Simplicity

Memories, not Clutter

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Sometimes when things happen during the journey of our lives we need to take a step back and look at what really is important.

This was one of those times for me. I hope my words can help inspire you to look around at your home and life and see what is important and what is clutter.

Decluttering Tip Newsletter – Memories

Volume 2, Issue 12
March 24, 2009

Yesterday I sat down to write this newsletter and no ideas came to mind. What tip could I write that would help you? Because of the way I was feeling I wanted something meaningful.

The reason I felt down was because an elderly gentleman I knew passed away over the weekend. I remember when I first met Hank and his wife Doris last September. He had come into the chemotherapy room and sat down in the chair next to mine. He was scared and clueless as to what to expect. Since I was on my third treatment I felt like an expert and answered many of his questions.

Three weeks later when I came into the room for my next treatment Hank and Doris were already there. They waved me over to come sit in the seat next to Hank. His chemotherapy took six hours while mine only took four. While you are sitting in a room lined with recliners, IV poles, a nurses’ desk, and no TV for four hours it is easy to get to know the person next to you.

I love to bake but don’t need the calories so I baked the day before treatments and took the cookies into the doctor’s office. I always saved a few for my snack and some for Hank and Doris. He particularly liked a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie I made. I gave his daughter the recipe so she could make some for him.

Now, you may ask “what does this have to do with decluttering”? Actually, a lot. We get so caught up in our “things” that sometimes we put more importance on them than we do on our relationships with people. We surround ourselves with more and more things in the hope they bring us happiness and fill the emptiness around us.

But can those “things” smile back at you when you offer them a special treat? Can they be music to your ears like a room full of laughter can? Can those “things” fill your heart with compassion so you can reach out and help lift the spirit of someone in need, thus lifting your own spirit?

Sometimes we surround ourselves with clutter to keep from having those human connections. It is painful to lose someone we love. It is painful to lose someone we just got to know and would have loved to have had the chance to know better. But a brief encounter can touch us deeply and leave us better for it.

Every time I bake those simple chocolate chip cookies I will remember Hank’s smile. We helped each other get through the tough times of sitting in that uncluttered room while chemicals designed to treat cancer (Hank’s) or prevent future cancer (mine) dripped into our veins.

So instead of filling your home or life with clutter try to decorate your rooms with the smiling faces of family and friends. Allow their laughter and yours to fill your home with music. Let their love and friendship keep you warm and fill the empty spaces in your heart.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice Scissors

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First Day of Spring

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No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb

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The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hillside’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven –
All’s right with the world!
~Robert Browning

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“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.”
— Virgil A. Kraft

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“If spring came but once a century instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change. ”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Enjoy the day.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com

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Wants Vs. Needs

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Wants vs. needs seems to be the catch phrase of the day. Actually, I think that is a good thing. Do you know the difference between your wants and your needs?

We have been convinced by media and advertising agencies that we need to have all these things in order to be happy. There is nothing wrong with wanting things to make us happy. The line blurs when we start looking at these wants as needs. We know the difference. It’s not easy to face.

With the economy the way it is now this is a good time to look at all the things you own and label them as “wants” or “needs“. If you are working on decluttering your home these labels will make it easier to let go of some of the clutter.

Needs keep us alive and safe. Food, shelter, basic clothing are a few of these. Depending on where you live and work, reliable transportation may be a need. Beyond the basics everyone’s needs will depend on their circumstances.

The wants are the big fancy cars we buy on credit or the big new home we can barely afford. Do we really need a TV and computer in every room of the house? Do we wear all the clothes that are stuffed in the closets and drawers? What about all the toys taking over the house or the piles of books, DVD’s, and video games?

Wants enrich our lives but too many of them create clutter in our homes. Before you go shopping again think about what you are buying. Is it a need or is it a want? There is nothing wrong with buying it for either reason as long as you recognize why you are buying it.

Go around your home and practice labeling your items as wants or needs. Just think how good it will feel to bless others with some of your extra wants. Donate them to a local charity so others can buy a few wants at a price they can afford.

Janice

 

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How to Simplify Your Greeting Card List

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I know I haven’t written on the blog for a while. I finished my six and last chemotherapy session two weeks ago. It hasn’t been easy or fun. My routines, including blogging on a regular basis, have not been up to par. It’s hard enough to keep routines going each day when things are good but once you get away from them for a while it’s that much harder to get back to them. I plan to get my blogging and newsletter routines back on track now that I am feeling better.

I wrote an article on how I simplify my greeting card list. My tip newsletter this week included this article. I want to post it here also because now is the time to work on those cards if you want to get them mailed out on time. If you have any questions on the system I use please ask me about it in the comment section. If you have any suggestions on how you simplify your greeting card list please share them in the comment section so all my readers can learn from them.

Article:

How To Simplify Your Holiday Greeting Card List

Do you love sending Holiday Greeting Cards but dread it at the same time? Does the thought of where to start, who to send them to, and who gets which kind of card make you want to give up the tradition? Here is an easy way to simplify your list to make sending cards a fun tradition instead of a dreaded one.

The first thing to do is “Divide and Conquer”. This is a system that is useful in many different areas of the home to simplify and declutter. Basically, you divide up the project into smaller, more workable parts. For a Holiday Greeting Card list you create several smaller lists that can be used year after year rather than one large one.

The following steps will help you set up a new list or help you break your large list into smaller manageable parts.

1. Set up a separate sheet of paper for each heading.

Family
Friends
Co-workers
Neighbors
Others (mail person, hairdresser, school teachers, etc.)

2. Sub-divide each of the above sections by holiday. If you don’t know the religion of the recipient then it’s best to send a generic Season’s Greeting card. To keep it simple you can send this generic card to everyone and not bother with sub-dividing by Chanukah or Christmas. You’ll still want a separate list for Kwanzaa and/or New Years. By sub-dividing your lists you know what kind of cards to buy, how many of each, and when to send them.

Although most of the holiday’s are on the same day each year Chanukah is not. Usually it is a couple of weeks before Christmas but check your calendar to see how early to mail those cards. According to the United States Postal Service your Season’s Greeting and Christmas cards should be addressed and mailed by December 20th at the latest. If you’re sending Kwanzaa and/or New Years cards they should be sent last.

3. Decide who to cut from your list and who to keep. After you separate your list into the above sections it will be easier to prioritize who is important enough to keep on your list this year. If your list is still large after cutting you may want to mark the names with a number (1,2,3) from the most important people to the least important ones you want to send cards to.

4. Now put the current address to each name. If you write the names of the family members on the inside of the cards you will want to list those names on the side or under the address. This way you won’t have to try to remember them or look them up later.

5. Time to start writing out your cards. Start with the list according to the date of the holiday and the most important people you want to send cards to. Make sure you get all your number ones on each list done before tackling the twos and threes. Then if you run out of time and can’t get through the whole list you don’t have to feel guilty. The most important people on your list will get their cards and the others will have to wait till next year.

Keep this list assessable throughout the year either on your computer or in a file folder or notebook. Add or delete names as needed. During the year you can easily update addresses so when it is time to send cards next year the list will be ready to go. Whether you buy your cards at the “after Christmas” sales or at the beginning of the season your list is there to guide you as to what kind of cards to buy and how many.

 

Janice Scissors

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://cutoutthebreastcancer.wordpress.com (blog)

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Yesterday millions of Americans took action and exercised their right to vote. That one action let us determine who will be our next president and the direction we hope he will lead us in.

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is so true. Whether the action is casting a vote that can help change the course of history or it is finally getting rid of a beloved dress that no longer fits, the action moves us forward.

Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you sit there.” So take an action today, however small it may be, to declutter your home or life.

Recycle that pile of old magazines or newspapers. Your time is too precious to waste reading old news. Put that dress that never fit right into the charity bag. You’re not going to wear it, maybe someone else can. What about your stockpile of food on the pantry shelf? If it is expired then throw it away. If it is good then either plan on using it soon or if you don’t like anymore donate it to a food pantry.

Take an action today and another one tomorrow and another one the next day. You’ll be moving forward and virtually eliminate the chance of getting run over.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

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