A new neighbor, sort of
I live in condos (aka, old apartment complex converted to condos). I rent mine. Not very big, tiny actually but big enough for me, my daughter and the two dogs.. So anyway, I digress. AT the end of my building there is a 1 bedroom that opened up and my "new" neighbor is moving in. She was sharing a condo with her sister in our same complex. I like her; she makes me laugh, she has lots of wisdom, shared difficult past experiences (although she doesn't go into too much detail) etc. What's the point of all this? I love, love, love, living vicariously through other people! lol. I love to see them take a space and make it their own, decorate with treasures they have found over the years, etc. I don't know why, but I love it! She has had all of her stuff in storage for over a year or so and is rediscovering treasures and was absolutely giddy.
I think this has helped me get a focus on my life: live with what I have, be grateful for what I have, slow down and enjoy what I have. This time of year I am always reminded of others who have so much less, and by that I mean health, family, a roof over their heads, car, job...I could keep going but I think you get the point. It is not about the continued collection of "stuff". It doesn't fill that void. It might make the journey more fun or pleasant, but it doesn't fill that void deep in your heart and soul if you don't have the right people in your life to share it with (oh what do I know, maybe there are some that enjoy the stuff more than people) but for me? Just sitting on her patio, enjoying conversation and a cup of coffee Sunday morning made me realize that I enjoy my stuff more when the right people are around me.
I think this has helped me get a focus on my life: live with what I have, be grateful for what I have, slow down and enjoy what I have. This time of year I am always reminded of others who have so much less, and by that I mean health, family, a roof over their heads, car, job...I could keep going but I think you get the point. It is not about the continued collection of "stuff". It doesn't fill that void. It might make the journey more fun or pleasant, but it doesn't fill that void deep in your heart and soul if you don't have the right people in your life to share it with (oh what do I know, maybe there are some that enjoy the stuff more than people) but for me? Just sitting on her patio, enjoying conversation and a cup of coffee Sunday morning made me realize that I enjoy my stuff more when the right people are around me.
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Hope you are doing very well in Dallas, TX. My son and his family live in Houston!
It sounds as if you have had what I call a \"defining moment.\" I had one when I was sorting through 25 years of accumulated stuff last winter in preparation for my move to southwest Florida. While I have always been quite the collector and decorator ad nauseum, as I packed I would ask myself \"How much do I want to spend to move this?\" Made the choices a LOT easier.
The other pearl of wisdom I would like to add is this -- Do you own your stuff or does your stuff OWN YOU? I\'m to the point now (after moving twice in three months) that I could happily take leave of a lot more of my stuff and be just as happy. Maybe even happier!
You are doing well and I hope you continue to progress in your wonderful New Life! xoxo
Hi Coreen, I am doing better in Dallas now that the weather is cooling off. Lots of rain, but I love rainy days. This is my favorite time of year, you know, when things \"slow\" down a bit!
Kathi, thank you for the input, I think when I was married that my stuff definitely owned me (or should I say us). It became less about our life and more about building appearances. I have never cared about appearances and even had that conversation with him early in our marriage. I definitely lost sight of that, meaning I got sucked into having more stuff. I do enjoy it, but again, losing focus of the bigger picture was our ultimate downfall.
I am content, frustrated, not very good with figuring out a budget (although there isn\'t much to budget, it comes in, it has to go out), but hey, they are my mistakes to make and learn from now