Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Here It Is

I thought, I wrote, and I conquered my first blog in quite some time. Now I think it's just blah. There is no where to go but up, so don't give up on me! I'll get back in the game of blogging.

I originally was going to blog about deep seeded fears, dreams, and goals. BUT…naw…that's not going to happen for my first blog after a long hiatus. This is a time for…well, I don't know what, but here it is. It's nothing about training or diabetes really. There is more than enough time for that, so let's just start with this.

In the words of Eminem, I've been cleaning out my closet. Literally, and well maybe a bit of cleaning of my brain too. (That's a whole other blog post!)
I recently read an article in the New York Times about a couple that pared everything down and now live in a 400 sq. foot apartment. (Actually, I'm inspired by another blog I read, Zen Habits) Brent and I pared down the mother load of junk about 3 years back, and I felt that we completed that….until I read the piece, and realized that we still have tons of junk. I know, one mans junk is another mans treasure. So why not let it be the other guys treasure and get it out of my sight!

The concept is simple. Very simple. Based on the idea of letting yourself only have 100 personal items. (Now, for a diabetic that's a tough one, so I'm taking the diabetes out of the picture. I don't really see my supplies as personal items. I mean, c'mon…I need that stuff to live!) I'm not taking it to that extreme…100 items…but I love the idea! I think I'll try to make a list of 100 items anyway. I wonder if I can do that? Can you?

So I've worked my way through my office, closet, and ALL my gear. Gear meaning my swim/bike/run collection of nonsense. I mean really, who needs old cleats I will never ever put on my bike shoes again. Seriously! Why did I save them??
Along with all that gear were countless amounts of reading material. I flipped through page by page and ripped out anything of importance, and have filed it away.


I am aware of the oxymoron….a triathlete who doesn't have excess. I'd rather give away a pair of my favorite shoes rather than one of the 4 spare bike tubes, 3 spare goggles, or countless spare parts for my Aerodrink system.
So you understand, those shoes are my absolute favorite!
We all have so much crap built up in our closets, garages, and yes..even living rooms, (That's where my bike trainer is. It's like a piece of furniture to me!), we could all stand to loose a few pieces of gear. It's all about priorities people! Yes, we need the gear, but really? Do you really need that pair of goggles that leaked, and you were going to fix, but never ordered the kit to do it? Ok, I'm guess I'm talking about me…yes I had those goggles, but think…do you have something similar? I bet you do.

It's a constant work in progress being a minimalist. I liken it to practicing meditation, practicing yoga, practicing patience, and yes...practicing blog writing. The more practice, the better you become.

Next up: *Clean out my craft/sewing clutter. This one will be tough! I will feel my Grandmas eyes on me and fear she will turn over in her grave when she sees what I'm going to toss/give away.


*But I promise not to make that one into a blog.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Where For Art Thou Nancy?

There is a blog post creepin' and crawlin' in my head. What, you say? You've heard this before, you say? One thing is true...I think about my blog all the time, so it'll come soon!