I have a sign in my home that says, "Simplify."
It serves as a reminder for me to try to keep my home uncluttered. I don't always achieve this, as papers and magazines and books pile up. (I struggle to get rid of books!) This sign also serves as a reminder to simplify my life.
In activities, less is frequently more. When my children were young, we were busy with book club and music lessons, Little League practice and church service projects, and a dozen other things. One night as my husband chauffeured a daughter to one activity and I drove a son to another activity, I realized that we were less a family than a central meeting place. We evaluated the different activities, to determine what was valuable and what wasn't. The difficult choices are not between good and bad but between good and good.
We didn't always succeed in our efforts to simplify our lives, but we kept trying. Just as in my attempts to declutter our home, decluttering our lives took thought and consideration.
Now, with my children grown, I am not torn in different directions. However, I face a different kind of clutter, that of unwelcome and unwholesome thoughts: grudges that I nurse, hurt feelings that won't go away, and painful memories. All of of these take energy and time that could be better spent elsewhere.
This I know for sure: clutter, whether in things, time, or thoughts, serves no purpose.
I agree. Won't clutter up this space with more words.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't care for clutter. Sometimes it's hard to keep it out, though.
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