For Once, Be Ruthless About Spring Cleaning
Last week I suggested one easy way to simplify your life each month for the first quarter of the year. Here are some ideas for the second quarter.
* April. Plan to do a serious spring cleaning. If your idea of this annual chore is to take everything out of your closets, garage and attic, and then put it all back in, only neater, make this the year you take the extra step and get rid of the stuff you don’t need and never use. Clothing, toys and household items in good condition can be donated to charity. Or have a big yard sale. Encourage your neighbors and friends to join you to give you added incentive and motivation, but make a promise that you won’t simply trade your old stuff for their old stuff.
Bikes, skis and roller-blades that are gathering dust can be sold. Old files, correspondence and bank statements can be tossed. Keep only those items that have a current practical use or special meaning.
Trust me. You won’t miss any of the stuff you get rid of, and you can take some satisfaction in knowing that others are getting enjoyment from items you never use.
* May: Take the time each day to watch the rising and setting of the sun. Sunrises and sunsets are recurring miracles, but how many people make a point of enjoying these wonders? Some years ago, I began making it a delightful ritual to be up early enough to watch the sunrise every morning, and to stop whatever I was doing to watch the sunset every evening. I’ve come to see these events as, among other wonderful things, nature’s way of energizing us at the start of the day, then creating an aura of peace at the day’s end.
Even if the weather prevents a spectacular visual display, make a point of taking a few moments at the beginning and end of each day for these built-in times of renewal and reflection. Have your kids and other family members join you in this practice. You’ll find that taking the time to enjoy the daily sunset will add a lot of peace and simplicity to your life. And it’s a lot more nourishing than television.
* June: Cut your driving in half. It’s begun to seem as though we don’t own our cars as much as our cars own us. If you question that premise, just imagine how you’d react if you didn’t have your car for a week. Our dependency on the automobile has complicated our lives in countless ways: polluting the air, isolating us, adding hundreds if not thousands of dollars to our annual budgets, wasting precious hours in gridlock, and creating false symbols of success and happiness.
Experiment with alternative ways of getting from here to there. Take the bus to work one or two days a week. Or arrange with your employer to telecommute part or even full time. Walk to and from errands if they’re only a few blocks away. Plan ahead so you don’t need to make that late-night run for milk or ice cream, or do without. While you’re at it, enjoy the benefits of not driving: reading the paper on the way to work, achieving greater fitness by walking, and taking time to relax instead of driving yourself crazy on the road.
Check here next week for more ideas on how to simplify your life, one month at a time.
Elaine St. James is the author of “Simplify Your Life” and “Simplify Your Life With Kids.” For questions or comments, write to her in care of Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64111 or e-mail her at estjames@silcom.com.