• Cure Clock: 3 weeks to go!
• Assignment: Read Week Five, pp. 154-184
• Declutter your files and office area. Go (mostly) paperless!
• Take a one-day media fast.
• Go to bed early and read before bed.
• Members: 1,735 (now closed)
As I've been making my way through this Cure —falling behind, catching up again!— I find myself thinking more and more about simple living. What does it mean? What is the value of it? How can I do it in New York? While it's great to clear out my home so that it looks nice, and while I do love thinking about ways I can "improve" the apartment, the greatest part about doing the Cure, in my experience, has been discovering a newfound appreciation for the things I have and love, and realizing that I just don't need nearly as much as I sometimes think I do...
So what does it mean to live simply nowadays? (I'm supposed to buy things this week, you say. It says so right in the book. Pg 174!) It doesn't mean moving out to the country with no running water or electricity. It doesn't mean being a hermit and abstaining from anything and everything. It doesn't mean having a life with no complications and problems, desires or disatisfactions. It doesn't even mean not buying anything.
My thoughts on the subject became a little clearer with this week's assignments: cook and eat at least three meals at home, take a media fast, go to bed early and read before sleep. What do all these things have in common? They're all ways to step back from a busy life that favors convenience over quality. They're all ways to simplify your life so that you can learn to enjoy it fully.
So,in preparation for Thanksgiving right around the corner and in the spirit of the Green Cure, here are my thoughts on how one can live simply:
1. Remember to be thankful: When you're grumbling about your upstairs neighbors making so much noise, remember that she did help push your 7-foot couch through the 2nd floor window when it wouldn't fit up the stairs. And when you're frustrated with how small your space is, remember that you love your location, and you have a great landlord. You've cleared out a lot of stuff that you don't want or love, and that should hopefully have made you more aware of the things you kept and the reasons why. Sure, you might not have the ideal apartment, but you love that antique chair you splurged on and sit in all the time, you love the cozy rug in your bedroom, you love the piece of artwork your friend made just for you. Be thankful for what you have.
2. Remember to be mindful: Our Simple Green posts are meant to help people make small steps towards living lighter and greener. Not everyone can be No Impact Man, but we can all try to be mindful that everything we do has an impact somewhere: on the environment, on our home, on other people. And the more we can learn to make decisions not only with our own interests at heart, but also with the interests of others, the better off we'll be.
3. Remember to take time for yourself: If you've ever read the book The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron, you'll know how much importance she sets by The Artist's Date. She says you should set aside time every week to do one thing by yourself, for yourself. It doesn't have to cost money. Go for a long walk. Take a dance class. Go to that thrift store you've been meaning to check out. Write. Listen to music. Cook. Take a bath. Have a great cup of coffee or a soothing cup of tea. Read before bed. Don't let the day go by without giving yourself a chance to be yourself.
4. Remember your family traditions, or start new ones: Whether or not you grew up in a home that had regular family dinners, you can keep the tradition or form the habit. If it's just you, you can still make your dinner hour count. Light a candle. Pour a glass of wine. Use a cloth napkin. If you have a significant other, cook a meal together and then sit and talk about your day. Don't let yourself be distracted by your phone or computer. Try to honor your favorite family traditions — particularly around holidays — even if you're not at home.
Showcasing special family dishes over at The KitchnTODAY'S COMMENT QUESTION
What are some of your family traditions? What traditions and habits - daily or seasonal - have you started of your own?
POST INDEX
• Week 5 - Intro
• Week 4 - Tips & Tricks by Rachel Wray
• Week 4 - Intro
• Week 3 - Tips & Tricks
• Week 3 - Intro
• Week 2.5 - Show & Tell
• Week 2 - Intro
• Week 1.5 - Tips & Tricks
• Week 1 - Intro
CURE INFO
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Thank you for a timely post. With Thanksgiving coming up I feel like I am running faster and faster, but getting behind. Yet we have such comfortable and solid traditions that while I am key to the preparations for our fete, I am only one of many - and I have a co-organizer in my adored sister-in-law. So I can't believe I am stressing about it.
Your post, and The Cure, inspired me to really consider my art books - there are those I haven't even moved an iota in five or six years! So I re-arranged, and purged many. I am considering whether to give them to my local library or contacting Powell's to see if I might sell them. Any clues on this question welcomed!
Anyway, thanks again for gentle words.
view EllieA's profile
hey ellieA, one great thing to do with cool art books that you simply don't want anymore is to take them to a local used bookstore. this gives people a chance to love something that they otherwise wouldn't be able to buy at full price, and it keeps it local.
view petrichorlady's profile
tomorrow (during my media fast!) my files are going to be decluttered, simplified, organized . . . pretty excited about that. i don't currently have a system - basically, if i want to keep something, i stuff it in any random file folder, or even just set it on top of my files! yikes. it's pretty bad.
we have young kids, and are fairly young ourselves, so we're still in the stages of developing our own traditions. we do our big weekly grocery trip early sunday morning, including eating muffins in the bakery. it just gets absorbed into the grocery budget, so it feels like a free treat with my boys. i've also kept my mom's tradition of a thursday night shopping trip. our weekday meals are quick and easy, but it's nice to pick up fresh ingredients (and the flowers!) thursday night for the more special weekend meals.
view doubledutch's profile
I just decluttered my files and pulled out an inch of paper to shred. Every six months (probably because of the semi-annual Cure!), I go through and edit my files, so I'm amazed that there's always so much to toss each time. I love creating the space; it makes it so much easier to file and find things!
I use the filing system recommended by David Bach in his "Smart Women/Smart Couples" books. I like it, and I have a friend who does, too.
view Lizzy's profile
My fiancee have started a weekend tradition of going to the local cafe, getting a paper, and talking about whatever we are reading with one another. It used to be me watching TV, vacuuming, cooking; him watching football, doing homework, in separate rooms. Now, we take the morning to reconnect, slow down, and take part in our community. It has become something I look forward to every week!
view bryn's profile
I'm halfway through clearing up the files. Luckily my system is great from a previous "airing out" according to the principles of Getting Things Done (David Allen), but due to me planning my wedding for several months (it was held in September) I didn't have the energy to stay on top of my personal files and folders, neither paper nor electronical ones, so this assignment rocks.
I wish I had a paper shredder and a scanner, would love to throw receipts and blahblah out that aren't necessary to archive in paper format. Into my wishpot those go!
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