Semana 2

Unsolved Mysteries - Un Noche Sin Agua

            Mere moments (or a couple of hours, but that’s less interesting) after posting my cheery, uplifting first blog entry I came home to no water. I attempted to pay my bill for the second time, consulted with the heroes next door (who still had water), and with their assistance checked my online bill status. Alas, no explanation. The next day I went to the municipalidad to get to the root of the problem but the very helpful city worker declared the situation “Muy extraño!!!”. Indeed. He instructed me to go directly home and wait for another city worker who, much to my surprise given the usual gringo complaints regarding CR service, did arrive fairly promptly. He would not enter the property but showed me from the city side everything was as it should be. I proceeded to ask about the “clave” the first city worker had referenced. From outside the fence, with a language barrier, he directed me to where to find this clave (valve as it turned out). The valve outside my apartment was closed, I opened it, the worker gave me a high-five, and the drought was brought to an end. Unfortunately, the mystery was not.

Penchant Por Palabras

            I was filling out a form for work that asked what church I was “assisting”. It seems this is similar to how we would ask what church you are attending, but I like this better. Whatever church we are attending we should be assisting!

            This reminded me of a couple of other words/phrases I enjoy in the Spanish language. The first: here in Costa Rica (perhaps in all Spanish speaking places - I forget my non-Tico Spanish class…) they do not ask “how old are you?”; instead, they ask “how many years do you have?”. I feel this sounds more like an accomplishment as opposed to an assault of years. The second: “esperar”. I was reading a familiar verse, I forget which, in my Spanish Bible and where in English it says “wait” it used what I knew as the Spanish word for “to hope”. Up until then I didn’t know it was the same word. Que rico! I mean I dunno if that phrase applies to non-food items but it should apply to this. Hoping. Waiting. So often intertwined.

Otra Cosas

• I met a girl at the bank who spent four months in Sheridan, TX. Talk about extraño! First tico/a I’ve met who has traveled to Texas. New Jersey, Florida, and LA seem to be the destinations of choice. Bright girl, watch out for her.
• I haven’t mentioned work much. The little people don’t arrive until February 5^th so it’s mostly been trainings and classroom preparations, and only for half days. It’s been nice as I’ve had more time than expected to get settled. On Friday we had VBS, hehe. We had our regular morning devotional followed by some games, worship, a talk/lesson, craft time, and a snack! But the snack included coffee which is way better than real VBS. We are also still getting breakfast every day which I am going to miss. #spoiled

Things I miss (other than my cats, I still must say):

• My luscious locks. This hair, y’all. Hot. Mess. Ladies, you know that sort of sticky maybe I didn’t get all the product washed out feeling? No….? Anyway, pretty much where I’m at. E’erday. I’ve experienced it before but only as a short timer so now that I am living here longer term I may need to find a solution, beyond the permanent poofy pony tail. A coworker assures me that this, too, shall pass. May it be so. 

Until next time...

Things That Matter, Stuff That Works

Things That Matter. Stuff That Works. Two songs that I have loved for many years, which have taken on deeper meaning as I’ve worked to simplify my life. I imagine the words ring true to most people on a simple journey.

De-owning half of your possessions will give you perspective on the ‘things that matter’ – tangible and intangible. It will also give you a greater appreciation for the ‘stuff that works’.

I own many things which fall into those categories. A dresser which belonged to my oldest cousin as a child; it has belonged to four cousins over the course of four decades. My grandmother’s cedar chest. The desk my grandfather built in his high school shop class. These things matter, they have history and “spark joy” as Kondo would say. And they also work! Consumer culture tells us these things should be replaced, updated, super-sized but doing so doesn’t satisfy. Deep down, no matter how much we financially buy into the lie, we know that’s not what matters.

Simplifying my life has made it easier to enjoy the ‘things you can share’. My home is a more welcoming place to others. It is easier to clean and to maintain the welcoming environment. I have more time to be hospitable to my guests and enjoy their presence. Having such a home has always been important to me and I never realized how the excess was getting in the way of that goal.

Going forward in my simple life I want to focus more on the things I keep, and less on what I’m getting rid of. More about what I allow in, than what I need to send out. More on the ‘stuff that’s real’!

Tidy Magic

Tidy Magic… that could work as a Tiny Bubbles parody… next post! For now, let’s talk about what everyone in the decluttering/simplifying/minimizing world has already talked about: The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

Tidy Magic came into my life via Audible circa March 2015. The minimalist bug was in my ear due to a close friend and I had a LOT of stress in my life. It seemed to make sense that, though the “stuff” wasn’t the source of my stress, less “stuff” could still equal less stress.

I love stuff. I had (still have) lots of stuff. Children’s books, stuffed animals, and clothes I hadn’t worn in a decade. I also had an emotional attachment to all of this stuff. I’m talking psychological issue attachment. This is where tidy magic came in.

I admit the book was odd at times. The idea of thanking “stuff” I should have gotten rid of LONG ago seemed bizarre, at best. But I was determined to listen with an open mind. I listened as I decluttered:

-          size 0 (insert hysterical laughter here) jeans,

-          clothes with tags I knew I would never wear,

-          hard-earned trophies (from over a decade ago),

-          gifts I no longer wished to keep.

While I didn’t go so far as to thank every item I let go of I did learn to appreciate the purpose things served in a given time and space, realizing they didn’t have to fit into the current time and space. I could be grateful for a gift, and still let it go. I could be proud of an achievement, and still let it go. I could accept the lesson of a bad purchase, and still let it go.

Another thing that stuck with me as I listened to Tidy Magic were the cultural differences and how steeped my culture is in consumerism. This is something obvious yet it hit home to me more after listening to Kondo. Not only did Tidy Magic change my relationship with the stuff I own, but it also changed my purchasing decisions. It changed how I give gifts, how I decorate my home, and how extensive my wardrobe is. I still desire and purchase nice things but I am much more discerning of what is a want versus what is a need, and far less prone to impulse purchases that will end in a decluttering heap!

I’ll be sharing more in the future on how decluttering and simplifying has improved my quality of life, thanks in part to Tidy Magic. I’ll also share some of the things I did NOT declutter. J Until next time… travel lightly.