The Bucket List

Toward the end of my footloose days in college (or maybe even as far back as high school?) I started to piece together a bucket list. I wrote it in a journal that's now tucked in box in my parents' attic, awaiting yet another move a year from now--to wherever that may be.

A recent walk with my mom prompted me to wonder about my progress on the ol' bucket list.

We passed a house with a sailboat parked on the side. My mom said she'd always wanted to go sailing, and I said, "Me too; it's definitely on my bucket list." To this, my mom replied, "I never had a bucket list. I like to live in the here-and-now. I don't have a lot of wants or needs."

For me, a bucket list isn't about wants and needs--it's more about goals and aspirations.  I admire the fact that my mom has been able to achieve what she wants out of life. Maybe I keep a list because I'm young and ambitious, or maybe it's because I have to write stuff down or I forget it. Either way, I like my bucket list, and I think I'll keep adding to it and checking off items as I grow old.

Here are just a few of the items I can recall listing:
- Play basketball in college.

- Move to a city in which I've never been or where I know nobody.

- Run a marathon.

- Live in a ski town.
- Earn my master's degree.
- Write a book.

- Go on a sailing trip.

- Write for a magazine. 

- Climb a mountain.

- Marry and live a simple life based on family, friends, and faith.  (Is it OK to put marriage on your bucket list?)

- Be my own boss. 

This is quite the shabby blog entry. Note to self: Hunt down that journal and add to this pitiful semblance of a list.

Oh, and for your daily dose of inspirado (as my friend Leslee says), here's one of my favorite quotes that's been screaming at me lately:

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens; not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst ... a spark that creates extraordinary results.

The stages of simplification

The first step is admitting you have a problem.

This is true for many-a-thing, but for me this is in reference to stuff--specifically clothing, papers, newspaper clippings, notes, old bills, handbags, Cougar Athletic-issued gear, books, magazines, old race T-shirts, shoes, and winter accessories.

I need to ... I must ... get rid of this stuff! I thought I did a great job of purging myself of unneeded and completely unnecessary items when I moved from Austin back to Portland, but somehow, over the course of seven months I have managed to accumulate a ton more STUFF. I can't stand it any longer.

As much as it pains me to part with some of my clothes, I am going to do it. I have to. For my sanity. I want to look into my closet and actually see my shirts, slacks and sweaters. I love clothes so very much, but I can't handle the chaos that is my room. Perhaps if I wasn't living at home again I wouldn't notice the mass amount of stuff I have, but since I am, and since I will be moving again in a year, I need to consolidate.

The thought of simplifying my life sounds so sweet. Living a clutter-free life is more than appealing. It's something I want to strive for the rest of my life and pass along to my children. I simply do not need all that I have, and others can benefit from my hand-me-downs and donations.

I have one garbage bag full of clothes, and that is just Round 1. I plan to--as gut-wrenching as it might be for the clothes horse that I am--get rid of even more and as soon as my excessive-stuff-removal is complete, I plan to abide by the following set of guidelines:

1) Purchase items I cannot live without only. If I really, really think I cannot live without a new top or pair of jeans, I must make sure it fits (applying the "if I lose five pounds this will fit" rule can never apply under this new set of guidelines), and I must carry it around the store for a serious duration of time OR place the item on hold and "think about it" for a while before purchasing.

2) Just because it's on sale does not mean I need to buy it.
3) For every one thing I bring in to my closet, I must find a new home for another item (or two!).

4) Read and recycle mail or file it away immediately. For every bill that could be received electronically, I must go paperless.

5) Every time I buy a magazine or a new cooking magazine comes in the mail, I must give myself a two-week window of opportunity for reading. Rip out recipes I want to try and file them in a cooking binder. Recycle old magazines or donate to the library.

This is just a start, but it's something I hope to stick to. I can't stand the clutter any longer. I should post a photo of my overstuffed closet but it's just too embarrassing. No one needs that many shirts, shoes, pants, jackets, skirts, or dresses (even though I am a firm believer one can never have too many dresses)!

Please help me in this endeavor. I need all the encouragement I can get.