Personal
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Hello everyone, A while back I shared about my experiment of canceling home internet. I wasn’t certain what would happen; it simply seemed questionable that there was a need to duplicate services, and I wanted to discover the truth of the situation. That experiment has resulted in some surprises. As I went online less, I…
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Woman breaking free from the judgment of others
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Hannibal is half German Shepherd, half Australian Shepherd, and at the age where he is completely full of piss and vinegar. He is every bit as tall as me when he stands on his back feet so occasionally he decides that he is the boss. This evening as I sat in front of the fan…
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M dragged yet another box out of the closet and plopped it tiredly upon the bed. “She kept so much crap!” And she did. Photos, mementos, things she’d used in the past and put away. She figured she might need them again someday. But that day never arrived. Instead, she’s now buried beneath six feet…
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It’s been a long couple of weeks. A relative went from being fine to dead with cancer. I practically lived by her side during her last days. We began the process of going through her things today. A little dog was laying in her chair, waiting for her to come home as I entered. He…
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Around here we mark the seasons with Pot Lucks, costume contests, small parties to celebrate whatever someone chooses to celebrate. We mark the days with little stories from the emails that hit our inboxes. This is our life and we live it one email at a time. There are worse lives than the life of…
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At the end of every winter here comes the mud. You can’t escape it. Anytime you step off of concrete you land in it. It’s worse in my hood. A few days of rain causes my yard to fill, washing the mud across my sidewalk. This mud is impossible to remove before it dries. I…
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It is easy to take things for granted, yet the little things we do can add up in many ways. As I’ve simplified my life, I began to pay attention to even the simplest of routines. I’d ask myself why I performed the routine, how long it took, and if that routine could be modified…
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At two o’clock this morning I was awakened with the realization that some of the jobs we do to survive are quite insane when considered from an outsider’s point of view. Jobs that have people climbing poles in the wind to attach wires or fix things. Jobs where people get hit and bit and abused.…
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Earlier this year a storm swept through my little town. I was inside of my home when it ripped my roof away. I raced outside, dodging the flying debris as I checked on my neighbors. To be within a scene I’ve only ever watched play out in movies knowing that I could die was electrifying…
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Just the other day I asked my fellow worker if all of the stuff he’d purchased recently was worth the effort he was putting in to pay for it. Given that we were stationed at one of the most demanding positions in the plant, it was relevant to the occasion. He paused to stare at…
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“Life’s like an hourglass glued to the table.” – Breathe by Anna Nalik One of the reasons that I don’t regret the impulsive purchases I’ve made over the past few years is because I can always make more money. I’ve had lean times and times where I’ve been flush with cash. It’s a part of…
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As I’ve been living my life I’ve began to pay attention to the items that I use. My phone gets used more than anything these days. Remember when I didn’t even own one? The fascinating part of observing the items I use is the discovery of items that I thought I used on a regular…
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Before I began to declutter, my life had slipped into a routine. I would go to work, come home, and clean. Occasionally I would go shopping (or I would order things online) that I thought would make my life even better. Even in my tiny home a thorough cleaning would take several hours. By the…
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Thursday is trash day at my house so on Wednesday evening, I toss all of the offerings that no one wanted into the bin and give my home one final sweep before bed. I have a single rule at the moment to decide what stays and what leaves. Perhaps this rule will help you as…
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I’ve had fun these past few years. I went places and bought a lot of stuff. It was so liberating to be freed from the concerns of parenthood that I just let myself go crazy. Then one day I was looking for a thing. The actual thing doesn’t matter; what matters is that I had…