As I slowly declutter my house, I often wonder why on earth I bought what I am delegating to the donation piles (or in my case bags). At the time it must have appealed to me in some manner, but no longer. Time to continue to remove those items I no longer want or use.
The last couple of days I have been going through my jewelry. Necklaces and bracelets of the fashion type have been added to the pile. There are a few items that have a great deal of sentimental value or are gifts from Kurt and Kris over the years. Pretty sure those will not be hitting the donation bags for awhile yet.
I plan on taking another gander through my recipe books to see if there are more that can be donated.
I have tossed a few well worn items as well. Which won't be replaced in my wardrobe for a very long time.
I put some bread on to bake in my toaster oven and sat down to do some weaving.
As I moved the shuttle back and forth lifting or dropping the the reed as necessary, I realized how peaceful and meditative the process really is. My weaving isn't crooked, as in measuring, both sides are of equal length.
Weaving actually gives me time to think and decide on how to move forward in my quest to live a life where I have more time to do the things I really enjoy. To take the time to enjoy what I am doing and immerse myself in whatever that is.
I do know that when I think about my Mom and remember what clothing she had there were the clothes she wore to work around the house, the slightly dressier items she would change into before Dad got home from work and a few very dressy items that she would wear out or to a party in our home. Dad actually took up much more of the closet with his suits for work, dress shirts, ties, and work around the house clothes. People managed with much less and yet seemed very contented. I think my Mom would be shaking her head over what is in my closet.
Food was simple, I really can't remember having a pizza delivered or eating fast food, unless I spent some of my allowance on the way home from high school. Mom cooked every meal and there was no dishwasher in the house (other than her and sometimes myself if I did not have a sports practice).
However, Mom always found the time to go out and plant flowers, weed those flower beds and have a pot of tea with a few cookies every day around 3pm. She also always managed to watch her favourite soap opera.... As The World Turns. Then there were the monthly meetings with her church ladies group for bible study, and the once a month meeting at the church to roll cancer dressings.
Dad always had the time to build something, or do renovations on our home. If he ended up having to work on a Saturday, he would usually take one or two of us to the office with him. We got to play on the secretaries typewriters or sometimes visit with other office workers that were there as well.
I really need to remember that simple living is just enjoying where you are now, and perhaps the getting rid of what is no longer necessary for that enjoyment is the beginning.
Everybody have a wonderful evening.
God bless.
That is why they call them the good old days!
ReplyDeleteI do think we by different things to reflect what our lives are at different points. Letting them go when they no longer fit our lives does simplify things as we no longer have to store and care for them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post, Jackie, remembering the simpler time of our youth. Eating out for us, even fast food, was a big treat as my Mom also cooked everyday. We do that now too, but have eaten out in the past more than my parents ever did.
ReplyDeleteReading about your mother's dresses reminded me of mine. My Mom had basically 3 dresses - one she wore all week long and which would be washed on Mondays and back on her body on Tuesday. She had a Sunday housedress that she wore on Sundays and Mondays and then a 'good' dress that she wore when she went anywhere. Remember crimpoline fabric? That's what her housedress was made of and it wore like iron!! I never saw my mother wear a pair of slacks....it was always a dress, no matter the weather.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand what you say about weaving being meditative, as that is how I feel about hand quilting. It just allows me to contemplate life as I do it. I think it's very useful to have a hobby that allows you do this, instead of constantly being on the go or distracted by screens of one type of another.
ReplyDeleteI loved the memories of your mom and dad. They brought up so many of mine which were almost the same. I used to go home for lunch in middle school as the school was just down the street. Mom and I would have lunch on tv tables and watch "The Secret Storm" together. Dad would take my sis and I to his office on Saturdays which was across from Motown in Detroit. We used to listen to the music coming from there while he worked. Thanks for the memories.
ReplyDeleteThe simple life is about being contented with what you have and it’s a process. As we get older, we don’t need or even want the stuff we used to have that land in our donation boxes. That’s the beauty of getting older - we gain a mature outlook on life and contentment is what is most important.
ReplyDeleteI had similar moments while decluttering my house for sale. I'm still not perfect but I try to only purchase items that are useful. And I'm much better at giving away things or bossing as needed.
ReplyDeleteLovely memories of your parents.
It was so nice of you to share family memories. People certainly did make do with much less a generation or so ago.
ReplyDeleteI love your memories. My mom had to work outside the home but my grandmother didn't. Your mom's daily life reminds me of the way my grandmother lived. It seemed to be a simplier way, but did they think so during that time? It seems each generation has it's own set of concerns.
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