semi-philosophical thoughts
Dec. 28th, 2006 06:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenIt's been interesting learning new things in the past few months, and especially in the past few weeks. I sometimes found it a little difficult to feel a part of my usual activities when many of my dicussions with others of late have been about trying to be prepared for the future.
I finally managed to sort through the Christmas village stuff (I don't have much, but it does take up space during most of the year), and have managed to let go of two buildings, 1 covered bridge, and some small accessories. Also threw out some things that had gotten mildewy. I expect some craft supplies in the attic will be going in the new year - I may even bring some to the New Year's Eve party for people to take, if the hostess is willing.
It's time to sort through things and activities, decide which ones get to stay and which don't.
One of the traditions of Chinese New Year is to clean the house before the new year. Another is to pay off all debts before then. In this day and age of mortgages and revolving credit, I just try to make sure everything has been paid on time, but the housecleaning has become pretty important, even though I'm not terribly good at doing it on a daily basis. Over the years I've extended the tradition to trying to clean the house before the current world calendar new year as well.
My definition of cleaning has changed somewhat over time, to include mental, spiritual, and physical cleaning.
--What ideas can I get rid of, what toxins can I remove from my system and my environment? Consider all possible toxin sources: food, cleaners, objects, rooms (ex: a damp basement), and people.
--What activities are superfluous to my immediate, mid- and long-term goals?
--In regard to the house, what physical items belong to those superfluous activities, that can now be given away/thrown out?
Although we are far from being able to seriously consider it, if in fact I can cull enough things to clear a room, I'm thinking a boarder could be an option, as a small source of additional income. I think with time and determination I can create enough space, both physical and psychological, that this could be possible. In addition to the income we would be sharing some of our resources with another person. We have a large house, which is one of the reasons I like to hold workshops and small gatherings here, because many folks don't have the space and our space is just waiting to be used.
Meantime, I get to experiment on a very small scale with gardening, weaving, solar power, etc. We have a few years to do this in, which is a big relief :) I would hate to have to try to figure out how to grow enough of everything for a year, this coming spring! Instead I get to try out different types of plants, see what grows well in this region and what doesn't, improve my spinning skill, re-learn how to can, etc. I'm walking more often, doing my yoga stretches and other fitness-oriented activities, reading and learning. To learn is to live; to live, learn... while being aware that 'learning' isn't always from a book, or about how-to's or everyday 'facts' :D
I finally managed to sort through the Christmas village stuff (I don't have much, but it does take up space during most of the year), and have managed to let go of two buildings, 1 covered bridge, and some small accessories. Also threw out some things that had gotten mildewy. I expect some craft supplies in the attic will be going in the new year - I may even bring some to the New Year's Eve party for people to take, if the hostess is willing.
It's time to sort through things and activities, decide which ones get to stay and which don't.
One of the traditions of Chinese New Year is to clean the house before the new year. Another is to pay off all debts before then. In this day and age of mortgages and revolving credit, I just try to make sure everything has been paid on time, but the housecleaning has become pretty important, even though I'm not terribly good at doing it on a daily basis. Over the years I've extended the tradition to trying to clean the house before the current world calendar new year as well.
My definition of cleaning has changed somewhat over time, to include mental, spiritual, and physical cleaning.
--What ideas can I get rid of, what toxins can I remove from my system and my environment? Consider all possible toxin sources: food, cleaners, objects, rooms (ex: a damp basement), and people.
--What activities are superfluous to my immediate, mid- and long-term goals?
--In regard to the house, what physical items belong to those superfluous activities, that can now be given away/thrown out?
Although we are far from being able to seriously consider it, if in fact I can cull enough things to clear a room, I'm thinking a boarder could be an option, as a small source of additional income. I think with time and determination I can create enough space, both physical and psychological, that this could be possible. In addition to the income we would be sharing some of our resources with another person. We have a large house, which is one of the reasons I like to hold workshops and small gatherings here, because many folks don't have the space and our space is just waiting to be used.
Meantime, I get to experiment on a very small scale with gardening, weaving, solar power, etc. We have a few years to do this in, which is a big relief :) I would hate to have to try to figure out how to grow enough of everything for a year, this coming spring! Instead I get to try out different types of plants, see what grows well in this region and what doesn't, improve my spinning skill, re-learn how to can, etc. I'm walking more often, doing my yoga stretches and other fitness-oriented activities, reading and learning. To learn is to live; to live, learn... while being aware that 'learning' isn't always from a book, or about how-to's or everyday 'facts' :D
