IsThisThingOn?

Yesterday was a BIG day.  I finally opened an air-tight box which contained my few, most prized journals, wrapped in acid free paper, stored for over a decade.  Ten years! I hadn't realized it had been that long. While there are many things of far greater monetary value, nothing compares to how precious these journals are to me. Their pages contain my raw experiences, captured in the moment, as I did the rare thing of living a long held dream -- a dream that ended up surpassing even my wildest hopes and imaginings: spending four weeks by myself in Paris, in an apartment I rented, just writing, reading, eating, observing, listening and walking at all hours, as I pleased.  Twenty five years later, I decided to finally turn those journals into something polished - for myself at least, to publish at best. It was a bucket list item for me as a writer - but in that highest category of things you must do to leave this world without regret. In 2013 took them with me when I rented a house o

As time becomes more precious to me, and as the news and state of the world seems more stressful and oppressive, I am trying to do what I can in my own world to free up time, space and energy for JOY. Lately,  I've  been on a mission to rid myself of clutter across the board. I'm  unsubscribing  from e-mail lists, deleting lots of old emails, clearing search engine bookmarks and my photos in iCloud, sorting piles of paperwork, clothing, housewares, and even sifting through outdated make up, medicines, and food I stockpiled during the pandemic.  Besides being in the stage of life where we turn to letting go, the tiny house craze and Marie Kondo certainly "sparked" a resurgence of minimalism and decluttering. Many are also trying to do their part for the planet by consuming less and recycling more - which includes repairing what they have, giving things away so others can use them and buying formerly loved items on Ebay, yard sales and at thrift stores instead of new.