have nothing in my house that I do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful

... of my 27 things x 9 days challenge. Mostly small stuff like paper, magazines, old food, but today I’m getting help with taking down a shed and a playhouse that are neither useful nor beautiful. The playhouse was actually pretty okay until the neighbor’s cows came by one day and “cow-handled” it. Since it’s been more an eye-sore and one of those unmotivated fixer uppers. So it’s going. Yeah! Soon to be installed: my airdolphin, which arrived from Japan some weeks ago (my compensation project for not installing ground heat yet, but now it’s all starting to come together…) Every windy day now is a missed opportunity for some locally generated electricity.

Last November I took on the challenge to get rid of 27 things a day for 9 days. It was quite a challenge, but I think I’m getting ready again. I came across this guy who’s doing a “100 things challenge”, only keeping 100 personal things. I’d be glad if I could get my number of books down to 100 so I don’t think that’s my path. And I get more excited about the idea of getting rid of, rather than keeping. And then again I’m thinking of Peace Pilgrim, whose book I read this summer.

“Her only belongings were a navy blue shirt and slacks, and a short tunic with pockets all around the bottom, in which she carried her only worldly possessions. These possessions included a comb, a folding toothbrush, a ball point pen, copies of her message and her current correspondence.”

Her only belongings!!!

Consolidating, trimming, and letting go down to half of what I had, and now all goals feel alive and beautiful.

... therefore I am.

“One never sees a hearse with a UHaul behind it.”

Jim Hightower

Found this on a simplicity site: “I realized many years ago that when you were cleaning out the junk in the house you live in, you were also cleaning out the junk in the soul. I understood the mechanics behind it, what is outside is in, what is inside is out. If I feel the need to clean, I mean a real deep clean to my home; I know inside that I am going through deep changes.”

I love how this cleansing movement feeds itself. First I did the 9 day clutter-cleanse, got sick of stuff and started a 9-day mind-cleanse with The Work, and now all that cleansing wants me to get rid of more stuff to match the internal! So last night I dove into one of the remaining clutter areas – paper. Found some amazing stuff, such as 10 identical copies of something that we passed out during a workshop in… 2002, I guess. And the best part is sitting next to the fireplace, making it an instant ritual of letting go.

... that relates to this one, and I like the wording of it, and it could be the next step after the one I have now:

find the least number of possessions I can live with and organize my life, creating a home that is a blissful oasis

“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.”

Ajahn Chah Subhatto