Living Simply: Globally

   

Today I'm going to try to add value by listing links to Minimalist articles and sites from around the world. Seeing how other countries are working towards a common goal of simplify their life and living intentionally can spark great ideas, conversations, and paths to follow. Enjoy!

1.  Japan

2.  Poland

3.  Ukraine

4.  Canada

5.  Portugal

6.  France

7.  The Philippines

Living Simply: Tips to simplify

   

     Now that we're not in the middle of a daily challenge, I'll be using this blog for things that relate to Minimalism and Living Simply and intentionally that will hopefully add value to your life. That gives us quite a bit of freedom to cover many topics. If there's a particular question you have or topic you'd like covered - or especially if you have any tips that would be helpful to our other readers - please leave a comment at the bottom of the blog.

     So, let's talk about things I do to simplify my life and maybe something I say will spark ideas for you, which will add value to your life:

1.  Every morning when I get up I intentionally make my bed, but I only use a top sheet and a comforter. I know that's not possible if you live where it's really cold in the winter, but the reason I do it is to simplify. If I can grab the bottom of both the sheet and the comforter at once, I can shake them out once and my bed is 90% already made. All I have to do is straighten it and fix the top part. Why do I bother? Because the bed is the largest thing in the room. It's also one of the only things in the room besides 2 short dressers, 2 nightstands, 1 desk for blogging/paying bills/doing homework, and the desk chair - (and my husband's amp behind the closet door but it's never seen), that's all I have in my room. If I make up the bed, it's like the whole room looks "clean". 30 seconds to make an entire room look clean. Worth it.

2.  I put away whatever dishes were washed last night, whether it's in the sink strainer or the dishwasher. Why? Because then the day starts with cabinets and silverware drawers full. There's nothing more frustrating than rushing to make breakfast before you have to leave and you're out of dishes, or forks, or coffee mugs. There's sometimes 8 of us here at one time so we have a set of 8 dishes and silverware. We keep about 12 mugs/glasses for when we have company too. I just feel better in the morning walking into a clean kitchen. A messy kitchen makes me feel like I'm starting the day already behind. If anything has been left on counters by others after I went to bed the night before, those get quickly taken care of too. Who wants to come home to a messy kitchen either?

3.  I put away my bathroom things as I use them. Sure we keep out hand soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, a book, my day/night lotion, and daily vitamins where I'll see them and remember to use them - but everything else gets put away as I use it. You won't find hairbrushes, hair dryers, towels, makeup, perfumes, or things like that on my bathroom counter. I like walking into a clean slate, not a bunch of stuff I don't have time to put away later.

4.  I sort the mail every day as soon as I pick it up (either at the mailbox or off the table if someone already brought it in). Immediately I toss out all the junk mail. If anything belongs to others I make a pile on the table end they walk by every day and they're good at looking for it and removing it quickly. Mine goes in the same places on my desk/dresser depending on if it's a bill to be paid or something to be filed or read. No piles waiting for me on a day off.

5.  I keep my pantry "loosely" sorted so I'm not buying the same things I already have and constantly running out of things because we thought we had one. I can be pretty OCD in my pantry but I realize I live with other people, so I intentionally decided to "get over it". Basically, as long as the pasta, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, sauces and breadcrumbs are together, then the soups and broths are together, canned vegetables together, the condiments are together, the rice, quinoa and grains are together, and miscellaneous stuff is together, I can determine in under 5 seconds if we have something or not. HUGE time and money saver. Simplify.

     These are just a few ideas. If you have some other quick things you do that make your life easier, let us know. We'd love to hear what you have to add!

Living Simply - Happy November!

     In addition to be my sister's birthday today, I love November 1st because that's when it officially feels like fall around here. Lots of pumpkins, red, yellow and orange everywhere (not a huge fan of yellow and orange but for a few weeks a year it's okay), pumpkin spice coffees and desserts, cooler days, cozy nights, all gearing up for a time of togetherness, peace, then a new start.

How will this year be different for us? The choices we make will be personal, meaningful, and intentional...and oh yeah, more SIMPLE. We're not going overboard with extravagant menus, crazy busy plans, over the top decorations, and definitely not going into lots of debt to buy meaningless material stuff just because it's "expected" by our culture to overdo it with gifts. It will be a time where we plan a Thanksgiving meal when it's most convenient for our family. With so many people having to work Thanksgiving morning/night, Black Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve - we'll choose our dinners, gatherings, and gift exchanges based on what suits us best. Honestly, if my whole family can't gather to eat on a Thursday but can on a Wednesday evening, we'll do that!

How will gifts be different? First of all, there will be less of them, less expectations, less junky little things that end up stuffed in a closet or quickly thrown out/given away. What we choose will be meaningful to the person we give it to, and we're trying to think of creative experiences instead of material goods. If you want ideas on that, skim through the October daily challenges on here about gifts, lots of ideas for tickets, memberships, events, classes, etc.

What are we adding that's a new tradition? Well, for one, I have a new daughter-in-law joining us at Christmas. My son has a new (in-law) family that will want him there for Thanksgiving. My daughter has a boyfriend who will want her with them for at least part of both holidays - like I said, we'll do ours whatever day works best for us so there's no pressure for them to "choose" where to go or not.

We have a beach themed Christmas and our Thanksgiving is usually a quiet, candlelight dinner, so I'm looking forward to that. We may change it up a bit with what we eat, when we do it, or foregoing the typical pumpkin and pecan pie for dessert and trying something else that's new to us. Maybe we'll go out instead?

What I do know is that this year will be a lot more simple. I am determined to Live Simply, to the best of my ability, for the rest of my life. I'm just getting started, so I'll make mistakes along the way, and so will you, it takes a while to get the hang of a new lifestyle, but that's okay - baby steps along the way. We'll all get there someday. For now, just BE in the moment, live a more intentional, simple life, and remember to breathe. Have a great day today.

Living Simply October Challenge: Day 31 Global Celebrations

     Today is the last day of our October daily challenges to Live Simply as you get through the holiday season. I hope it's been helpful and has added value to your life in some way. As I promised yesterday, today I'll share ideas to add new traditions to your holiday season by focusing on OTHER holidays that are celebrated globally at this time of year. Maybe one will be something you'll want to include. If one interests you, you can simply Google the holiday and find out lots of ways to celebrate it through spirit, decorating, foods, and more.

1.  Hanukkah - an 8 day celebration for the Jewish people around the world. It's also known as the Festival of Lights. It celebrates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in 165 B.C. The ruler had outlawed Judaism and confiscated their temple. The Jewish people revolted and retook the temple, but it required cleansing from being defiled. The candle holder, known as the Menorah, needed to burn uninterrupted for 8 days & nights, but they only had enough oil for one. Miraculously, it burned for all 8 days - exactly. And by then they had enough oil to replenish it.

2.  Kwanzaa - this holiday is less religious and more about reconnecting African with their culture. It's celebrated 12/26 through 1/1. The celebrated principles are unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

3.  Omisoka - Japanese New Year celebrated on 12/31. For the new year, the Japanese cleanse their homes and remove clutter from top to bottom. They have a giant feast with friends and traditional Japanese foods. They have a televised, nation-wide talent competition that evening. At midnight, they visit Shinto shrines. Temples ring a large cast iron bell at midnight to signify the 108 earthly wants that create suffering.

4.  Hogmanay - this is the Scottish new year. People gather together on New Year's Eve for food, storytelling, drinking, and gift-giving. They enjoy bonfires and fireworks. It's traditional to welcome the new year by standing in a circle and singing, "Auld Lang Syne", roughly translated to mean, "for old times' sake". You probably already have heard it in old movies like It's a Wonderful Life. They also sometimes celebrate "first footing" where they visit other people's homes bearing gifts.

5.  Festivus - a fictional holiday made up during an episode of Seinfeld back in 1997, then called, "A festivus for the rest of us". Instead of a tree, there's an undecorated aluminum pole to contrast typical Christmas consumerism and materialism. There's an Airing of Grievances where you can tell those around you how they've disappointed you throughout this last year. Next is a Festivus Dinner - if copying what was shown in the episode, it looks like slices of meatloaf on a bed of lettuce for everyone, and side dishes of peas, and mashed potatoes. After dinner there's Feats of Strength, where the head of the household must be pinned (in a wrestling manner). Writer of that episode, Dan O'Keefe even wrote a book about it where he elaborates to make it a full-blown holiday, expands the menu, etc.

Have fun with these. See the meaning behind some of them, the humor in others. Have a great season!

Living Simply October Challenge: Day 30 New Traditions

   
     This year, why not add a NEW tradition to your holidays? Do something fun, or something meaningful, something you borrowed from another culture, or something from the culture of your ancestors. Start a new tradition - if you like it, keep it. If you don't...try a different one next time!  Here's some ideas for Christmas from around the world, and tomorrow we'll explore OTHER holidays around the world:

1.  Armenia - They celebrate "The Epiphany" on January 6th. It signifies the day Jesus was revealed to be God's son. They also celebrate his baptism on this day. Some foods eaten then are fish, rice, dried fruit and nuts. Santa comes on New Year's Eve so the 6th remains a holy religious holiday.

2.  Brazil - Nativity scenes are set up in homes all through December. They attend a midnight mass on Christmas Eve, then an afternoon service the next day. There's public tree-shaped displays of lights and fireworks. Since it's hot at Christmas in Brazil, people tend to go to the beach that day. Foods include pork, salads, dried fruits, and rice with raisins. The meal is usually around 10 pm Christmas Eve, then they exchange gifts, and go to church.

3.  Egypt - They celebrate January 6th (the Coptic Orthodox church). The month before, they sing songs of praise on Saturday nights before church services.  They eat a vegan diet for 43 days before Advent Christmas on Dec. 25th  (starting Nov. 25th). They celebrate a midnight service then go to eat a big family (or friends) meal together. They eat meat, eggs, butter, all the things they fasted from.

4.  Jamaica - Christmas carols are played on the radio in December, and Christmas Eve is also called "Grand Market" where you buy treats, clothes for the occasion, and toys. The meal is typically one of fresh fruits, sorrel and rum punch, and meats. Jamaican red wine and fruit cake is an island tradition, it's soaked in rum and wine for MONTHS before Christmas!

5.  Poland - Christmas Advent season is a time of peace. People avoid excess of anything during this time. They even often give up their favorite food or drinking or partying during this time. Homes are thoroughly cleaned, including windows and rugs. On Christmas Eve there is fasting until the first star can be seen in the evening sky. On the table are 12 dishes representing good luck for the next 12 months. There is no meat on the Christmas Day meal. Foods include beet soup, dumplings with mushrooms, sometimes after sunset, fish can be eaten. They pass around the table a wafer with Mary, Joseph and Jesus' picture on it, everyone breaks off a piece and eats it. Next they have straw on the floor or under the tablecloth to remind them Jesus was born in a manger. After dinner, carols are sung and only then are presents allowed to be open.

There are lots of great traditions you can try from around the world - whether you jump all in or just borrow parts about it you like - try something new. Make it intentional, full of meaning for YOU.

Going to be a late post

Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know today's post will be late. I'm headed out the door in a minute for the next 10 hours. Won't be able to post until about 7pm Pacific Time - just wanted you to know I didn't forget. I'll try to work on it here and there throughout the day so it's ready to go quickly tonight.
Lisa

Living Simply October Challenge: day 29 Peace

   
     For weeks now we've talked about how to get prepared for the holiday season and all its busyness. Today's challenge is to list out, and possibly plan, moments of peace for yourself during the next 8 weeks or so. Here's a few ways to intentionally design moments of peace into your holiday season:

1.  Plan a night in, maybe a movie (or board game) night with just you and those you live with. Don't make it a big game night or movie night event. Just order pizza, make some popcorn, choose a movie you (or your household) will enjoy, shut off the cell phones for 2 hours, and relax.

2.  Remember you have the option to get out and go for a walk, get some fresh air, whether it's early in the morning, after work, or even on a lunch break. Take time to just clear your head.

3.  5 minutes of peace/meditation - whether you close your office door, take off your shoes, sit on the floor, and get re-centered, or you step out onto the back deck at home, or give yourself 5 minutes alone in your room in peace and quiet. Just 5 minutes can break up a stressful situation and give you more strength to get through your day.

4.  Naptime. I give you permission to take a nap on your day off if you need it. Adults feel so maxed out, yet feel guilty for allowing their body to rest when it needs it. You can't really take one on company time, but otherwise, if you need to rest - rest.

5.  Create a routine to help you unwind after a day at work or school. Play calming music, light a scented candle if you like them, turn off notifications for the first 30 - 60 minutes. Have a glass of wine if you're staying in for the night. Eat a healthy dinner or snack. Just breathe, find your inner peace.