books, books and more books

omg do have enough books...um yes I do! my goodness I just sorted through my first of 6 bookshelves and found that I was only willing to move about 1/3 of them so far. I have a feeling the books & kitchen stuff will be where I have issues parting with them. trying to look at it as if I can't replace it I can keep it....so hard though!

housing and packing stress

I am just a little bit stressed about the whole idea of moving. I find myself focusing on the most random of things, having to call to shut off my utilities, finding boxes to pack up all of my "stuff" and of course the biggie....where on earth this next stage of my life will take me. Much to my surprise I am finding that so far the sorting through my stuff has involved letting go of quite a lot. My feeling is this is a chance to let go of baggage, both conceptual & real. I want to be more like my dad who retired to Mexico with the clothes that fit in the saddlebags on his motorcycle (with a few boxes stored under my house) though to be realistic I know I am not able to let go of that much!

It is a great thing to strive for though...ok, back to packing boxes.

possibilities...

So, I found out today via certified letter that my landlord feels my house needs a major overhaul and I have 2 months to find a new place to live.

I would say this is a shock, but it would be a lie as they had not responded to my calls in regards to a leak in my roof. My thought was that they were either going to fix it & raise my rent or do this. The big thing is that I have been here for close to 13 years and it seems so surreal to be packing up my many belongings and finding a new home.

The possibilities are endless though. I can stay within my same town, move somewhere else locally, or move out of state.

so many things to think about & options to weigh...

letting go...

I am working on my intention

(I just think most of us break resolutions so I like this terminology better)

for the new year to be a happier, healthier me. Thus in the spirit of that I have been working on decreasing the clutter in my house. I am amazed at the sheer number of books I own. I always knew it was a lot, but oh my. Currently I have 4 bags sitting by my door, 1 is going to a friend for her reading pleasure, 2 more are for the yard sale and the last is being taken to the local hospital as a donation. I love the feeling of letting go of this stuff, yet knowing that someone else will find joy from it.

Another thing I am doing is trying to change some habits I have that are not as good as they could be. I feel like I spend too much time playing on my computer when I could be exercising or spending time with those in my life who matter to me. In the spirit of that I deleted my twitter account. I basically use it to complain about stuff and part of my intention is to focus on the positive so why have it. As you might have noticed I haven't been blogging quite as much these days, but want to still have an outlet for my crazy thoughts so I will be popping on every once in a while still.

This week I am going to attempt a mini cleanse to get back into a healthier diet.

To be honest the foods I will be eating is how we should all eat every day.

It is fruits, veggies, lean proteins and no processed foods.The bottom line is if it comes from a package you shouldn't eat it. The hardest part will be the sweet stuff, I am only allowed 1 ounce of dark chocolate per day.

We shall see how the week goes.

1/2 update

SOOOOO,

my attempt to clean out my house of some it's clutter and pass along my items to charity is slowly going. My friend will be having a yard sale in a month or so to benefit the American Cancer Society and thus far I have given her a wall shelf and 12 bags of assorted household items. I went through all of my books

(anyone who knows me realizes just how big of a deal that was)

and passed along in some manner my duplicate copies or books that have sat for much too long!

Next step is under the bed and my DVD collection, wish me luck

the half project, my version

I read an article about this family who decided to stop taking & start giving. They sold their million dollar home, purchased a smaller one at half the price and gave $80,000 to charity.

I love to hear about this sort of thing.

I don't have much financially to give, but I do have quite a bit in the way of possessions.

I am doing a major cleaning of my home this year, a true spring cleaning, and have found for me it is not so much about making money as it is being free of those items that have been hiding under the bed or in the closet.

I want to own my possessions, not have them own me.

side note here, if you have never heard George Carlin's bit on stuff....check it out!

I found some things I of course will keep, like my photos and fave books, but also found lots of stuff I do not know why I felt the need to hold onto.

My goal is to have at least 2 bags of items going to a local thrift store, homeless shelter or just given away via freecycle to someone who needs it each week until I am purged of all of it.

wish me luck as this is going to be a major undertaking for me.

hhhmmm

I feel like I am changing, evolving...though into what I am not entirely sure.

My friends are in different places than they were and also in different places than I am. I am happier than I have been in forever, yet am wishing for more. Why on earth are we never satisfied?

We want to have more money, less weight, bigger and better everything.

Why?

What will this do for us?

I know for me a bigger house would just mean I had to spend more money to live in it and I would probably fill it with even more stuff I didn't need.

Someone once said to me when you are thinking of moving do not ask what can't you live without, but rather what can you live with? What do you need to be comfortable and survive?

I need a bed, some books, comfy clothes and blankets. I need my friends, I need my family, I need a job that makes me happy & pays me enough to pay those necessary bills.

Oh, wait...I have all of that!

So, what do I have to complain about?