2923 !

It's not even the middle of December yet and already I am thinking of New Year's resolutions. I used to believe they were the big joke. You know, some great excess you acknowledge in December ( eating, spending, etc... ) and you resolve to do it different with the turn of a calendar page and a new year. This year, I seem to be hammered with hints about changes I need to make.

First. I am absolutely overwhelmed with " stuff " . I have, to some degree, become of those people I hate : the conspicuous consumer. I need to resolve to find a new way to " capture the essence " of those things I love. I don't have to buy them all. I'm not sure how to thin out the " stuff " I already have, but I'm thinking it will involve giving things away to people who will appreciate them more than I can. It's not crap, mind you. I have some great " stuff " . It's just that after awhile nothing really is special when it is competing for attention with all the other special things. I think that Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote about simplicity in a way that makes sense.

Second. Paper. I am buried in it. I HAVE to resolve to re-use more. We do a good job of recycling, but what we need to do is begin to eliminate the need for some things. Plastic baggies, for example. An unnecessary part of my lunch. I have a great lunch case I use everyday, but I waste baggies to hold my goodies. Yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks. TOO MUCH WASTE. Like I said, we recycle well, but we USE too much of certain products. I need to change my whole thinking about this.

And my art room needs more actual art coming out of it ! I have stacks and piles of paper products looking to be transformed into something else. It seems I'm collecting more " stuff " to create WITH and actually creating, less. Remember the art-o-mat project I was working on ? I'm STILL not finished with it ! Can that even be true ?

Third. I need to stay focused on positive things. Traffic alone can absolutely ruin a perfectly good day for me. I need to find some alternative ways to spend that time so I don't feel so aggravated by the inevitable. I can't change the commute, so I need to change how I FEEL about the commute.

And just generally, I need to GROW LOVE, and GROW KINDNESS and GROW PATIENCE. Am I expecting too much ?

At any rate, we are escaping our everyday lives this weekend by taking a train trip to Portland. We'll be staying at the Hilton Downtown and spending most of our time at Powell's Books. I can't even tell you how giddy I am to be going somewhere that will not involve sitting in traffic, but WILL involve rooms and rooms of books. Sounds like a wonderful treat, to be sure ! Pictures when I get home !