Volume 2  | January 2005 |270 subscribers

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In this issue:

 - Quote of the month

Happy New Year to each of you and a special welcome to our readers who have joined us in the last month.

I am not going to ask you about goals or resolutions you may have for 2005. Instead, I am going to ask you about the vision you have for your life. Do you have one? Do you have some thoughts about what you would have if you had one? Have you got some thoughts you’d like to jot down and save for when you do decide to write your vision? What kind of person is in that vision? How do you want others to know you?  Now I think that would be helpful in making 2005 a good year or at least it is a good start. What do you want more of or less of in this next year? What’s cluttering up your life and are you ready to let that go in some way so that you can make a difference for yourself and thus the other lives in which you are connected?

As you can see I have more questions than answers at this moment. Questions pause me long enough to get my conscious thinking in gear. They help me be more purposeful in my decisions and that is what I would like for all of us in this next year. More purposeful, conscious clutter-free living. No fancy frills or fancy people with big agendas and egos. Just plain purposeful living and contributing to a world that is in need of simplicity and connection.

Happy New Year to each of you and may this be the most fulfilling year in each of our lives.

- Linda

The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho – ISBN – 0-06-250218-2

The Alchemist is a magical story of Santiago, an Andulasian shepherd boy who travels in search of a worldly treasure. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and above all, following our dreams.

My friend Lori gave me this book some time ago and I just now have read it. It is a wonderful short fable that re-inspired me when I most needed inspiration. It is easy to read and the lessons simple, yet profound. A good reminder for keeping on track and listening to our hearts, even when other circumstances give us cause to question ourselves. A wonderful treat to read on a pick-me-up day or a rainy afternoon.

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 - Success Stories

Hear what others have to say.

It’s not always clutter; that it’s OK to hang on to items that one loves, and just be encouraged to incorporate them into one’s life in a new way somehow.   De-Cluttering Disaster? The Waste Management Company in my area allows for one bulky item pick-up each year.  I’d been mentally building the pile of clutter I would get rid of for several months, and had even started assembling the items into one place in the backyard to make it easier to get everything to the curb when the day arrived.  One item I had decided to put out was a thoroughly worn sitting chair. (read more) Dot Snow     dot.snow@kp.org

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- Coaching Tip

Our quote about trusting our hunches is a great one. I think we often second-guess our decisions because we don’t trust ourselves. This is a learned behavior. Small children operate on hunches. They “feel” whether something is right unlike adults who often think about something for far too long. How often have you found yourself “knowing” something only to do something totally different? This is what I am talking about. We generally make good decisions when we trust our intuition, gut or hunches.

Dot gives us a good example of that when she writes this month about a chair that was headed to the curb for pick-up and at the last minute she “knew” now was not the time to let that go and honored it in a very special place. Once again Dot writes an interesting article of letting go of clutter as well as trusting her hunches.

The flip side happens frequently as well, particularly with physical de-cluttering. We once again “know” that something is not for us or we cannot afford it yet we buy or keep that item and never really honor it or create the space for it in our lives. It’s an emotional "stuckness" that may have us feeling temporarily better even when our hunches tell us differently. I know that happens in relationships, as well. We stay or enter into relationships when we know at a core level that it does not serve us in any way. I was there in my younger days and it was not a pleasant place to be. The mental and emotional clutter was very evident and at times consumed more of my time and energy than the things, people and experiences that enlightened my life.

Notice when the next hunch arrives in your life. Sit with it a minute and just “know” and then make a decision that supports the vision you have for yourself.

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- Upcoming Events

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The last half of December was the most difficult of my life to date. One of my dearest friends, Annemarie, died very tragically. I don’t think I ever had so many questions about life, purpose, priorities or the work I do. It has been difficult to focus at times which has made writing this newsletter a challenge at some moments, which is so different than it being a pleasure. I reminisce daily about something Annemarie and I talked about or did and that gives me great pleasure. I learned so much from Annemarie in my friendship with her. We had many a great discussion about clutter in our lives and in others. We laughed a lot when we were together and those memories will forever be with me. She is no longer with me in this physical world, yet her spirit forever shines in my life. It was an honor to be her friend.

Healing is a process just as moving toward the vision we hold for our lives. I am continuing with the vision I have for my life and if I pause to take the time to consciously choose for myself I will be living my life with the meaning I have always intended. Baby steps in healing and baby steps in creating and living my vision. I know Annemarie was always supportive of the vision I have for my life and David & my new adventure of building our home in Cumberland.

As suggested by a client I now have implemented the “Cumberland Chronicles” as part of my Personal Reflection. Very exciting.

Cumberland Chronicles – The design for our new house had to be changed after discovering the slope of our lot was steeper than anticipated. Glenn, our designer is a wonder to work with. We now have a new design that we quite love and will fit the bill for our needs. The down side is we will have a very large and expensive engineered foundation because of the slope. I have said I am going to take pictures of the foundation and have them framed so that when people wonder where we spent our money they will be able to see. Without a solid foundation there really is no house. Just like us, it and we need to be firmly planted on the ground and centered in a solid foundation.  We now need to start with pricing the costs of plumbing, electrical, windows, doors, kitchens, roofing and all those finishing things. This is where decisions get made around what’s in the budget and what the final choices will be. We want hardwood floors on the main and depending on the numbers (ie $$$$) for the floor and the foundation we may be walking on painted plywood floors till we save the money for what we want. I can live with that in order to be within our budget and have a significantly smaller mortgage, which is part of my life vision. I am learning, learning, and learning.

P.S. Next month I expect I’ll have some “ground-breaking” news.

-Linda