Laura Holian
What if it was Easy?
Updated: Jul 1, 2020
Five little words holding so much power. They don’t even require a dictionary and the longest words contain only for letters. This blog post comes “late.” Timeliness being a virtual term since it is a self imposed timeline from my making my own life difficult. That is the lesson I learned today. And I learned it from Minimalism. Funny how things work out.
A little over a week ago I began delving into the ”Your Uncluttered Home” program and applying it to my home. I opted for the two week program. After sorting through three bathrooms, my office, the kitchen and part of the living room, it dawned on me that if we were moving, it would be more efficient to pack as I go through the downsizing process. Pausing where I was, I made a Home Depot box run and went back into my office to begin packing.
After enrolling in the minimalism program I began to receive emails from the creator, Allie Casazza. This morning’s email featured a podcast titled “Let it be easy” Since I perceived packing to be a bit of a mindless process, I decided to play the podcast while I filled boxes. I won’t reiterate the podcast, that is her business and I will respect that.
Fast forward to three now empty drawers and a semi-filled box, I come downstairs to check on the kids. We chat, we laugh and then everyone goes off to do their thing. I was going to head back upstairs to continue packing when I remembered I needed to make dinner and then that led me down a mental path of all the other things I needed to get done. In the span of a few seconds, I went from cheeriness with my kids to “oh my gosh, how am I going to get all this done?” Panic. Then Allie’s words hit me. In a nice soft, but listen to me kind of way.
“What if this were easy?”
The time on the microwave clock was around four p.m. Our dinner plan was garbanzo salad which tasted better when prepared in advance, since the flavors would have time to marinate. It normally takes me about thirty minutes to make. If I did it first, it would enable me to pack with one less concern. At the end of making dinner, I got an idea for my blog. Why wait? So here I am typing it out while the garbanzo beans thaw.
Right after my moment of anxiety, those words shifted my mindset to calm. More than that actually, it was more of an “I can do this” positive attitude. I became enthusiastic and then I just did it. I was happy again.
Historically speaking, I realized I do overthink and over complicate things. And I don’t need to. Not anymore. Is the shift going to happen overnight? I hope so. But even if it doesn’t, I want to remember this lesson. It doesn’t have to be hard. I have a choice. I can make it easier. I didn’t know I had that power before. And wow! What a super power to have!
With the addition of packing, my two week program might become three. But I will pack less overall when I minimize and I am being more productive in the process. I also got this blog out, which I thought I wasn't going to be able to do at all. AND dinner is made! Ta-da!
Today's blog is dedicated to Allie Casazza. It changed my evening and I hope it changes my life. I know I’m moving so it won’t make sense to paint my new superpower words on a wall. A reminder on a large sheet of paper will have to do, until we move into our new home. “Oh, honey...we need to add a fun colored paint to the new home list!” Hee! Hee!
Enjoy your evening and do something happy today. And remember, make it easy :)
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