Simplify the Simple Way

I was talking with a friend from my little town last night while standing in line (for the ladies’ room) and she asked me, “Are you writing any new books? Are you doing more art? What are you doing these days?”

“Too many questions,” I answered. I gave her a brief overview as I headed for my turn in a cublicle. “Right now, I’m writing short fiction, doing more artwork, creating gorgeous letters…” or something along that line.

It might surprise you that my focus for this month is: Simplify. It’s not a concept I spend much time on. There are always far too many new things I want to try. It's just that recently I've had a reminder.

When I was working on cleaning my parent’s home a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but recall the number of times my mom had said, “Oh, yes, I’m going to get to that.”

“That” was sorting through storage and clearing out clutter. Too often, as we discovered, she never did get to it. All those closets and storage cupboards filled with projects and items that had long since lost their usefulness to her remained in the house, helping no one.

Looking through all these things she left behind when she moved on to heaven made me think more about simplifying my own surroundings. I’m not talking about simplicity per se, or minimalism. I like my stuff and enjoy visual activity. As a visual artist, I really like to be able to see the things I own. Minimalism usually comes across to me as bare and cold.

The same applies to activities. I had a short conversation with a friend this week about gardening. She had the impression that I’ve never set foot in a garden, which is completely false. When my children were younger, we had a big garden and grew vegetables, fruit, flowers, and shrubs.

However, there came a point in my business where extra-curricular activities had to be curtailed because I wanted to spend more time writing and painting. It isn’t that I didn’t enjoy gardening; it is simply that I value my time spent in arts far more. For that to happen, something has to go. (I still have flower beds and containers, though.)

It’s all about the value you place on things in your life. If the value is high, keep it. If the value is low, consider eliminating it and simplify your life. This will leave you with more time and more space for what you really care about.

I am so excited to welcome new subscribers to the Letter Box. I have lots of wonderful ideas in store for upcoming months.

In the Letter Box this month, I am exploring how to simplify in various ways so that your life is fuller, richer, and more peaceful because you make the right choices, and much more.

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