tammyjoymccrea

I have been thinking so much about the idea of experiments - I might consider myself a tad obsessed with the idea.  I think it started a while back when I hooked onto Personal Development for Smart People.  From there it was a logical jump to Zen Habits.  This eve I came across the Brown Dress Experiment; this afternoon I was listening to a podcast that mentioned this guy, Ian Usher, auctioning his life on ebay.  I particularly enjoyed it when the host asked him how much money he anticipated receiving from this auction, and his reply that you really don't have an idea of what something might be worth until you attempt to sell it.

I appreciate Ian's courage.  Sometimes you need a fresh start.  We get so bogged down with emotional baggage that is tied up in objects around us that we just need to clear the crap.

Clear the crap - physical and emotional - that is my mission.  Living with three kids is a guarantee that one must filter a fair amount of "stuff" coming in.  I have been through most of the rooms and closets in the house to get rid of anything we don't need.  Boxes of VHS?  Gone.  Outgrown clothing, toys, books that won't be read?  Gone.  I find my self going through this purging cycle on a regular basis, but to be successful I have to be in a frame of mind where I don't equate getting rid of things with lack or guilt.

While it may not seem like a lofty goal for some, my need for simplicity is more complex than it seems.  First, I have recently cut off contact with certain members of my family.  This leads to a freedom that I have experienced only at other major turning points in my life.  I am free to be who I am!  I have energy and zest for life.  I am seeing options for myself that I have not seen before.

Second, this is my nature.  For years I have been denying myself the honour of being who I am.  Thinking I was silly or odd somehow to require simplicity in my life.

Third, I am done putting energy into things that fritter my time away.  I will decide what areas of my life require attention, and put it there.  By freeing up my workload at home, I 'll have more time to accomplish other things.  I am ready to bring the family into the fold and make this a team effort.  And that will benefit everybody.