On the lighter side, I spend the holidays alone. It's been this way for more than 10 years, and at this point, I prefer it. Even though I'm alone, I'm not lonely. I enjoy being with myself, and this year because there were two days off in a row for me, I got a major chore completed. I painted my bedroom, changing it up from a girlish lavender to an elegant "silvery moonlight". I even went so far as to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. It gives a very cohesive look, and I really like it!
Sometimes I worry about the whole "alone" thing, not for myself, but for how I'm perceived by others. It makes the next work day a little difficult with all the "how was your Christmas" questions, but I can smile and say it was great! Now it's time to put the room back together - and my new thing is being minimalist.
Most people who hear that word assume that it means a person lives without "stuff". But for me, it means eliminating the 'stuff' that doesn't add value to my life. For a long while, I was a huge collector of 'stuff'. But as I get older, I realize that having stuff means there are more things to dust, to clean, to take care of, and I want less of that! Where to draw the line? I go back and forth sometimes, but every time I finally let go of something -- boy does it feel good! There are things I will be passing to my children - keepsakes with meaning, etc - and doing it now, rather than waiting until they have to sort through my things after I die, I get to enjoy watching them use these things now. And there's a great comfort in that!
I recently got rid of some old clothing that for some reason I'd been saving - and what a huge relief it was to let that go! Old corning ware dishes that I bought when I was in high school to fill my Hope Chest -- three marriages and several moves later I finally realized that I can let it go!
When it comes to my art, I find that I'm attracted to black and white photos, and adding minimalism to it just makes it that more appealing! Perhaps it's a hint of my own intuition of my future, but that's OK with me too!
No comments:
Post a Comment