New Year, New Start: Day 30

Don’t throw in the towel – we’re almost through! Today’s the last day of our regular tasks. And speaking of towels…. somewhere in your kitchen, bath, or garage is a towel that has lived a good life. It has wiped up your messes and spills, dried muddy paws, and buffed the car to a sparkling shine. It’s a tool, pure and simple, and if it is no longer capable of doing what it was designed to do, then it’s not useful to you any more.  Out it goes.
And that brings us to the end. Congratulations – you did it! Since I’m a teacher, and can’t resist the chance to review and recap – can you indulge me for a bit?
-People are more important than things. Love people; use things.
-Make the decision to release the unneeded object first, then decide where it needs to go. Trash, donation, or giveaway. Can you see why this is important? Don’t hang on to something because you have somehow convinced yourself that you are saving it from the fate of the garbage men or a thrift-store shelf destiny.
-Doing small tasks daily not only adds up over time, it also keeps you in the habit of evaluating your surroundings. Remember who’s in charge.
That wasn’t so hard now was it?

New Year, New Start: Day 29

Ok, we’ve dealt with junk mail, junk food (pantry, fridge, and freezer), and various and assorted other kind of junk, errrr…. “stuff” that tends to clutter up our space. It’s time to attack another junker-bunker: The Junk Drawer. Unless you are a being from another planet, or have June-Cleaver-genes, you have one of these somewhere. You know you do! I’m not asking you to get rid of it; I’m not even asking you to catalog, label, and alphabetize it. I’m just asking you to look at it and make some choices to empty it of some of its contents. It won’t last forever, but you might find a treasure or two.

New Year, New Start: Day 28

Read any good books lately? Now we’re hitting close to home. My bookshelf. I love books! I learned to read at age 4 and haven’t looked back since. One of my favorite characters is Harper Lee’s Scout because to her reading is as natural and expected as breathing. My physical space is limited, however, and I do need to learn to live within my literary-means. Today, let’s take a look at a shelf or two and make sure that the volumes have earned their spot. If not, clear space by marking some for the library book drive, a neighbor, the used bookstore, or online paperback swap. You might even, gasp…., toss some books in the garbage. Not every piece of printed  paper needs to be held for posterity. If it was meant to be disposable, then dispose at will.

New Year, New Start: Day 27

I miss my nearby HEB Pantry Store. It was close, convenient, and laid out so well that I could be in and out in a flash. When it comes to my own pantry, however, it’s usually not very convenient or well–laid out. I’m working on it but I never cease to be amazed by what I find in there. Who knows what lurks in the corners of our pantries? If we don’t, then it’s time to get in there and toss out the space-hoggers. Again, this project is all about simple tasks that you and I CAN do. A major pantry overhaul might very well be in your future, but for today – just take a few minutes and throw out the box of stale crackers, the expired salad dressing, and the jelly of dubious origin. Pantry perfect!

New Year, New Start: Day 26

Shhh…..it’s a secret. We all have them. Somewhere is a pile of more than 2 of the same thing that we are holding on to, “just in case.” I’m not going to ask you to reveal what’s in your stash, just encourage you to pare it down a little. Can you get rid of half of it? Ask yourself how many of this particular item can I even use at one time? If the answer is “one”, then consider keeping one or two for a back up. That’s all you need. Just try it. If you find out, in a month’s time that you really miss having 29 (grocery sacks, Pringles cans, meat trays, pizza boxes) on hand, then you can re-start your collection.

New Year, New Start: Day 25

Care to dish a little about…dishes? Today’s task doesn’t involve Grandma’s heirloom china or even that souvenir mug from your last vacation. ( Although if you have 25 souvenir mugs, we probably need to talk.) No, let’s look at the easy marks: can you find anything chipped, cracked, gnawed, or leftover from a trip to (fill in the blank) theme park? Out it goes. Please tell me that the Mickey Sippy Cup is not your only memento of your Disneyworld vacation! Even if you let every family member pick 1 special cup (ok even 2 – one to use and one to be in the dishwasher) you could probably get rid of several items. (I could tell you to go exploring in your kitchen’s Bermuda-cabinet-triangle, but that’s beyond the scope of our project. Whew!)

New Year, New Start: Day 24

“Just a note…” How many times have you started a quick letter with these words? Everyone loves getting something written just for them. Why not take some time today and let someone know, in writing, how wonderful they are?  (Ok, you can send an email or even post on their Facebook wall!)

“…that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Romans 1:12