May 19th

It’s not my intention to update this blog every day, as I have a lot going on in my life and not all the time in the world to sit at the pc typing. (Plus, no offense, but I’d rather be playing fetch with my dogs if I have free choice in the matter!)

I didn’t get too much done yesterday, which is all right. Small steps. I’ve finished cleaning out the kitchen except for going through the Tupperware. I use all of that on a rotating basis due to my love of cooking and my cook and freeze policy, so I won’t end up throwing too much of that out. I also started on my linens. That closet has been chock full, and I’ve been wondering what to do about it. Then I discovered that I still have the sheets, blankets, comforters, and curtains that went with my old bed. I got a new and larger bed last year, so these have just been sitting there. If you throw out sheets you no longer use, you have more room. Duh! I also found a box of stuff at the back that hadn’t been unpacked since I moved in. This wasn’t any old box of junk either –it’s things I’ve been looking for and hadn’t been able to find. Oh, nothing essential. But things that are precious to me. A candleholder I got from a friend when I finished college. A cat statuette my then seven year old cousin gave me for Christmas one year. That kind of thing.

There’s one other thing I wanted to share. Last month I went to a church conference that was focused on sustainable living. Everyone who attended got a souvenir mug, which I’m drinking out now. It’s the reason I thought about this. We were given the mugs not just as souvenirs, but because we were to drink out of them all weekend. Since the con was on sustainability, they refused to use disposable cups (and everything else, but we used the host church’s other stuff). Some people were incensed that they had to cart this mug around and wash it out instead of just throwing one away. I thought that was funny –go to a conference on living sustainably, and be angry that you couldn’t use disposable cups! Most people graciously used them though, and it gave me hope. Especially the way we all lined up and took turns washing out our mugs after meals. I was waiting in line one time and I remember thinking to myself ‘This is the way it should be.’ Which is one of the reasons I started down this path.