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The peace of getting rid of stuff

10/29/2019

In some respects our life has not been filled with silence, solitude or simplicity this fall. For the past two weeks, the dumpster we rented to get rid of stuff in our attic, garage, and barn, has been sitting in our driveway receiving junk, trash, and past treasures. Thanks to our kids and grandsons the dumpster is full and the lawn raked.
And yet, interspersed with all the activity, there have been intervals of literal silence, solitude, and simplicity. Just knowing that on Thursday all will be hauled away brings a figurative silence, solitude, and simplicity that is profound and lasting.

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Birth and death, parts of the journey

10/17/2019

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Today I feel deeply comfortable and at peace in my silence, solitude, and simplicity. But why? I am saddened by the death of Elijah Cummings, and that a dear friend of fifty years in spending his last days at the hospice residence where I used to be the spiritual care counselor. Certainly not a time of joy, but definitely a time of gratitude for friendships and lives well lived.
Maybe, just maybe, we feel deeply comforted and peaceful when we unite with individuals who, having made a positive difference during their earthly years, are now putting an Amen to their lives. At times like this I am reminded that before death there was birth. Maybe, just maybe, my comfort also comes from the news of the joyful birth of a friend’s granddaughter. Birth and death are givens in the human journey; embracing and celebrating both, not as separate events, but as parts of something much bigger than we can explain, is what seems to brings profound comfort and peace.

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Liszt and Gooethe

10/8/2019

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This poem was sent to me by a friend. She wrote:
     “We went to a concert at the Boston Wagner Society. One of the pieces was a Lieder by Franz Liszt based on a Poem by Goethe. When I read it I thought of you:

Joyful and sorrowful

                      Joyful and sorrowful,
                      full of gratitude.
                      Longing and anxious
                      In constant anguish;
                      Sky-high rejoicing
                      despairing to death.
                      Happy alone is the soul
                      that loves.

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Balancing on the seesaw

10/6/2019

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OMG, is this my first post in October? Yes! Well, my jetlag is over and I’m back on the seesaw that goes up and down between silence, solitude, and simplicity, and activity out in the world. Actually the ride is steady and well-balanced for the most part. That’s the way my life is these days; that’s’ the way I want it to be.
The social seat of the seesaw finds me volunteering at Open Table, where I help seniors select their weekly food, which includes fresh produce from local farms. Then there are church activities, folks to visit, as well as keeping up with friends and family. The solitude seat finds me walking, reading, knitting, and puttering around the house. Currently this puttering is picking up velocity as we get ready rent another dumpster (our fourth?) and let go of more stuff. The plan is to have our house more or less ready to put on the market should the desire or need arise. BTW, we have no immediate plans for that.
So there it is, my latest status report. Oh, one more thing. I had slacked off on my reading, especially when in Italy, but I’m back now. My 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge is 80 (the birthday I will celebrate in December). To date I’ve read 48; I’m on schedule.

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The peace of getting rid of stuff

Birth and death, parts of the journey

Liszt and Gooethe

Balancing on the seesaw

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