Simplify continued

Simplify - to make something less complicated.
Determination and an unbiased assistant made my closet cleanse painless. The empty space is liberating. I am on a roll.  Over the years I asked ‘is it beautiful, is it useful, can I live without it’ as a basis for decision making. The reality is at each stage in our lives there is a time and place. We outgrow fashions, we cling to the past, we validate memories through accumulated possessions.  How much do we need?

All I need is the air that I breathe.

There is no doubt that A simple life gives birth to more clarity, inner peace and meaningful relationships. Margo Vader. Then contentment has to come. Dalai Lama

I will continue my quest one day, one shelf at a time and invite you to do the same. So that we too may Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.  Lao Tzu

Simplify, simplify, simplify

Out of clutter find simplicity. Einstein
I grew up during a time where thrift was the norm.  The patches and embroidery on our jeans were testaments to our creativity. String was neatly wound and reused, jars of leftover screws and nails were kept because you just never knew when you might need one. We ironed gift wrap, and claimed the deposits on soda bottles.
Living in a small space requires craftiness and ingenuity. Fortunately my nature is one of organisation and tidiness.  My newspaper clippings are neatly sorted according to category and my 'collections' are culled regularly.  However I find it impossible to do the same to my clothes.

As the decades roll on the harsh realisation that I will never be the same size I was at 30, nor the changes in lifestyle or fashion are enough to force my hand. The clothes were not worn out. I need help.

The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. Steve Maraboli

Tomorrow I entrust the process to an advocate of Marie Kondo. I look forward with mixed emotions to the process knowing in my heart of hearts that letting go is a natural process of growth, creativity and opportunity. Wish me luck.

A well-used minimum suffices for everything.  Jules Verne

Back to Basics

Every day begins with an act of courage and hope beginning with getting out of bed. Mason Cooley

One takes for granted the simple act of rolling over and getting out of bed in the morning. On Sunday I was completely paralyzed with pain and that very act became an heroic exercise resulting in a call to 999. Forty eight hours later, x-rays in hand, MRI completed, pain killers administered,  I was discharged with a diagnosis of herniated disc and told to continue doing what I normally do but be more careful.

The pain of today is the reason for gratitude of tomorrow. Adebaya Olalekon

I have a renewed appreciation for the simple things. Waking up, my breath, a warm bed, my cats by my side, a roof over my head, my health.

I have learned over a period of time to be almost unconsciously grateful--as a child is--for a sunny day, blue water, flowers in a vase, a tree turning red. Only a few evolved people are born to feel gratitude as naturally as they breathe, without even thinking. Most of us come to it step by painful step, to discover that gratitude is a form of acceptance.  Faith Baldwin

Bamboo lessons

Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Today I share observations and life lessons from bamboo.

Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beginning as a seed, bamboo take four years to establish a firm network of rhizomes from which it becomes the fastest growing plant on earth growing 90’ in six weeks in year five. All good things come to those who wait. anon

The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. Japanese Proverb
The tensile strength of bamboo is greater than steel. One reason it is still used as scaffolding in the construction industry in HK. (watch this ) The human capacity for burden is like bamboo, far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance. Jodi Picoutt

Express your usefulness through simplicity…. Kensho Furuya
This versatile member of the grass family provides food, shelter, protection from the elements, clothing, cooking utensils, fuel, furniture, drinking vessels and more.
Life is simple but we insist on making in complicated. Confucius The greatest wealth is to be content with little. Plato

Whatever is flexible and flowing will grow, whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die. Tao Te Ching Trimming bamboo will result in new leaves appearing at the cut as well as new canes sprouting from the earth. By letting go it exhibits continuous growth and renewal.
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need. Lao Tzu

This week become more like the bamboo - patient, deeply rooted, flexible yet strong, see setbacks as opportunities for growth, be useful and find contentment in simplicity.

(inspired by TEDX Be Like Bamboo Tokyo 2011