DECLUTTER YOUR HOME

Decluttering Your Home

hen my husband suggested we move the blocky wood veneer table from his W Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection. Wabi-Sabi acknowledges that objects are beautiful, not memories it holds, as well as its utility. Actions you can take to avoid letting new and unnecessary items into your home include: bachelor condo to our shared home, I agreed, in spite of signs of wear and tear, but because • Keeping a running list of things you’d like mainly because I assumed we’d replace it soon of them. Wabi-Sabi appreciates the way an or need to acquire to help you stay focused enough. But eight years and two kids later, I object’s aesthetic appeal develops over time and avoid impulse purchases when you’re find it hard to imagine our home without it. and with repeated use, inextricably linking shopping.

The table is covered in nicks and scratches. the concepts of beauty and utility. • Unsubscribing from the email newsletters

It’s orange-brown but the imperfections show Though I never intended to embrace Wabi- that stay in your inbox unopened, or those up in light yellow. It comfortably seats the Sabi—I’ve only recently become acquainted that you immediately delete. four of us, but we can easily squeeze a couple with the term—I’ve inadvertently adopted • Putting catalogs you never shop more chairs in when Grandma and Grandpa this aesthetic not just in my kitchen but immediately into your recycle bin or your come for dinner. For special occasions, it throughout my home. I regularly toss things kids’ art bin for future collages. expands to fit twelve. We can barely open the I don’t use. I like how favorite jeans are have • Self-imposing a “waiting period” when refrigerator door when all twelve seats are thinned at inner thighs. I delight in watching shopping online. Be honest with yourself; If full, but that’s okay. Limited fridge access has my daughters play with my Cabbage Patch you can live an extra day without the items never interfered with the conversations and doll. Thinking about creating a Wabi Sabi in your shopping cart, leave them there for laughter we’ve shared with family and friends home of your own? Here are a few tips: 24 hours before checking out. You might over Thanksgiving dinners, Passover seders, decide you don’t need them as urgently as or birthday parties. I’ve grown to love that table and the 1Limit what comes in. According to Wabi-Sabi, the beauty in a piece is not you thought you did. memories it holds. in it’s shiny newness. Just the opposite, an object’s radiance is in the meaning and 2De-clutter what you already own. Most of us have more stuff than we need or want. We hang onto things we’re saving for a special occasion, items we might need someday, and dust-collectors with sentimental value. For one reason or another, most of us have trouble letting our extras go. Here are a few tips for embarking on a decluttering mission: • Start small. In her book “Better Than Before,” Gretchen Rubin recommends committing to spending just ten minutes of any imposing task. Set a timer for ten minutes. If you’re drained after ten minutes, give yourself permission to stop for the day.

Where fitness is fun and confidence grows! National, Regional and Local Champions... and Most Importantly: Where fitness is fun and confidence grows! Over 44,500 Happier, Healthier Kids National, Regional and Local Champions... • Personal Pod Classes Availableand Most Importantly:

Over 44,500 Happier, Healthier Kids Over 44,500 Happier, Healthier Kids • Japanese, French & Spanish Immersion E-learning Camps

Classes for All Ages Open Gym Open Gym Boys & Girls Teams Boys & Girls Teams Parties, Camps Parties, Camps Parents’ Nights, Parents’ Nights, and More! and More!

National Academy

of Artistic Gymnastics Try a FREE Class – Call or Stop By to Sign Up Today! 1205 Oak Patch Road • 541-344-2002 • naag-gymnastics.orgTry a FREE Class – Call or Stop By to Sign Up Today! 1205 Oak Patch Road 541-344-2002 naag-gymnastics.org

Decluttering Your Home

A SIMPLE APPROACH

by Pam Moore

If you feel energized and you have time, keep going. • Toss anything you haven’t used in the past year. • Remember that Grandpa wouldn’t want you feeling bogged down by the birdfeeder you made together, which is now taking up valuable real estate in a closet. Take pictures of sentimental items before letting them go. • Limit duplicates. If it’s hard to be objective about how many scarves (or shoes, hammers, or guitar picks) you actually need, ask yourself how many your neighbor needs and let that number guide you.

3Find beauty in what you have. Leonard Cohen wrote, “There is a crack, a crack in everyt hing. That’s how the light gets in.” Though he may not have had home decor in mind when he penned those famous lines, the idea behind them is consistent with the principles of Wabi-Sabi. Take another look at your things. Ask yourself if they are useful. Then ask yourself if they are beautiful, remembering that beauty isn’t necessarily the perfect home featured on your favorite design blog. According to Wabi-Sabi, an item’s beauty is in its scratches, its dings, its story.

When my husband and I were newlyweds, I created a Pinterest board called “home decor” and filled it with images of the kitchen tables of my fantasies. They were modern and sleek, with smooth reclaimed wood surfaces and hairpin legs. Unblemished, they beckoned me, promising a life just as perfect as they were if only I owned such a table. I haven’t pinned any new tables to that board since our first child was born.

I’ve come to appreciate our Wabi-Sabi table. Not only is it a functional table, but it’s where my kids have sat in their bouncy seats and their bumbo seats. We’ve clipped high chairs to that table and pulled booster seats up to it. We’ve fed our kids their first bites of banana and their first chocolate chips at that table. We’ve blown out the candles celebrating the first year, the fortieth year, and lots of years in between. I look forward to all the future birthdays we have yet to celebrate at that table.

Pam Moore uses her experience as an occupational therapist, Ironman triathlete, and marathoner to help women push through fear to become their best selves. To get her free guide to crushing Impostor Syndrome visit pam-moore.com

Fall for fresh

Proudly serving our family’s Lochmead products

We sell our family’s Lochmead milk and ice cream at your local Dari Mart. We milk our cows just north of Junction City, and within 48 hours, the milk is in our stores. Now, that’s fresh! darimart.com We’re in your neighborhood. Come see us soon! /darimart /darimartsm