More Living - De-stuff!

Yes that's right its a Toadstool! Right out of a fairytale and growing right on our front lawn.

 It might be extremely poisonous but isn't it just so beautiful! 

Just simply beautiful! *sigh*

Why you maybe asking, am I putting a photo of a toadstool on my blog that isn't going to be about toadstool?

Just because it is so simple yet so beautiful and that is more or less the theme of my post this week.

I just love them and NO ONE around here is allowed to bust them!!!

A few weeks ago I wrote a post titled 'Living More, More Living' (or was it the other way round?) Apparently according to my 'stats' it resonated with a great many of you. It seems more and more people are wanting to simplify their lives, to have less stuff, to be less busy and to live more and to do more living. Blog after blog, site after site is being dedicated to that very thing, especially to the "How-to" kind. So if there is so many sites out there to learn from why are we all stuck in the rut, still hiding under or in our houses filled with stuff or or on the brink of a breakdown from being busy all of the time.

We make no secret that we are all busy. And we all are. But what exactly is making us busy? Surely with all the time and effort saving devices that we have at our disposal we should be home free and living the life. But reality is that very few of us are. This has been playing on my mind for a while now probably due to the fact that at times I have felt that I am drowning in my sea of busyness and the STUFF that we have stuffed into our home. At times, even though I try really really hard to enjoy everyday, every moment of my life truth is I don't. I am often drowning in stuff, mess, clutter, things to do, places to go, people to text, to ring, to see, clothes to fold, meals to cook, dishes to wash, things to bake, things I should do, things I want to do, things I don't want to do (but have to), things I have to do. You know life in general. Messy isn't it.

We are all like this, all exactly the same. I have had enough, I really have. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. Out come the rubbish bags and boxes. Time to de-stuff my house. My wonderful husband actually started this process for me and cleaned out the girls room with everything that made it a mess and found new homes for them. Then it was out went all the little bits of toys, the tiny hair brushes, the toys with the matted hair, the puzzles with the half eaten pieces (don't ask), the felts (markers) that go sometimes. Everything that I deemed pointless. Soft toys! Really do we need ALL of them, do they really love them all? I know that when people buy kids soft toys I think they secretly hope that the soft toy that they buy will be the childs 'Velveteen Rabbit' and long time pal. Reality is they won't be. I had to go through the soft toys when they girls weren't around as I tried to do it with them and every toy that went into the 'give away' bag was named Zuzu and they desperately loved them and couldn't possibly live with out them. There were many many tears. So I gave up and left it to when they weren't looking. Now all that is left in their room is a wooden dolls house with furniture and a few my little ponies to live in said dolls house. (with matted hair I might add) Their tea set. A container of a selected few soft toys and a craft box and colouring stuff. Everything else it out!! The dress up box has a new home, where it can be monitored more closely. Their room looks good, spacious and functional. I may sound mean but at least I left their beds and blankets (joke). You know the most remarkable thing has happened since then. They play in their room ALL OF THE TIME!!! They have created the most elaborate games out of what they have, things that they have never come up with before. Why didn't I do this sooner!!! Why I ask!!

On to the boys room, I showed no mercy!! At least they are a bit bigger and didn't kick up a fuss (as much). Out with any toy that only had one purpose and hadn't seen the light of day since two weeks after they were bought (toy story lovers can stop reading now). Out with any toy that had even one bit broken or it didn't work. When I say out, I was actually selective because somethings were actually still in good order, they are being donated to local garage sale. I was ruthless. I have yet to go through the games and the puzzles. I am put off by the puzzles because I am going to have to do them all! I have done the bathroom cupboards (that was fun). I am amazed at how much stuff we have accumulated. I am usually the sentimental one and won't get rid of anything but not this time. The bookcase wasn't even safe. A whole box of books packed away ready to be read by someone else. The kitchen cupboard and shelves got a going over too!

Now when I look at all the stuff I have accumulated to give to the garage sale or out to the farm dump I am embarrassed, embarrassed because it is so much money that has been spent of STUFF. Almost brings me to tears, but boy does it feel good when I look at my 'de-stuffed' house. I feel like I can breath. Everything is easier to tidy and clean, easier to put back where things belong. There are things and areas that still need to be dealt with, like my um wardrobe. I think I'll need help with that because I look at it and feel too overwhelm by it. Its not for the faint-hearted, I will leave it at that.

Are we all addicted to stuff? Why do we keep just buying and buying, storing and storing? Surely we don't need it all, yes certain things are nice to have but those certain things are cluttering up our closets, our houses and consequently our lives. I have a tendency to think that we all like our stuff as it makes us feel important, might make us feel like or appear to others that we are 'somebody', an important 'somebody'. We tend to measure ourselves and others by our 'stuff'. The more gadgets, the more gizmo's, the clothes, newest toys determines - wrongly of course- how successful we are. And we all want to be successful in the eyes of others don't we? If we are all being honest of course we do. So here we are a society teetering on the brink of breakdowns because of addiction of our busyness and our 'stuff'. What do we do about it? Do we want our kids to go down the same path? Is this living? I don't think so. Societies that practice a more simpler way of living definitely don't have the same problems we do and I for one am envious of them.

                       We all have the same amount of time to spend, how are you spending yours?

My home. 

One of my most favorite places.

OK next week I'll try to write something a little more light-hearted.
 I'll try!!