Yeah,
it’s finally spring! I know I’m supposed to appreciate the special beauty of winter,
but I just can’t help feeling relieved when spring finally returns. But there
is one downside. With the arrival of spring, my wife has this Pavlovian
response to clean the house. Usually I have resisted, but this year it’s going
to be different. For some reason, I feel it is time to “declutter” my stuff
while I still have the energy and mobility.
But
maybe the real reason is I read a special report called “Want to declutter your
life? Here’s How” on the Next Avenue website
which has inspired me to think, “Maybe I can do this.”
In
the report, Heidi Raschke describes her “decluttering boot camp” - reading four
books about decluttering in four weeks and applying them to her own life. From
each of the books, she discovered decluttering tips of which I have listed a
few of them below. And if you want to learn more, check out the four books or go
online to www.nextavenue.org/special-report/want-declutter-life-heres/.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by
Marie Kondo. 1. Tidying “in one go” doesn’t mean one weekend — it’s a six-month
endeavor. 2. Once an object has done its job, it’s time to let it go. 3. There’s
no one-size-fits-all perfect amount of stuff. 4. Surround yourself only with
objects that spark joy and get rid of the rest (which scares me because I’m afraid
my wife will look at me, won’t see any “joy” and then toss me like an old musty
book!)
Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind
and Soul by Ruth Soukup. 1. Say no to consumer culture. 2. Focus on
making your home warm and welcoming rather than picture-perfect.
The Joy of Less by
Francine Jay. 1. Getting rid of big items, such as furniture, is a great way to
kick-start your decluttering. 2. Go room by room with bags and boxes, sorting
everything into trash, treasure and transfer piles. 3. Create limits for
everything you own. Then when something new comes in, something else goes out.
4. Clutter becomes invisible. Leave your house, and when you return look at it
with fresh eyes. Note how you feel and decide if you like what you see.
The More of Less: Finding the Life You
Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker. 1. There is
no right amount of stuff; “unneeded” is in the eye of the beholder. 2. Admit
you own too many clothes. 3. Focus on quality, not quantity. 4. By reducing what
you have, it can free you from acquiring and managing stuff, so you have more
time to purse what you really care about.
But
most importantly, which everyone overlooks, make sure you have a good friend who
lives a cluttered life, so when you need that item you threw away, you know who
to call!
I
don’t think anyone in their right mind would say health insurance is simple.
It’s not. So before you turn 65, you should learn the when’s, what’s and how’s
of enrolling in Medicare. A good place to start is the Medicare 101 class which
will be held on Tuesday, April 10th from 9:00 – 1:00 at The Dalles CGCC
campus. To register call 541-308-8211 or go online at www.CGCC.edu.
Frank
Sinatra recorded JFK’s presidential campaign song which was written to the tune
of the 1959 hit single “High Hopes”. (I thought I would stump everyone, but I
received correct answers from Jim Ayers, Dave Lutgens, Laura Albrecht and the
winner of a quilt raffle ticket, Jody Cochenour.)
This western
themed American television series ran from 1951 through 1954 with reruns continuing
though 1966 on Saturday mornings. The lead character was an Arizona rancher and
aircraft pilot who lived with his niece Penny on the Flying Crown Ranch, and assisted
Sheriff Mitch. For this week’s “Remember When” question what was the name of
this pilot who would fly “out of the clear blue western skies” in his Cessna
310B? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at
541-296-4788 or drop it off with a Signalscope which included a
glow-in-the-dark signaling device, whistle, magnifying glass, and private code.
Well,
it’s been another week, pulled in so many directions I often feel six inches
taller and 3 inches wider. Until we meet again, don’t always take the easy way
out.
“I
make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” Sara Teasdale
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