We enjoyed a magical day with my ex in-laws yesterday celebrating her 80th birthday and their 60 years of marriage. Amazing!
Incoming Gifts
This was the first time we had seen relatives since Christmas and the start of this new 'non consumerism' journey. We hadn't yet shared our journey with them. They had a gift for me for my birthday... a serving platter. What now?
It was beautiful (tick) and replaced the one we tossed out that had chips on the corners (tick). So I guess in a way it is welcomed, but did we really need it? (the jury is out) Probably not. None the less it is in the cupboard and we will see if we reach for it.
Outgoing Gifts
We, in turn, took gifts for their 60th wedding anniversary and her 80th birthday. We decided on flowers and a bottle of Moet... and a small glass diamond (in an old gift box we had lying around) signifying 60 years of marriage. When the celebration occurred we openly shared our hearts with them in the form of the spoken word (no on an expensive, environmentally irresponsible, store purchased card.) It was so warmly received and I am sure connected more to their hearts than the alternative.
What I loved was the amount of love that Steve (ex hubby) and his sister went to for their celebrations. Lisa organised a gorgeous cake and a letter from the queen, our Prime Minister, the Governor General, their local MP and another MP. Amazing and truly thoughtful gifts from the heart.
Steve organised champagne, made an awesome fruit platter and bought his mum a book. Very thoughtful and loving.
All in all, the day was full of love.... it was great!
Cheers from Deb (tears of appreciation in her eyes)
What came in - 1 item
Birthday present for me - the platter
What went out - 2 items
Two small nic-naks
INSIGHTS
(1) The spoken word is so powerful, especially from the heart
(2) There are many gifts that mean so much, that costs nothing (financially, environmentally, emotionally)
(3) Their is a sense of guilt from not 'gifting' in the traditional way - boy this really shines a light on the power of the media and the consumer calendar.
TOTAL: OUT - 770 IN - 67
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
Love is such a special gift it is always worth celebrating.
All you need is love... (dah da da da daaaahhhh)
Love comes in many packages and in most cases challenges us along the journey. It is a
blessing to find a partner that understands and cherishes you. Deep love will push our buttons and have us grow into more of our hearts... that is, if we are brave enough to go the distance.
When it comes to a crazy tradition like Valentines Day, the expectations completely take over and have most of us join in the retail ritual of no return. So rather than be part of the consumer calendar perhaps we can dip into our imagination and create special moments from the heart and not the wallet.
Here are a few ideas...
- Give your partner a loving massage with all the trimmings - music, lighting, essential oils.
- Create a picnic and enjoy a cuddle under a tree
- Write a little love note and leave it somewhere as a surprise
- Watch his or her favourite movie with some home-made nibbles and a glass of wine
- Take a different way home and stop off at the beach for a walk in the sand
- Holding hands
- Sharing your ice-cream for the very first time
- Leave life's 'have to's' and spend time doing something together
- Turn the TV off, leave phones in another room and BE with each other
- Ask them on a date... create some fun around the anticipation
Enjoy every day you can as they're all special...as are you.
Cheers from Deb (high priestess of love)
What went out - 5 items
A couple of CD's, a game and a DVD
What came in - 0 items
Zero
INSIGHTS
(1) There are more than 50 shades of romance
(2) Nothing beats authentic romance from the heart
TOTAL: OUT - 768 IN - 66
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
Come on people...let's not get sucked into this: 'I know he loves me! He bought me a beautifully wrapped box of paraffin with artificial colours and flavours'... !!
Stupid is as cupid does
Valentines Day is a myth perpetuated by the retail industry to wake us up from the consumer hibernation after the post Christmas sales. We are jolted into a sense of panic of not buying 'just the right thing' for those we love.
The store displays and advertising generate a frenzy and intimate the more we spend, the more loving and romantic we are.
Does it guarantee love? Does it express the true message of our hearts? Does it mean we are good people?
What it does mean is there are more useless pieces of clutter, made in factories by people paid way too little, destined for the rubbish tip, and certain to keep people distracted from the true passions of the heart. In essence this false love burst is a reflection of the consumer collaboration keeping us from authentic living.
Choose carefully how you express your love this year. Keep it real.
What went out - 2 items
Jerry tossed out two (old) pairs of shorts
What came in - 0 items
Nothing
INSIGHTS
(1) We are all on a commercial calendar programmed to spend
(2) Many families (in the retail industry) rely on this calendar to feed their families. Deconstructing this entangled co-dependency needs to happen... considering all sides is important
TOTAL: OUT - 763 IN - 66
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48 (one more sale yesterday)
It takes me only 2 minutes a day to clear our the crap.
Take the challenge
If you are a little sick of the closet you can't get one more thing in.... or ANYTHING out, then maybe this challenge is for you.
Once you finish reading this short little blog, get up off your chair no matter where you are (oh unless you are in a bus...LOL) and find five things you can trash, donate or sell.
Here are a few ideas:
- Walk into your kitchen and open that second drawer and you will see heaps of things you can get rid of.
Go into your wardrobe and find five pieces of clothing you have not worn for over two years. I bet you find more than five.
Open your bathroom vanity drawer or cupboard and look at the empty bottles, half bottles, unopened bottles of lotions and potions...surely there are at least five that can go.
And last but not least....go to your shoes and see if you can find five pairs that need to be escorted out of the building.
Don't just sit there...off you go.
And let me know how many you find https://www.facebook.com/groups/427233054096059/?fref=ts - drop a message on our Facebook group
Cheers from Deb Field (chief crap finder)
What went out - 7 items
I opened my wardrobe and found 7 tops I don't want any more... GONE! Yes, I know, over achiever (looking at the ground, kicking the dirt with my shoes)
What came in - 0 items
A big fat zero again...yay!
INSIGHTS
(1) Lots of people are joining me on this journey (how cool)
(2) Its easy to make any change when you do it with friends
TOTAL: OUT - 761 IN - 66
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $43
Have you ever had a closet so full you can't find a thing in it?
Less is definitely more!
Now that we are thinning out the crap, we are finding things we have been missing for years. Because we are tossing out the 'stuff', we are left with only the things we love and need... and we are not fighting through overfilled closets to get to them.
The truth is, we have a long way to go however it is becoming increasingly obvious that we have so much more when we have less.
Minimalism isn't really my thing... I don't think (scratching head now...hmmmm). You never know, maybe (reflecting now...I won't be a minute).
One thing is for sure, as we clear out the clutter and slow the flow in, we are living a much fuller life.
It is also obvious there is less for us to attend to at home. Less shuffling things around, less cleaning of 'stuff', less shuffling through piles, and less visual noise in the space.
I said to Jerry tonight that it will be interesting to see what our home is like at the end of this year. We are attempting to do this for 365 days. Perhaps we will end up with a few stools and a card table...LOL.
Cheers all from Deb Field (newly appointed queen of shift happens)
What went out - 8 items
Books - pregnancy ones and a few I will never read
What came in - 0 items
Love it when I write zero
INSIGHTS
(1) Empty space enables so much more
(2) The demands of the material world are meaningless and empty
(3) The desires of the heart bring sustainable joy
TOTAL: OUT - 753 IN - 66
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $43
I wonder if this is getting boring. Items in, items out... (yawn).
Two purchases. But what's missing?
We picked up our new toaster and kettle...and they rock! And we didn't need the thrill of the rush, the carefree, hair blowing in the wind, rush that you get when you grab a bargain! It is a false high, a gratification that demands more and more and more!
It is a drug and I know I have been smoking that shit for a while now. Giving it up has been pretty easy which makes me wonder whether the addiction will go underground. They all do, don't they?
Will I find other ways of distracting myself from life? Or will I sit in the void and continue the journey back to my old self.
Door number 1: blood rushing, the thrill of the chase...see it's exciting!
or...
Door number 2: stillness, heart beating and energetic connection with everything around me.
or..
Door number 3: absolutely no idea... perfect! I choose door number 3.
What came in - 2 items
Our new toaster and kettle
What went out - 3 items
2 pairs of socks and a toaster which is going to my ex hubby
INSIGHTS
(1) It's just a game, play full out
(2) There are more doors than you know
TOTAL: OUT - 745 IN - 66
The gone-ski piles made a run for the exit.
Donation pile ready to go
We packed all the goods into bags to ensure they remain in good condition for sale at the charity shops. They're in the car ready to be dropped off.
All quality items went up for sale
We used a local online Facebook community of around 29,000 people to register our quality gone-ski items for sale. So far we have sold $48 worth of goods. The money is going into a tin can to be used for holidays and family fun stuff.
A couple of principles we followed:
- Take good photos
- Be descriptive
- Make it a fair price or even a bargain
- Hashtag your items so you can find them online (I used #debsgoodsforsale).
- This enables people to look at all your stuff in one viewing
- Take any fair offer
One example was a 1996 Guinness Book of Records. I don't recall anyone opening it. We put it up for $2. A young guy jumped on it and said SOLD. He came straight over. Turns out he is collecting every year and was so happy he gave us $5. Fancy that!
You never know what is gold to someone else...so test the market.
The way I look at it, these items will go to someone who wants them and in return we get a small return on our time and energy. This prevents them going into a rubbish tip or sitting around cluttering the charity shops.
What went out - 2 items
A couple of things from Sammi's room
What came in - 0 items
Nothing to report
INSIGHTS
(1) One mans trash can be another mans treasure
(2) One mans trash can simply be trash
TOTAL: OUT - 742 IN - 64
