A Time of Reflection

This all started this morning as I was sitting in my living room looking out my picture window watching the rain and wind blowing the leaves across the lawn.  Over the past couple of months, I've been working on simplifying our life.  I started with spending time really going through all the stuff we've collected over time.  Some useful, some not so much.  I donated several bags of "stuff" to Goodwill.  As I cleaned out each closet in my house, I took the time to organize so we could see what we had.  Through this process, it really got me to thinking about our lives and the world around us.  We've become a materialistic, tech savvy, convenience driven society where it's easier to purchase then make, instead of building and connecting with people it's easier to hide behind a computer screen.  Technology has it's perks and definitely opens up a world of possibilities and opportunities when used in moderation.  Do I enjoy some of these programs such as Facebook and Pintrest or pieces of technology such as a smart phone, IPOD or a laptop?  Sure I do.  They can be educational, expand your connections with world.  So this may sound to some a little hypocritical but I don't think they should be a substitute for spending time with loved ones, having coffee with a friend, taking your children outside to play or teaching them to create and explore the world in wonder.  I realize that I myself have some work to do with this.  I need to spend more time disconnecting, expressing my creativity and enjoying the company of those around me.  One step at a time to get to a more balanced and simpler life.  So it all started with cleaning and organizing then disconnecting my work e-mail from my phone so that when I'm home, I'm truly home and not thinking about work.  We spend enough time each day at work when we're at home we should be present and not just "there".  I've been reading other's blogs out there where people share similar stories of how they got to this point and where they went afterwards.  

So in an election year where the topics we constantly hear about is healthcare, the economy and the environment.  One can't help but think about how each of these impacts each of us but I find myself not wanting to except that I have no control over any of these.  I myself am very fortunate, I have a great career that provides my family with good health insurance and would be considered part of the "middle" class.  This past year though we've all felt the impact of the economy and the rise in energy costs.  If you commute to work the cost of gas this year has had a huge impact on everyone's life.  The overall cost of living has increased from food, to heating costs to clothing expenses.  At the end of the day, I think we all need to reflect upon our own lives and the impact we have on the world around us.  

With this I've looked at different ways we can have a more positive impact on the environment, save money and enjoy the simpler things in life.  One of the ways we do this is by eating at home instead of eating out, we eat at home enjoying a home cooked meal.  This saves money, it also allows us quality time together at the end of the workday.  We also love to have friends & family over when possible to enjoy a nice home cooked meal with us as well.  My husband doesn't like to eat leftovers so I've been looking for ways to use a protein such as a roasting chicken or roast in several meals so it's not eating the "same" meal again but a new one.  Through some of the blogs I've read, I've found some great recipes for laundry soap, fabric softener and everyday household cleaners.  They use simple ingredients that are safer for my family, easy to make and do a great job cleaning.  So as I use up the current cleaning products in my house, I plan to transition to using these.  Since we purchased our house a couple years ago, my husband and I have really gotten into composting, a great way to take what would be considered "household" waste and turning it into something useful that we put back into our gardens.  

As we head into the holiday season and the commercials start hitting the air waves selling the commercialism of the holidays, I'm striving to celebrate the holidays with the ones I love, continuing and making new holiday traditions with my family.  The holidays should not be a time of stress and "feeling bad" for people because they "can't" purchase the gifts they want to for people.  Society puts such pressure on people around the holidays that they need to go in debt, purchase high ticket presents for people as if by doing this it would make the person "care" or "love" them more.  Most important to me, I've vowed to tap into my creativity and make all of my Christmas presents this year.  I love gifts that someone made and is unique over a "store" bought gift any day.  As I was cleaning and organizing, I discovered all the different things I had to make gifts and all the things that I have around my home that I can use.  They all support my effort to simplify, reduce, reuse and recycle.  

I'm not sure if this feeling comes with age or wisdom but at some point I think we all need to look within and really figure out who we are and what we want to stand for.  I want to be known as the person that cared about the world around her, did what she could to protect the environment, creative and thoughtful.  Lastly, for those that "really" know me, a woman with a passion for her family & friends, cooking & food and creativity.