The Moon

"What do you give up in order to grow?" Judith Viorst, I think, wrote this and it has stayed with me for several years, often serving as a refrain during the periods of my life where I feel static.

In my quest for a simpler way to move through the universe, I've caught glimpses of the moon and the vision has taken my breath away. Sustaining the power of these instances is a challenge and in order to do so, I must constantly remind myself of the beauty that is beyond the "barn." I get swept up in having things rather than in using them and the difference is important. The choice between accumulation and utilization determines the size of that which stands between me and what's both beautiful and free.

For me, that which is both beautiful & free is multidimensional. It includes addressing these areas:

SENTIMENTALITY: The elimination of a need or desire for sentimentality in the form of stuff: I want to focus on the making of a memory versus the token of it.

SPACE: Mise en place: I want to have everything in its place and have nothing left over. I want to know exactly what I have all the time.

CONSUMPTION: Limited consumption (in an effort to be more self-sustaining): I want to spend less time shopping-spending (and thinking about shopping-spending.) I ultimately want to shop-spend 2-4 times a year (for all regularly consumed goods) and stress less over what what my/our perceived needs are. I want to grow and preserve some of my family's food. I want to spend less time wanting and more time doing.

HOME: A vacation home: I want our home to feel like a vacation getaway. I want our space to be our sanctuary, a refuge, an escape; all that happy jazz but even more still I want to figure out what it is I'm actually paying for when we go on a vacation and figure out a way to have it, on the home front, all the time. I want our home to rejuvenate each of us. I do not want our home to merely be a storage place for goods. I want our home to be the place we each find center. I want our home to be the place where we each gather the strength and vision necessary to be responsible and innovative participants in our community.

Next post: The Here and Now (or what my barn looks like today)