Desiring Less

School and life have totally flipped me upside down and shaken everything out of my pockets these last few weeks, hence my lack of writing in this space.  I'm in a place of wanting to simplify, of wanting have less of all the things and more of time with people I love, doing things that I love.  More than anything right now, I miss the water.  I miss the salt air and the sand between my toes and the smell of Ocean Potion.

I've been recovering this weekend from having my wisdom teeth extracted, and it was the least filled up weekend we've had in a while.  Somehow on Friday I was able to work through the numbness and swelling on my face to clean the house and cook a meal for friends that stayed the night with us, and Saturday I had some energy to do gardening and walk to breakfast where I ate cheesy grits and pancakes soaked in syrup.  Soft foods are totally my jam right now, and though this may be hard to believe, I'm getting so sick of carbs! I can't wait to eat something of substance again.  I forced myself to rest some, even though there was laundry to do and homework to think about.  And Scott and I both agreed that the rhythm of the weekend was just slow and steady.  We got things done in the house that we needed to but didn't feel like we spent all weekend working.  We watched silly movies (Alice in Wonderful & Through the Looking Glass, Beauty and the Beast, etc.) and laid around in our PJs.  We snuggled with dogs and ate when we felt like it.  We don't have many weekends like that anymore.  Most weekends are crammed with activities, projects, homework, and chores.  Or we're traveling and exploring new places-- which we always enjoy, but there's something nice about being home too.

We've recently been on a mission to declutter (one of my main goals for 2017 has been to live with less, and I've been decluttering and sending items to Goodwill since January).  We've now made it through most of our possessions in the main part of our house and will move to the basement for decluttering next.  I'm finding that it's making me so much less attached to my possessions and making me feel lighter to have less things in our home.  It also feels good to give items that someone else might appreciate a new home where they are loved and used more than they are in our home.  We still have a long way to go with living with less, but we both agree that it feels so good to be on this mission.  We did some cleaning on Friday and realized that there's so much less to clean where you have less things in your house.  Our house feels light and airy for the first time since we've moved in.  The unfinished house projects just don't irritate me as much when there's less clutter taking up space here.

I'm finding that I just want less and less of material things and more and more time with people I love in places I love.  I'm coming to appreciate being outside, breathing in fresh air, and seeing God's beautiful creation more than I ever have before.

In 10 9 (!!) months I'll be walking across a stage after completing my Master's degree to pursue a field of advanced practice nursing that I adore.  The months until then will be long, but I can't wait for all to come when it's completed.  It'll mean way less time doing schoolwork and studying and so much more time with my people.  Until then, you'll be hearing a lot less from me, but know I'm still chasing dreams, and there's still words in my heart that I can't wait to write.

Lots of love,
C