I've decided to start a new blog. I have a couple other blogs. One is a journal and one is a personal family one. They're both pretty old and the most recent posts have been sparse.
I wanted to begin a new blog, because I want a fresh start. It's a new year (January 2016), and it's a big year. I've had some life-changing experiences in just the past 2 months that have brought a new perspective to how I've decided to not only view life, but live it. So...this is a new chapter I've started and this post is the launching pad.
In the mornings after my husband goes to work and before I wake up to start my day, I like to contemplate the things I would like to get done, and the things I need to get done. I will often ponder about personal goals and take some time to meditate. Sometimes this includes praying, and asking for guidance on my day. I'll frequently have thoughts come to mind on things I can do, or certain people I can focus on. Today, the thought came to me to post in my blog (essentially, journaling).
I think journaling is a great thing to do. It's wonderful to document parts of your life, to record memories, to share thoughts. Often times, it's very therapeutic. Many psychiatrists and counselors advise their patients to keep a journal. It's HEALTHY. So...it's good, and it's a new commitment of mine to blog often and document my adventures in "FINDING JOY".
But why the focus on "Finding Joy"?
Everyone wants to be happy. I feel like "joy" is a much more fulfilling word, though. It's a deeper sense of happy. It's more long-lasting. And it's something I need more of in my life. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I've come to discover that when you wake up every day seeking joy, it will find you, and your life will be so much happier and whole.
So, when did this journey start for me? It's evolved just over the last month..even the last two weeks.
Christmas day was exactly one month ago today. It was a hard Christmas time for our family. My mother had been sick, and she was admitted to the hospital. She had excruciating abdominal pains, and was being treated for that. The doctors found a blockage in her intestines which eventually required surgery. When they surgeons went in to remove it, they found several tumors in different places within her abdomen. She was later diagnosed with stage 4 appendix cancer. ... What a earth-shaking discovery this was for our family. The first weeks were VERY hard on everyone and very emotional. But I feel like, for me, anyways, I've absorbed and processed this well enough, and it's now just part of my new normal. I have ultimate faith in my mom, in her doctors, in the Lord, and this is something she will beat. It will be a year full of challenges on many levels, but that's life.
Anyways, this news was the shock of a lifetime. I was lucky enough that my work office was closed the entire week from December 24-January 1 for the holidays. I would have taken that time off had I not already been on "vacation". I spent most of that week in bed, crying, wandering aimlessly around the house, praying, worrying, and wondering what the purpose of everything was. I would not have been productive at all with work assignments...so it was a blessing, but it was DEFINITELY NOT a "vacation".
Amidst my "adjustment time", I realized that I didn't want to feel like this forever. Aspects of my life had turned into overwhelming chaos and pressure, but I realized other aspects of my life were still totally in my control. So...I was on a mission to create an atmosphere of peace and calm where there was none at the time. I thought about it for several days and wondered where I could start. What would help me be most calm? What could I do to cut out some chaos? What could I control? I looked around the house I had neglected for a week, and the children running wild, getting into too many things. I quickly found the thing that I could control: the tidiness of my home.
Clean homes create an atmosphere of peace, calm, order, and clarity. These are all things I was in desperate need of. So...I took on the challenge of cleaning and decluttering. There was a book that came to mind. It's a super popular read right now, and I felt like it was calling to me:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo.
It has over 7,400 reviews on Amazon, and everyone raves about it. I looked it up at my local library and put a hold on the hard copy and audiobook. I quickly realized that I would never see it! Ha. On the waitlist for the actual book, I was number 234! For the audiobook, it was in the 30's. Though the library is free, that's a little longer than I wanted to wait. I researched the KonMari method (the tidying method from the book) and tried to implement what I could, without actually accessing the book. It was REALLY helpful. I organized my living room, changed the furniture layout, got rid of things that weren't really necessary and put all the toys downstairs. I tackled a couple of other small cleaning projects and got my home to be livable again. I was feeling good. After a couple days of that, I was still yearning for more wisdom and motivation hat would really help me seize the day and take control and transform my home. I took advantage of the free month-long trial from audible.com, and downloaded the audiobook. I listened to it while I cleaned and organized, and felt so uplifted, encouraged, and edified. For me, a person who has pretty much accepted that I would probably always live in clutter and mess, or that I would never be a great housekeeper, it was indeed life-changing.
One of the big takeaways from this book is that we should surround ourselves with things that bring us joy. The first step of organizing is to DISCARD. When Discarding things, we should look at them, touch them, contemplate them and really ask ourselves "does this item spark joy?" If it doesn't, you probably don't need it, and you should get rid of it. At the end of this discarding process, you are suddenly surrounded with only the things you need and the things that bring you joy. WHAT an idea! You are only surrounded by things that bring you joy.
As I discarded my way through a couple rooms, I found myself surrounded by less clutter and less things that really didn't actually make me happy. The feeling in my home and in my heart began to change. I still have a LOT to do. But it's been a great start, and I've seen that I CAN do this. I CAN have the clean house I want. I CAN have the peaceful house I want. I CAN have happiness in where I'm at.
The idea of having joy in my home has inspired me to make things more personalized and meaningful. I've planned out some long overdue home improvement projects that have been on my dream list. But I've often felt like it wasn't sensible, or we couldn't find the money, etc.. There's always an excuse to be made. But one day (last week), I decided to just DO IT. (I had Shia LaBeouf yelling at me in my head). I wanted to make my dreams come true, so I was going to JUST DO IT!
I got some birthday money from my parents ($60, thank you!), and that was enough for two gallons of paint and some new rollers and tape. So, last weekend, I painted the room that is often most neglected of household spaces: the master bedroom. I want to make our bedroom a peaceful and intentional space. That's what I'm going to work on over the next little bit. Now that we have paint, I need to work on decor, curtains, bedding, and make my vision of a relaxing master bedroom a reality. In all of our years of marriage, it's never been something I had before. I've always turned my attention to other things. But I now feel the need to make this space complete and whole because it helps me to mentally feel more complete and whole. And I also believe that I can do this tastefully while on a small budget. Brett and I as a team have some made skills when it comes to handmade things and DIY stuff, so we're going to make my modified Pinterest realities come true.
For where I'm at right now, the bottom line is this: At the end of the day, I've succeeded in finding joy and creating joy. I feel like my life has a new center, and it's great. Despite the challenges and pressures I have outside of myself, I can still be centered and joyful on the inside.
Thank you Shia LaBeouf and Marie Kondo for the motivation. Pics of the Master Bedroom are to come. :)
Other near future projects:
I wanted to begin a new blog, because I want a fresh start. It's a new year (January 2016), and it's a big year. I've had some life-changing experiences in just the past 2 months that have brought a new perspective to how I've decided to not only view life, but live it. So...this is a new chapter I've started and this post is the launching pad.
In the mornings after my husband goes to work and before I wake up to start my day, I like to contemplate the things I would like to get done, and the things I need to get done. I will often ponder about personal goals and take some time to meditate. Sometimes this includes praying, and asking for guidance on my day. I'll frequently have thoughts come to mind on things I can do, or certain people I can focus on. Today, the thought came to me to post in my blog (essentially, journaling).
I think journaling is a great thing to do. It's wonderful to document parts of your life, to record memories, to share thoughts. Often times, it's very therapeutic. Many psychiatrists and counselors advise their patients to keep a journal. It's HEALTHY. So...it's good, and it's a new commitment of mine to blog often and document my adventures in "FINDING JOY".
But why the focus on "Finding Joy"?
Everyone wants to be happy. I feel like "joy" is a much more fulfilling word, though. It's a deeper sense of happy. It's more long-lasting. And it's something I need more of in my life. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I've come to discover that when you wake up every day seeking joy, it will find you, and your life will be so much happier and whole.
So, when did this journey start for me? It's evolved just over the last month..even the last two weeks.
Christmas day was exactly one month ago today. It was a hard Christmas time for our family. My mother had been sick, and she was admitted to the hospital. She had excruciating abdominal pains, and was being treated for that. The doctors found a blockage in her intestines which eventually required surgery. When they surgeons went in to remove it, they found several tumors in different places within her abdomen. She was later diagnosed with stage 4 appendix cancer. ... What a earth-shaking discovery this was for our family. The first weeks were VERY hard on everyone and very emotional. But I feel like, for me, anyways, I've absorbed and processed this well enough, and it's now just part of my new normal. I have ultimate faith in my mom, in her doctors, in the Lord, and this is something she will beat. It will be a year full of challenges on many levels, but that's life.
Anyways, this news was the shock of a lifetime. I was lucky enough that my work office was closed the entire week from December 24-January 1 for the holidays. I would have taken that time off had I not already been on "vacation". I spent most of that week in bed, crying, wandering aimlessly around the house, praying, worrying, and wondering what the purpose of everything was. I would not have been productive at all with work assignments...so it was a blessing, but it was DEFINITELY NOT a "vacation".
Amidst my "adjustment time", I realized that I didn't want to feel like this forever. Aspects of my life had turned into overwhelming chaos and pressure, but I realized other aspects of my life were still totally in my control. So...I was on a mission to create an atmosphere of peace and calm where there was none at the time. I thought about it for several days and wondered where I could start. What would help me be most calm? What could I do to cut out some chaos? What could I control? I looked around the house I had neglected for a week, and the children running wild, getting into too many things. I quickly found the thing that I could control: the tidiness of my home.
Clean homes create an atmosphere of peace, calm, order, and clarity. These are all things I was in desperate need of. So...I took on the challenge of cleaning and decluttering. There was a book that came to mind. It's a super popular read right now, and I felt like it was calling to me:
 |
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo.
It has over 7,400 reviews on Amazon, and everyone raves about it. I looked it up at my local library and put a hold on the hard copy and audiobook. I quickly realized that I would never see it! Ha. On the waitlist for the actual book, I was number 234! For the audiobook, it was in the 30's. Though the library is free, that's a little longer than I wanted to wait. I researched the KonMari method (the tidying method from the book) and tried to implement what I could, without actually accessing the book. It was REALLY helpful. I organized my living room, changed the furniture layout, got rid of things that weren't really necessary and put all the toys downstairs. I tackled a couple of other small cleaning projects and got my home to be livable again. I was feeling good. After a couple days of that, I was still yearning for more wisdom and motivation hat would really help me seize the day and take control and transform my home. I took advantage of the free month-long trial from audible.com, and downloaded the audiobook. I listened to it while I cleaned and organized, and felt so uplifted, encouraged, and edified. For me, a person who has pretty much accepted that I would probably always live in clutter and mess, or that I would never be a great housekeeper, it was indeed life-changing.
One of the big takeaways from this book is that we should surround ourselves with things that bring us joy. The first step of organizing is to DISCARD. When Discarding things, we should look at them, touch them, contemplate them and really ask ourselves "does this item spark joy?" If it doesn't, you probably don't need it, and you should get rid of it. At the end of this discarding process, you are suddenly surrounded with only the things you need and the things that bring you joy. WHAT an idea! You are only surrounded by things that bring you joy.
As I discarded my way through a couple rooms, I found myself surrounded by less clutter and less things that really didn't actually make me happy. The feeling in my home and in my heart began to change. I still have a LOT to do. But it's been a great start, and I've seen that I CAN do this. I CAN have the clean house I want. I CAN have the peaceful house I want. I CAN have happiness in where I'm at.
The idea of having joy in my home has inspired me to make things more personalized and meaningful. I've planned out some long overdue home improvement projects that have been on my dream list. But I've often felt like it wasn't sensible, or we couldn't find the money, etc.. There's always an excuse to be made. But one day (last week), I decided to just DO IT. (I had Shia LaBeouf yelling at me in my head). I wanted to make my dreams come true, so I was going to JUST DO IT!
For where I'm at right now, the bottom line is this: At the end of the day, I've succeeded in finding joy and creating joy. I feel like my life has a new center, and it's great. Despite the challenges and pressures I have outside of myself, I can still be centered and joyful on the inside.
Thank you Shia LaBeouf and Marie Kondo for the motivation. Pics of the Master Bedroom are to come. :)
Other near future projects:
- Hanging Herb-Garden for Kitchen
- Painting kitchen cabinets
- Painting kitchen walls
- New floor install in kitchen/entryway.
This is the year I'm going to actually do things, and not just say "tomorrow."
