Words made famous by none other than our green friend, Kermit the Frog. Seriously, I have contemplated global warming, recycling, reduction and all the other myriad ways to "green" my life. Some days are better than others. Lately I have been overwhelmed by "stuff" My husband just shakes his head as I add more to the pile in the garage to be donated to Good Will.
It is a time consuming and emotional process. I crave simplicity. Life is complicated by so many other factors. That said, I look at all my gadgets and gizmos and wonder if the technology has made my life more or less than simple! I think sometimes we hold onto things because our aging memories can't be trusted to remember people, places and things. Label your photos people...there are people in some of my childhood pictures that I have no idea who they are or how they were important to me. I have purged my home/office so many times...the office and the garage seem to be the repository for all things that no longer have a home somewhere else. It is hard to let go of all the little notes, drawings and particularly books...how many books can one home hold...unless it's Biltmore House with its vast libraries.
As I stand in front of my closet each morning...I am not organized enough to plan outfits for each day or actually I think it is a mood thing...what looks and feels right one minute is so wrong in the next instant...I notice that I only wear a very, very small percentage of what I own. So why in the world do I hold onto all those clothes BECAUSE...dum...dum...dum...I might need them someday (yeah, right) Just this week I wore what I thought was comfortable...only to feel the need to strip around 3:00 in the afternoon...I was meeting my daughter for a movie and all I could think of was I have got to get out of these pants, this bra, this sweater and these shoes. Why would this have anything to do with being "green" ? I have decided to not buy anything just because it is "on sale". My rules are I have to ABSOLUTELY LOVE anything (clothes, shoes, household items) that comes into the house. I asked myself do I really, really need it or just want it. More often than not it is meh...not really! Donate those clothes and items you are not passionate about to someone that needs them or reinvent them so that you do not have to buy more stuff! This post, while a bit extreme, is inspiring.
(recycled maxi dresses from the seventies, love it!)It is my desire to reduce my carbon footprint...to use less...to simplify. As the old adage says, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without".
p.s. The Daily Green is a great place to look for ideas to green your life.
9 comments:
I grew up being green and didn't know it. My mother was raised during the depression and 'poorer than a church mouse' (her words). Nothing was ever wasted, it was reused. We didn't buy something just because we wanted it. I find myself still doing some of the things that she did. However I hate clutter and disorganization. Hence, I don't hang onto clothes that I haven't worn in a year. Except for dress clothes I hardly wear, they are way too expensive to go out and buy when needed!
You're singing my song, Friend! I walk through the rooms of my house and think, "How'd all this stuff get in here?" I think we both know the answer to that one. I ), and yet I keep holding on to them. Crazy, huh?
my fam and i just barely went to the biltmore house with my daughter from ashboro north carolina, $50 to see someone elses house, but tupilos was worth going to , this from a mormaon back in utar, sorry about all your weather back there ,,, write me the putz fro utar
Oh Connie, I share your need for less clutter! Every little bit we can get rid of (in whatever green way to bless others) brings a little bit more peace into our homes and lives.
Just for fun, have a look at this radical closet idea here - a brave soul wearing ONE dress every day for an ENTIRE YEAR! I'd never be able to do it, but it would be interesting to see what a year's worth of variations brings.
Peace to you, friend.
Such a good reminder. Thanks.
I try to get rid of clothes about once a year. But we have a lot of other stuff that needs to be gone through.
Pippa,
there was a project a few years ago where a performance artist wore the same dress for a year...I think it was called the brown dress project.
first of all, kermit rocks! lol.
we try to recycle clothes we haven't used in at least a year after every season. I love to hand-down the clothes my daughter outgrows to someone we know. sometimes, it's as simple as asking around. there's always someone else in need.
clutter stifles me...always working on ways to de-clutter.
What a great reminder this is! I'm a recycling Queen here in my house... I use and wash more than anything!
Allen, my son has just cleared his wardrobe out and donated all his clothes to a charity! Someone is gonna get some really smart and excellent clothes in a wonderful condition!
I'm not so good at getting rid of my own clothes though... but I do recycle! *Nods head to take your minds off my cluttered un-recycled wardrobe fodder!*
going green is very importent they are more people daying every day because by wasting things we made more damages to the world
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