Houston lived inside my heart and overwhelmed my thoughts this week. I took this picture in Austin's Zilker Park during our US Roadtrip. As we drove across Texas, I remember the vastness of Houston. I can't imagine what Houston and the many affected cities look like now. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about Houston. While watching conversations on social media, a concern grew inside me. After a few days, I felt ready to write. Actually, I need to write about Houston. They need our help! Like you, I want to help. I am praying. I donated money. But I cringe at posts about sending “stuff” to Texas. (School supplies, clothing, water, etc.) I am here to tell you.... Houston does not need your stuff More posts appear every day about trucks that will deliver items to Houston. I applaud all of these well intentioned efforts but Houston residents don't need your old sweatshirt. Donations can and will do more harm than good in this first wave of …
My Values
I mention my five Core Values often, but they’ll probably make more sense if I elaborate a bit. My journey to simplify isn’t just a desire to declutter and have less stuff but rather a goal to live with more intentionality and purpose focused on these values. …
Family and Health First, Blog Second
Dear Blog Readers, I miss you! It's been too long since my last post! Believe it or not, I'm working hard on several topics but as often happens, life got in the way. Specifically, me getting sick! So, this note is to let you know that yes, I am still here! My days have been spent trying to get everyone back into the groove of work and very soon...school. This has proved to be no easy task and I appreciate your patience! I'm focused on taking care of my family and getting healthy. We're doing ok, but it's taken longer than expected. Remember My Values? I shared these before: Faith, Family, Friends, Health and Generosity. Well, I wouldn't be honoring them if I didn't let my blog take a backseat once in a while. So as you might expect, this will be a short post just to let you know that I haven't forgotten you. I hope to be back to normal soon. That said, I did have the opportunity to speak to several amazing Mom's Groups in the last year and tell the story of Simply …
Accused Of Throwing Everything Away
I have been accused of throwing everything away. I do not. But I understand the accusation. Over the years, I acquired a lot of things. I still feel like I own too much. At one time or another, I contributed to the statistic estimating there are 300,000 items in the average American home. Years of buying and collecting turned into a lot of stuff to get rid of. It probably does seem like I throw everything away. We needed storage for those 300,000+ items. I installed cabinets and shelves lined with baskets and bins. Most are now empty and I pass on the storage devices too. It hurts my head to think about the "investment" in collectable baskets and bears. I feel buyers remorse and guilt for inspiring others to make similar purchases. I'm embarrassed to admit how much we accumulated. After years of consumerism and chasing the American Dream, I found a better way....a more meaningful way to live. And I hope others can learn from my mistakes. Hindsight is 20/20. …
We’re Home…but Re-Entry is hard
Our family of three traveled the US for the last three months. I photo-journaled on Instagram if you’re curious. The trip embodied the spirit of Simply Enough and #experiencesnotstuff. In the coming months, I’ll write more about the places we visited. That said, re-entry is hard. Returning on a Friday seemed perfect with the whole weekend ahead of us. It was still daylight at 7:00PM on a summer evening. But the excitement and anticipation I felt about coming home diminished quickly. The closer we drove to our house near Washington DC, the less excited I was to get there. On the other hand, my son could hardly contain himself. He was over-the-moon to see his best friend and took off as soon as the car was parked. I looked around briefly, hugged my husband who brought us home safe and sound, and began unloading the car into the empty garage bay. I had no interest in going inside. It’s just a house and now more than ever, it’s filled with just stuff. After all, we lived, …
Mom! Stop taking pictures!
You may recall, my family and I traveled the country for three months. After just one week, I was accused of taking too many pictures. A fair complaint coming from my son who was having the time of his life, running on the field at Dallas Cowboys stadium. At this moment, he was focused on 1) scoring a touchdown and 2) performing his signature touchdown dance in the end zone. And so he did. In the Moment He huddled up at the 10-yard line with his dad, ran a slant route and celebrated the touchdown as if watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday afternoon. I kept telling myself, "Be Present." "Be in the moment." "Stop snapping photos because you can't recreate this moment!" Yes, easier said than done. As I thought about his request, I realized that my picture-taking-pace could not continue like this for three months. We were just two weeks in and had traveled over 3,000 miles. Beginning in the deep south, Texas, New Mexico, …