simplicity

Right now, I am living with 4 plates, 1 mug, 7 spoons, 2 books, 1 sofa, 4 folding chairs and a folding table, a mattress on the floor and the rest of the basics to get me, my husband and our almost-3-year-old through January in our temporary apartment.

All the rest of our stuff is on a ship crossing the Atlantic from Sweden.

I dream of a meditation retreat. But, with three high-energy children, three dogs, three cats, a rabbit, an absent-minded husband and a career guiding others to mindful living and travel, that dream remains a long way off. Peace, for now, often comes in the form of clean sheets and a soft pillow each night. I’ve learned, however, that in order to be my best, I need to seek out those Zen moments. Those all-too-fleeting times in my busy day when I get filled from within. When all else falls away and there’s only me. In the moment.

In a time of too much stuff, how do we declutter our hearts and minds, not to mention our homes? Yet, unless we declutter we are at risk of missing many meaningful moments, occupied as we are with so much that doesn’t really matter.

The best rule of Feng Shui, in my opinion, is to keep only what you love.