Love is more
It seems this Saturday my parents were in a middle of a spat so my father shows up in a bad mood. When he arrives, he complaines there's no gas in the car because my mother says they'll get some later. My mother also has errands to run. My father is in a bad mood. He can't figure out what to do about all the errands he has to run. The clock is ticking while he deliberates. It gets better. I'll spare you the long version and say that I spent from late morning to early evening with my parents.
Saturday night, I went shopping with my youngest daughter for groceries. Once home, I made her a healthy smoothie and dinner, and we made plans for her to come by for cooking lessons and food for the week.
A day of writing had come and gone. Not a line keyed. Nonetheless, on my path to simpler living, I'm gaining real experience at remembering my priorities, being open to circumstances and practicing acceptance. A minimalist lifestyle is about focusing on what matters. Family matters even when they wear me out.
On Sunday, my daughter who cares for foster children called asking for book recommendations. Oh yeah! For a few years, I was an active YA book blogger and that venture was born out of my work with girls at a non-profit. I was more than happy to talk books. Oh, and I failed to mention that an anecdote I wrote about working with my girls, the writing life and the stories we all have, took first place among peers in a writing challenge.
Decluttering your life isn't just about less stuff. It's about less emotional baggage, less time-consuming activities, more time to spend with those you love.
Love is more.
Join us.
This sounds so much like many of my days, where intentions crumbled under the weight of reality. But time spent with our family is precious and should always come first. Even though I've technically added more responsibility to my life by becoming a realtor (without giving up writing, blogging, and photography) I'm learning more about focus and 'one thing at a time'. "Balance" is a verb, not a noun!
ReplyDeleteYes! It takes lots of courage to strip down to the bare essentials, but I'm convinced it's the key to the best life possible. I definitely agree that love is more...than all the busyness, in my case.
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely right about the fact that decluttering includes more than stuff. Emotional baggage can weigh more than an old Nordic Track. ; )
ReplyDeleteKaren
Love is absolutely more! :)
ReplyDeleteHave you read Wonder? Such a great YA book.
Thanks for the recommendation. Will look for it.
DeleteOh, there are so many days where I think I am going to spend it writing and then one thing after another piles up and yes, it is typically family stuff. But a big reason I write is because I have the love of my family. Yep, love is more.
ReplyDeleteSitting quietly what is underneath -- that is an art. Beautiful piece, LaTonya!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on decluttering my life, too. It's not easy, but I think it'll be worth it.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I'm a packrat. Believe me, when you start you will be surprised how liberating it is. I'm happy about this change in mindset. Thanks for coming by.
DeleteI'll choose love today. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think, as we get older, we understand the need to pare down, not just materially but also with regard to prioritization of time. I'm trying vehemently to choose to spend time with people, those that matter to me. And I'll talk books all day, if someone would! AND I was so totally thrilled for your win last week. It was so very deserving, touching and all kinds of other wonderful things that I could go on and on about!
ReplyDeleteI'd argue that some of it is stuff that represents emotional baggage...I have such a hard time getting rid of either. Thank you for this encouraging post!
ReplyDeleteOh how I love those last two lines. Such an important reminder. I need to declutter. This is a wonderful post; thank you for writing it.
ReplyDeleteEmotional decluttering is so much more difficult than its physical counterpart. But so important.
ReplyDeleteAnd kudos on your writing award! Keep the good stuff coming.
"It's about less emotional baggage..." You hit that nail right on the head. I'm working on it. Thank you for the motivation to keep moving forward; great piece!
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming by and commenting. The fall is ridiculously busy for me and it will get busier. Know that I appreciate your support and I'll be reciprocating mostly on weekends. I'm glad you're here and you do what you do.
ReplyDelete