Values

Living Intentionally with Single-Use Plastics

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Significant Emotional Events We all have experiences that forever imprint on our minds and cause a shift in how we think about things.  My dad has always called them significant emotional events.  One of my significant emotional events occurred a few years back while whale watching on a 36-foot SuperRib in Southern California. Looking back, I vividly recall the awe as we found our small craft surrounded by a school of hundreds of dolphins.  And, I’ll likely not forget how … Read More

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Five Possible Outcomes When You Stop Shopping

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In January of 2018 I challenged myself to not shop for or purchase clothing, shoes or accessories for twelve months.  Four months later I shared my takeaways to date from my shopping ban.  It’s now February of 2019 and I wanted to check in and share what I’ve discovered that I believe could be of benefit to you.  Before sharing, I must confess to the purchase of two banned items. Going into 2018 I was confident two … Read More

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Ethical Consumption – Questions You Should Be Asking

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Reading time ~ 5 minutes  Until recently, our minimalism journey has been focused primarily on releasing stuff we no longer need or want. My focus shifted a little last month though after noting how many people commented on a particular topic on a professional organizer’s forum I subscribe to. The topic was Ethical Consumption.  Unfortunately most of my organizing colleague’s comments related to the back end of consumption, which I’ll call ethical disposal.  This encompasses recycling, reusing, … Read More

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Honoring YOUR Values as You Simplify Your Life

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Reading time ~ 4 minutes Sometimes people in your life have a hard time understanding choices you make. There is a woman I knew, we’ll call her Jill, who was frustrated with a friend of hers, who wasn’t available as often as Jill expected her to be.  The friend was happy to hang out with Jill during the day, but every time Jill invited her to dinner or an evening meeting or event, she was turned down.  … Read More

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You Can Release Your Albatross!

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Once upon a time… I owned the beautiful antique reed pump organ in these photos*. It was black walnut and oak with intricately carved panels and delicate calligraphy lettering on the red velvet encased stops. It provided a workout when played, because the air forced through it to create sound was produced by pumping its large pedals.  It was one of the first antiques my mom purchased back in the 1960’s and it was the first “piano” … Read More

Time to Share Our Previously Untold Story

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It’s not often a blog posting is 18 months in the making, but the time has finally come to tell a story I alluded to in an August 2016 posting. In that post I shared my husband and I had “been undergoing extensive unanticipated renovations at the new house” and I noted that would be “another story for another day.”  When I wrote those words I’d been treading water for a couple of months, having recently surfaced … Read More

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What Does Daylight Savings Time Mean to You?

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This has always been among my favorite days of the year.  The day we turn the clocks back an hour is the day that gives me more of what I value most ~ TIME. At the risk of sounding weird, the old time-starved me always looked forward to this day with the same anticipation as a kid looks forward to Christmas morning. While other people accepted this gifted hour as an opportunity to get some extra sleep, … Read More

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Our Journey Towards Minimalism

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It’s been almost a year (September 2015) since I shared with you in this blog.  In September 2015 my husband and I were on the verge of minimizing our world by moving to a smaller house nearer the city center and closer to my husband’s office and our favorite activities.  It was a move that would allow us to experiment with living a life more closely aligned with our emerging values of a healthier lifestyle, simplicity, a smaller … Read More

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Commitment Clutter & the Arrival of Spring

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Spring has sprung and I wish I could say these beautiful blooms are residing in my garden, but alas, winter, not aware of the calendar, is too slowly releasing its grasp on the North Coast.  I am confident though that within the month spring flowers will be blooming somewhere along the shores of Lake Erie.  Wherever and whenever those spring blossoms burst forth for you, I wish for you the opportunity to enjoy those all-too-brief blooms. Sadly I’ve noticed over my … Read More

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Resources for Releasing That Are Better for the Planet

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This is a big month for releasing!  I’m playing the #MinsGame with a number of you this month.  If you’re like me and you value the environment it’s important to keep as many discards as possible out of the landfill.  Today I want to share a few of my favorite tools for more environmentally friendly disposal of your cast-offs. 1) One of my favorite tools for helping my local clients find an ideal release site is the Cuyahoga … Read More

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