Should’s and Shouldn’ts

 I am not a big one for resolutions.  I never saw the point since I am incapable of keeping them!  Even into January 2!  And resolutions to me are just a list of all the things I need to “do”, to improve myself, to make my world a better place—an arbitrary list of things that I “should” do == designed by somebody else a lot of the time.

We are influenced by so many things in our lives — our “situation”, our friends, the media, Pinterest — it is an ever ongoing onslaught to what we need to do better heavily implying that what we are doing isn’t right enough, isn’t correct enough and definitely needs tweaking.  We are bombarded by products that guarantee to improve all those things that are so lacking in our lives.  And, in my case, I never seem to have the correct “things”.   In trying to attain all the right “things” - either physical stuff or an improved attitude — I am becoming more and more disenchanted with things.

Now, I am never going to be a minimalist — that just isn’t my style but there are some things I am going to eliminate from my existence because — well, I think it is a prudent thing to do.  These things aren’t adding to my life in anyway and, in a way, are only cluttering things up — if only in my mind.  I am sure that it is going to be comical to some and, in a way, it is but here we go

Planners/Diaries — 

My daughter uses a planner — she is a teacher, a mother, a Girl Scout leader - it makes sense.  I feel like I need to use a planner and I have spent a long time carrying an Erin Condrin around with me for what reason?  To look the part?  To let people know I spent upwards from $65 on a calendar?  And then looking for elusive shelf space to store years of these things on?  All because I think I “should” when all I need to keep up with is Beans school schedule and some medical appointments?   I can do that on my phone.  No more planners.

Faux Plants —

There is nothing green about my thumbs.  I can’t grow a simple ivy.  My house is too dark.  I forget to hydrate myself much less the plants so I resort to Faux.  I have some lovely faux ivy and it would be lovelier if I would dust it once in a while.  However, in regards to dusting, I do much better with flat surfaces with nothing on them.  So…buh bye faux plants.  Now to find a place to store the empty planters.  I can’t get rid of them because I made them myself in a ceramics group at our church but, they need to be put to rest.

Meal Planning —

When I was in junior high school, I took home economics.  My teacher was an ancient, old teacher named Birdie Chappell.  She wasn’t nearly as old as I thought but she had no patience with the likes of me — I refused to light the gas oven with a match.  I didn’t do well in there but I did learn a few things.  I learned how my mother, who took home ec from the very same teacher, came to plan her meals.  Instead of planning out what we would eat each and every day, my mother would go to the store and purchase a protein for each day, a starch for each day, vegetables for each day (because we shopped once every two weeks, a lot of canned goods there ) and fruit.  She would plan a dessert or two and call it done.  We didn’t have Taco Tuesday then — my mother would get up of a morning, check to see what she had and plan what she wanted for dinner from what she had.  That is what makes sense to me.  So, I am going back to what works for me — no more of these lists on a calendar of what I am going to eat the whole week because what sounds good at the store might not work for me on Monday or Tuesday.  I am going to live in the moment.  Well, except for Taco Tuesday — old habits die hard.

Trying to Look Younger —

What a wasted effort.  My emphasis is not going to be to look younger but to look healthy, have healthy skin.  This should result in some money saving as I don’t intend to jump on the bandwagon of every new product that promises everything and results in nothing.  I am 73, I look 73, I feel 73 (at least) and no amount of skin care voodoo is going to change that.  It is what it is so I am doing a huge declutter and going to relish in the lovely empty space in my drawer.

Magazine Subscriptions —

Yes, I have purchased two new ones to help the Girl Scouts but don’t intend to hold on to them and don’t intend to renew them.  I am doing away with magazines and it is really hard for me — my mind says “you paid good money for these things, now you must keep it — forever — even if it means adding on to the house”.  So, it is just easier to not buy them in the first place.   I can read them on my iPad with my kindle app.

So far, these are the things on my mind.  I know it isn’t some earth shattering changes that will make my world all bright and shiny but it might result in some extra drawer space, less stuff to store, maybe eating a little healthier and the opportunity to focus on the world around me and less about what I see in the mirror.  

Wow, so philosophical for so early on a Monday morning!  Whew!