and the topic is Simplicity. Interested in more...click on the picture below to take you there.

Liked anything you see here? Then contact me, Susan Dusterhoft at todaysworkingwoman@hotmail.com. I am always looking for more books/products to review. I can also provide assistance with blog writing!

BFF #145 All I Want For Christmas

I have to admit that the last couple of years have been really tough to like Christmas. I just hadn’t been in the holiday spirit. In fact, you could call me a real “Scrooge”. I wasn’t all that happy, so why do anything to do express it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I went through some of the motions. Bought gifts and made cookies and such, but my heart was really into it. Bah Humbug!

This year is different. My life is back on track and I have finally figured out what is important in life. The things that I thought were important no longer mean anything to me. It’s a funny thing. When I finally figured it out, everything started to turn around.

I admit that I struggled with it at first, and even attempted to get my old life back, or at the very least, get it back to as close as I thought I could get it. Then one day, I just let everything go. When that happened, when I let that struggle go, everything in my new life just clicked. I figured out what was really important and what I really wanted.

So, this year, I could ask Santa for “a million things”, but in reality, my wants are simple: peace, quiet and simplicity. Anything beyond that, well…it will just be a bonus.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas this year!



***I have written this piece for a group on Facebook that I have joined, BFF Blogging For Fun. Interested in more...click on the picture below to take you there. Don't forget to check out my friends at One Stop Blog World, a collective of all the great blog sites of which I am a member!

What I Want This Holiday Season

I've been thinking more and more about what I want out of this holiday season. Drum roll please...bbbbbrrrrrrrruuuummmmmmmmmmmm.....simplicity.

We're so caught up in running here and there. Buy, buy, buy, wrap, wrap and wrap. Whatever happened to just relaxing? One of the things I said I wanted this Christmas was peace and quiet. Well getting back to the simple things in life part of that. So in honor of Simplicity...I'm going back to basics. And, it starts with the homemade wreath, hanging on my wall next to my bed.

It's fashioned out of grapevine wreaths from our garden, and the red bow I made myself. The lights are battery powered. Very simple, very easy. It blinks like a blinkin' beacon! I love it...

©Susan Dusterhoft 2011

 
Wishing all of you simplicity this holiday season,