It's Not Always Simple
In my work and in my own life, I’m all about living simply and intentionally. My family has spent a long time choosing what to keep and what to get rid of. And many items that made it through the first (and second, and third!) pass, eventually were deemed not so important and were parted with.I’d like to say that 100% of the items in our house now are used and loved, but I can’t. There are a few things that we still have that really don’t make much sense in our simple life. One of these items is an antique pickle jar filled with corks.We’ve sipped a lot of wine over the years and at some point long ago, we began keeping the corks. When the collection got big, we found an antique pickle jar that became the new home for them. When the jar got full, we filled a giant Ziplock bag with the overflow to make room for the new corks. I never really had a plan for what we would do with all of these corks, but we continued to keep them, year after year…And now they’ve made the 1100 mile move with us. Why? I’m not really sure actually. What’s the plan with them? I’m not sure about that either, but I have an inkling. As I write this, they are in a box in the garage right next to the “sell” pile…. I’m aware of the fact that I’ve been holding on to something that really doesn’t fit in my simple life right now!How will I decide what to do with it? I’ve found time to be the best solution for indecisiveness. For as much as I want things done immediately, it isn’t always that simple. I tell my clients this and I also remind myself. What was exciting at one point can become not so meaningful as time goes by. And that’s okay…you have permission to let it go.Space constraints are another good way to help the decision-making. Yes, we technically could have room for this jar in our house, but do I want it to fill every empty space in my home? No…I find more joy in having open space in our rooms than in having something that no longer has any significance. What are you holding onto that doesn’t fit in your simple life?Blessings,Lisa Update to this post…about a week after preparing this post, I listed and sold the pickle jar. It went to a new home where it will be enjoyed and that makes me feel good about my choice!