Getting Here
I am back from my (awesome, extraordinary, rejuvenating, much-needed, much-anticipated) personal retreat. But I am still sort of getting here. It is quite something to spend six days being totally taken care of (with the most nourishing and delicious meals which I neither had to plan nor prepare and certainly not clean up after!), and moving slow and in (mostly) silence, and simply soaking in everything I needed to soak in. To go from that to the noise, chaos, and disorder that is inherent in life with two two year-olds, as well as to suddenly have to switch into the mode of taking care of a family (plus, now, houseguests) - well, it's a bit of a jolt.
So another week without my Saturday Seven. But I did get my tickets and receipts from the big Parents of Multiples Clothing Sale. Total sold - 45 things! Total made - $150. Woohoo. I need to turn right around and invest that money back into things needed for the boys.
On my retreat, I was in a place that holds Simplicity as a core value, so there is always much for me to learn while I am there. I always get new perspectives on what is essential versus what is just excess. This time, I pared and pared down what I was packing and thought I wa bringing a really minimal amount. But then the weather was hotter than I'd anticipated (80s, 90s) and I ended up not wearing two of the tops, and one of the pairs of pants I had brought. So, clearly, I could've done without those, even though I thought I had packed so minimally.
I was also interested to contemplate the differences between simplicity and organization. The two people who run this retreat place (it's actually called a House of Prayer), live as simply as anyone I know and have actually taken a vow of poverty. But everything is not all neat and organized - books and papers sometimes get stacked here and there, pantry items get stored a bit willy-nilly in their somewhat small kitchen, photos pile up waiting to be placed in albums. Sometimes I over-equate simplicity and organization, buying into the notion that in order to simplify, I need to own a lot of great storage items (which are usually costly!). I do want to be organized, but I also think that drive can sometimes be at odds with my desire to live more simply....
Oh, and for anyone who has a Saturday Seven (or other musings to share), here again is Mr. Linky.
So another week without my Saturday Seven. But I did get my tickets and receipts from the big Parents of Multiples Clothing Sale. Total sold - 45 things! Total made - $150. Woohoo. I need to turn right around and invest that money back into things needed for the boys.
On my retreat, I was in a place that holds Simplicity as a core value, so there is always much for me to learn while I am there. I always get new perspectives on what is essential versus what is just excess. This time, I pared and pared down what I was packing and thought I wa bringing a really minimal amount. But then the weather was hotter than I'd anticipated (80s, 90s) and I ended up not wearing two of the tops, and one of the pairs of pants I had brought. So, clearly, I could've done without those, even though I thought I had packed so minimally.
I was also interested to contemplate the differences between simplicity and organization. The two people who run this retreat place (it's actually called a House of Prayer), live as simply as anyone I know and have actually taken a vow of poverty. But everything is not all neat and organized - books and papers sometimes get stacked here and there, pantry items get stored a bit willy-nilly in their somewhat small kitchen, photos pile up waiting to be placed in albums. Sometimes I over-equate simplicity and organization, buying into the notion that in order to simplify, I need to own a lot of great storage items (which are usually costly!). I do want to be organized, but I also think that drive can sometimes be at odds with my desire to live more simply....
Oh, and for anyone who has a Saturday Seven (or other musings to share), here again is Mr. Linky.
posted by earthchick at 11:34 AM
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