Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

A young boy is growing up in a house that contains a lot of stuff.  There's plenty of evidence that Americans have a clutter problem , and when you walk into this home, you see it manifested. The adults in this house either don't want to get rid of things or don't know how.  But the young boy questions the way his family lives.  Out of curiosity – or frustration – he wants to know if this is the way a home is supposed to look and feel. Home can be happier. The boy visits another home and sees that not everyone lives with so many things.  Not everyone has a house where you don't want to invite your friends over, or you don't have a comfortable place to eat a meal, or the floor is always covered with toys, shoes, discarded jackets, baskets of laundry, or cartons of bulk buys from Costco. The boy begins to realize that the clutter in his home is a barrier to the kind of life he, and maybe his family as well, would like to have.  He's very young, but already he want

Spring is springing, and if you're anything like me, that can make you feel like shopping.  New clothes, new home décor, those pretty spring-themed dishes, cute earrings, a fragranced candle – you name it, we may just feel we need something new to celebrate the freshness of spring. But every time we follow this need-to-shop impulse, we may be adding to our clutter.  We may be adding to debt (or at least reducing what we can save or give).  We may be giving in to our desire for more, more, more (and doesn't that look like a simple case of greed ?). Shopper's high doesn't last. I know it's fun to get something new.  At first, it feels amazing.  You tell your friends, maybe even post pictures on social media.  But very quickly, that new thing becomes background noise, and then you need the next purchase to feel the excitement all over again.  You never find satisfaction. Instead, let's think of ways to renew our appreciation for what we own and take advantage of a

Now that I've written more than 470 posts for Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff , I'm starting to go back and revise my older writing.  And some of those older posts are quite useful. But many of you are newer readers and have never seen posts that were written in 2018, 2019, or even last summer or fall.  And if you've been a faithful reader for quite a while ( thank you , by the way), you've probably forgotten.  I wrote the stuff, and I've forgotten parts of it! It's worth revisiting what we've written, read, or thought before, as both a reminder and for new insights.  So on selected Thursdays, instead of posting new content, I'm going to direct you toward posts of the past that I think are worth a re-read. The posts I'm featuring this week are appropriate as spring approaches and we all start to think about cleaning and refreshing our homes for the new season.  You'll find some inspiration here! A Real Home Makeover – 6 Reasons to Declutter Now

Imagine if the first job you ever had was the one you had to stay with forever.  Or if the first sport you tried was the one you had to keep playing.  Or if the first instrument you studied was the one you had to keep practicing – regardless of how well or poorly you did. I think we'd wind up never starting anything for fear we'd be stuck in something we didn't like or had no talent for.  We'd postpone making any decision at all for fear of getting it wrong . Yet that's the situation we put ourselves and our children in when we constantly praise grit and deride quitting. How quitting can be positive Even our language illustrates this attitude.  In English, if you're "gritty," you're steadfast, determined, unwavering, resolute.  Grit is often equated with courage and heroism.  You're the rock in a storm.  Quitting, on the other hand, is failure.  A quitter gives up and gives in.  A quitter is a loser.  Weak.  Spineless. Who wants to wear that de

Squirrels are chasing each other outside my window.  Sun is shining on delicate green leaves, and the many buds on our azalea are beginning to open. Even if you still have gray skies and icy mornings, I bet you're looking ahead to spring and all of its promise.  Time to welcome fresh air, sunshine, and a brand-new start. Ready to make your home look like spring?  I am. 12 simple steps to a fresh start 1.  Let in light and air. Okay, I know that cleaning windows is no one's favorite chore.  But we've been huddling by the fire and cuddling under blankets long enough.  Time to undrape those windows and let our homes breathe. Mix a spray bottle full of equal parts white vinegar and hot water (I like to add a few drops of lemon essential oil *).  Gather your lint-free cleaning cloths (old cloth diapers or white tee shirts work well) and make your windows shine!  When you're ready to do the outside, that can be a much dirtier job, so follow the advice here .  Be sure to clean

All of us have to make big, important, life-altering decisions at some point.  Which college major should I choose?  Should I marry this person I'm with, or choose to move on, or be single for a while?  Which job offer should I accept?  Should I have a child?  Should I move closer to my aging parents? These are decisions worth pondering.  I suggest imagining that you've made a certain decision and playing out the results of that in your mind, going as far into the future as you can.  How do you feel?  Satisfaction, or regret?  That might give you some insight you're lacking. Commitment is the key. As a teenager, I bought into the romantic idea that "the one" exists – somewhere on earth is your perfect soul mate.  The best relationship advice I ever got was from a long-married college professor who said something like, "Too many of you are looking for the one person who's your perfect match.  The truth is there are a lot of people who might be right for yo

Now that I've written more than 460 posts for Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff , I'm starting to go back and revise my older writing.  And some of those older posts are quite useful. But many of you are newer readers and have never seen posts that were written in 2018, 2019, or even last summer or fall.  And if you've been a faithful reader for quite a while ( thank you , by the way), you've probably forgotten.  I wrote the stuff, and I've forgotten parts of it! It's worth revisiting what we've written, read, or thought before, as both a reminder and for new insights.  So on selected Thursdays, instead of posting new content, I'm going to direct you toward posts of the past that I think are worth a re-read.  I hope you find value in them. Love Limits , from September 9, 2019 We think freedom means no limits, but limits are essential for a happy life.  Minimalism doesn't set limits, but it helps you find the ones that are just right for you. Three Sen

The answer might sound crazy. When you're unhappy, give thanks. When you're angry about the state of the world, give thanks. When you and someone you love are at odds, give thanks. When you're hurting, give thanks. I know – it sounds like Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up and face reality.  It sounds ridiculously head-in-the-clouds.  Give thanks in every circumstance?  You must be dreaming. Is it even possible? Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch author who helped hide Jews from the Nazis and almost died in a concentration camp, would have agreed with you.  When she and her sister (both in their fifties) arrived at Ravensbrück in the summer of 1944, it didn't look like they had much to be thankful for.  Their filthy, freezing cold barracks, where they were to be packed with hundreds of other starving, beaten women, would have daunted anyone.  And on their first night they discovered it was also infested with bedbugs and fleas. Maybe you've battled fleas at one time o

I'm a writer.  I write every day.  But I don't have problems with writer's block.  Why is that?  I think it's because of two factors: My writing goal for each day is one sentence. I always give myself something to edit. Related article:  The Secret to Maintaining a New Habit Two factors make the difference. I've described my writing goal before.  It's the threshold I set for "success" in my writing habit – one sentence no matter what else is happening that day.  I wrote one sentence for my blog when my son was in the emergency room after an out-patient surgery.  I wrote one sentence on the day of my father-in-law's funeral.  I wrote one sentence while I babysat my three sick grandsons.  One sentence can be written anywhere at any time.  It's so easy, there's no reason not to do it .  I can't fail.   An English teacher told me long ago that the secret to good writing is editing.  "Give yourself something to edit."  Editing is m