Category Archives: Life

Day 3067 – The Power Of A Clean Car

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I just finished a big project – cleaning out our car. We recently had to get the poor guy a wash because of some gunk on the side. The place I went to had free vacuuming with a car wash, and I ended up just tossing everything into the trunk. Today I wanted to clean that out, and decided to do an overhaul. I went through the games we keep in the car, I threw out papers, I threw out trash, I found things to get rid of, and things to bring back inside. Funny story, I just had a thought that I needed some more workout clothes. What did I find in the car? Oh, a full set of workout clothes in my gym bag!

I wanted to show Bret where everything was, and on the way back in, he mentioned how much mental clarity that gives us, having a clean car. So while it took a lot longer than I would have liked, I feel so good about a long put off (we’re talking years here people) project being complete.

Did you do any projects today?

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Day 3066 – Childlike Wonder And Awe – or – The Secret To A Happy Life

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We hear over and over, have childlike faith. Be curious like a kid. Look at life like a kid does. There is so much to be learned from how a kid looks at the world, meets challenges, and how they play. One thing I’m VERY thankful for is a husband who loves to play too. This morning, I was reminded afresh of the power of child like wonder. I watched a video about this guy who build Kylo Ren’s TIE silencer and BB-9E only from parts bought on eBay. He then shows the final product to a Star Wars kid’s club. The looks of absolute wonder and joy were enough to make me weep almost immediately. Take a peek at this short video about it. If you want to see the childlike joy reactions, start at about 1:40.

I want to live my life like that, to stop and say “WOW!” and not care what people think of my reaction. To appreciate what is right in front of me. And to actually play with it. How often do we build things, and then not enjoy them? I mean, seriously, you work so hard to have money in the bank, and “have a certain life,” but when was the last time you actually enjoyed it and played with it? I could certainly learn this lesson with books from the library. I’ll spend hours finding and getting new books, but I find sometimes it’s hard to actually sit down and read them.

In honor of playing today, I am wearing these.

I might even put on these.

How are you playing today? How are you seeking childlike wonder?

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Day 3065 – We Don’t Give Christmas Gifts – repost

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Originally posted 12/1/16

I read a fantastic article yesterday – The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents. It really struck a chord and I wanted to share it and my thoughts on gift giving at Christmas.

I stopped buying Christmas presents about 9 years ago. Like most things in my life, I started/stopped doing it for a superficial reason but the deeper reasons that resulted from the change became very important to me. I stopped Christmas gifts because of my own debt and the example of a close family from church who didn’t do gifts. I thought, huh, that’s interesting. So, I stopped. I’ll admit, that first Christmas was a little awkward, but my friends and family know I don’t do gifts. I still get a few gifts here and there (which I totally appreciate!) but now it’s expected that I won’t give one back.

As time went on, I still didn’t give Christmas gifts. Bret felt the same about giving gifts, so we didn’t. Looking back, I can see how those deeper reasons were a lot of the points the author of the above article made. Since we’re minimalists, we’re all about less stuff. And in turn, we don’t want to add to someone else’s “stuff.” It also frees us to give generously at other times of the year. The unexpected gifts are the best, in my opinion. 🙂

But I have to say, the biggest benefit has been a nearly stress-free holiday season, every year. There’s no “what am I going to get XXX for Christmas?” or “I have SO much to do!” Honestly, the biggest stress of our holidays is getting to and from the airport and flight delays. Since we’re not stressed about all the “stuff you have to do” at the holidays, we can truly sit back and reflect about the real reason for Christmas.

So, what do you think? Are we completely crazy?
(Just be glad I didn’t talk about some of the other topics that we’re REALLY in the minority about!)

day_02341

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Day 3063 – Here’s A Puppy, Because, Well, Puppy!

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I did not get a full night sleep last night, I’m in a rush to leave, and well, I just had to share this cutie. 😀

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Day 3062 – Lessons Learned After Reading About 500,000 Of My Own Words

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For the past two and a half months, I’ve been rereading every single blog post I’ve written. I only have about 3 months of posts left. I’ve been reading with the intention to find posts that are pinable and shareable (and content that can be used for other things). Some have been a quick scan, knowing I won’t want to share it. Some have been an in depth read. So what’s it like, looking back on 6.5 years of your life? Seeing what you talked about at different times? Here are a few takeaways.

– Taking steps, even very small ones, every single day, adds up to something incredible. I am blown away at the mass of words I’ve created, just by showing up again and again.

– When you start something new, you will not be perfect at the beginning. I didn’t find much until a good year and 2 months after I started writing. Now, to be fair, when I first started the blog, it was to reach potential wedding photography clients. It is so much different now.

– It will take a while to find your voice. I think a lot really clicked for me after I shared about my alcoholism. When I put myself out there, and got a great response, it gave me a lot of confidence to share more personally.

– Things will change over time, and that’s ok.

– Even if you think no one is reading, and no one is impacted, maybe YOU will be impacted by yourself in the future. I reread a post about waiting, and it helped and encouraged me that day.

Have you ever looked back on your life, your work, etc? What did you find?

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Check out our resources page.
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