While working on a new look for the site this weekend, it was my goal to pare it down, to simplify it, make it a little more chic. A funny thing happened though. While cleaning up the clutter of my food blog I stopped, looked around my apartment and felt that I needed to do the same with my home. I stepped away from the computer, walked over to my closet and immediately took to editing out everything that either didn't fit or that I hadn't worn in months. I did the same with my shoes. I was brutally honest with myself. It hurt a bit at times but I knew I had to do it. In little over an hour my clothes were hung in sections, my shoes were impeccably lined up and all of my sweaters and tee-shirts were folded and tucked away into my chest of drawers.
I moved along with my task and before I knew it, furniture was rearranged, new curtains were hung, unneeded shelving was taken down, random papers and clutter were disposed of, the fridge was cleaned out and all of the old and unused potions and creams from my bathroom were chucked. I worked with an intensity that hasn't shown itself in a long while and when I was done the floors had even been scrubbed and not a single extraneous item was left in my home.
This Sunday afternoon purging has given me pause, it led me to think about how I'm living my life and how I want to proceed from here. It made me think about how much I really need and what is really important. When it comes to food, I'm always clean and pretty sparse; only fresh ingredients and barely anything processed but in life it was different. My home was filled with extra things that had no impact on my happiness or the quality of my life. When I think of the things that really make me happy my heart fills with thoughts of my son laughing, a house full of pets, sitting around gossiping with the girls, cooking for someone I love or just walking my dog around the neighborhood. These are the things that are important, not material things and certainly not buying another purse!
I'm on a mission to lead a cleaner more organic life. I'm going to keep clutter to a minimum and consider new purchases carefully. This means if I need new plates, I'm going to find interesting and beautiful china at a flea market. I've vowed to cease any new clothing purchases but, if I find myself in desperate need of a party frock I'm going to look for one in a vintage shop. Any new furniture that I need will be sourced on craigslist and repainted if necessary. Existing plants will be clipped to grow roots for replanting. The goal is to be green, to recycle and I'm going to be writing about it here. This will always be a food site but I'm going to branch out into more lifestyle writing while using food to anchor the post. After all, food is my first love and is always at the center of everything I do.
