Sometimes, it's nice to burrow into the house; sometimes you're sick of winter.
It's ferociously cold outside right now. It changes how you move and feel and what you decide to do.
Still purging and cleaning, cupboards, drawers, closets. I continue to be fascinated at how many collections I have that I didn't realize. Stones, shells, pieces of wood, rocks from different hikes, menus (those are gone), business cards from restaurants (only in my journals), photos of course. It's definitely in my blood, and I'm determined to get it under control in my own lifetime.
I'm motivated to both purge and also adapt more minimalistic practices as I watch my mother spend days sorting, throwing things away, "going through boxes." Their golden years are being spent going through old papers and objects and sorting junk mail. It's disheartening to watch. I don't wish this on them, and I don't want to face this myself.
With our family tendencies, it is taking some ruthlessness in myself to trim down to only what is necessary, loved and treasured.
I sat in on webinar by Cynthia Bourgeault today from the CAC. I keep trying to learn new things, expand my mind, and mainly, heal.
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This, from Kurt Vonnegut:
"If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something."
I don't have a desire to use my life to hurt anyone, but his point is well-taken. Keep creating, all the time, everywhere, everyone.
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I find it interesting that I'm musing on being creative as well as purging/minimalism. I believe they are tied together.
What kind of home or space allows for creating? For me, it isn't one full of distracting projects that mostly involve sorting something but never using what's sorted. What kind of sickness is that?
Our weaknesses and blind spots prevent us from using our creative energies. We get hung up by them. We get distracted from what our true callings are. Maintaining clutter feels life-sucking. Be ruthless about what I buy and what I keep. All of my possessions take energy of some kind. Make sure they're worth it.