Obsessed with stuff? or Just in Case

I am in purge mode.  I’ve been inspired by my organizational, label-obsessed neighbour!!  You know who you are! ;)

For two people, it’s amazing how much stuff we have accumulated over time that is used once, twice…or maybe it’s never been used…ever!  But, for some reason there was  a ‘need’ to have it at the time and there is a need to hold onto it…Just in Case.

Outdated, broken, ripped…why keep it?  I have receipts from 20 years ago!  Do I need those?  Nostalgia?  I doubt it!  Cookbooks that have never been splattered from the makings of a culinary creation..and likely, never will.  Anyone need some cookbooks?!

And while I would like to shift the blame as to why I ‘keep’ all of it…I can’t.  The only reason it’s still there is…well, ‘just in case’. 

Wouldn’t it be great if you could give away stuff with the option to borrow it, just in case?!  I see a new venture for someone…anyone?

I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that maybe I don’t need several telephone extension cables from those ‘dial-up’ internet days that I found yesterday tucked away.  And, I could even take a pass on the 25’ Cat5 cable that was my ‘laptop link to the world while sitting on the patio’ - everything is wireless now. 

Just thinking about the purge is making me feel lighter (the bathroom scale LIES!…actually, my favourite pair of jeans must also be lying! hmmmm…ooops! - maybe I should toss the scale and the jeans too!) It is time to start simplifying, by minimizing the just-in-case stuff. 

OK, who needs some ‘stuff’, because I might have some available.

Wilderness Survival

With the love of the outdoors and getting off the beaten track, there comes the very real possibility of getting lost on a hike or maybe worse…injured and unable to reach ‘safety’ before it gets dark.

Setting oneself up for success is the best course of action and for us, that means being as prepared as possible by taking a Wilderness Survival course.

There are things that go bump in the night, creatures big and small, the cold, the wind, the rain, the snow, where to take refuge, and how to stay warm – we need shelter, we need fire, we might need to be rescued. 

Of course, in true survival fashion, we had it all - rain, an impromptu snowfall, winds, and below-freezing temperatures.  There would be no sleeping bags or tents for this overnight in the woods.  We had our survival kits and the clothes on our backs – everything we needed to hone our skills of surviving in the woods.

After the in-class learning and a some hands-on sessions outdoors, we now had to put what we learned into practice.

The goal was to start a fire in the afternoon and keep it going throughout the night to the following morning – about 18 or 19 hours.  In addition, we had to find enough boughs and branches to build our shelter plus a signal tower, collect enough firewood so that we didn’t have to go searching for wood in the darkness, and do what we could to stay warm.  

We were surprised that sleep was almost impossible.  Even with two of us.  We would try to nap, but those lasted for no more than 15 minutes at a time.  We would wake up to cold toes or a body that was shivering and the only relief was to get within inches of the fire once again to regain warmth.  Of course, one of us was always watching the fire to make sure it continued to provide much-needed heat, all the while listening to the heightened sounds of a living forest that surrounded us.

 

In warm summer temperatures, the experience might be a bit different, but having the colder temperatures gave us a greater appreciation of what ‘could be’…and…

 

…WE SURVIVED! 

Paris – up close

I saw a link this morning to this incredible website developed which allows the viewer to see some of the most amazing sites of Paris up close.  The technology is pretty cool in the way it links more than 2000 individual photos together to create what you’ll see in the link below.  In addition, it’s a great tool to get your bearings with respect to where things are located in the city.

There is a navigation bar which allows you to zoom in and out, auto rotate, etc…but you can also turn off the sound from there (hint, the more you ‘play’ with the site, the less likely you’ll want to listen to the background music loop).

Check it out at:

http://www.paris-26-gigapixels.com/index-en.html

Everything looks better through a pint o’ green beer

 

The doors of pubs and bars are wide open and the sounds of raucous laughter from the green beer-toting patrons is contagious.

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

A man stumbles up to the only other patron in a bar and asks if he could buy him a drink.
"Why of course," comes the reply.
The first man then asks: "Where are you from?" 
"I'm from Ireland," replies the second man. 
The first man responds: "You don't say, I'm from Ireland too! Let's have another round to Ireland." 
"Of Course," replies the second man. 
Curious, the first man then asks: "Where in Ireland are you from?" 
"Dublin," comes the reply. 
"I can't believe it," says the first man. 
"I'm from Dublin too! Let's have another drink to Dublin."
"Of course," replies the second man. 
Curiosity again strikes and the first man asks: 
"What school did you go to?" 
"Saint Mary's," replies the second man. 
"I graduated in '62." 
"This is unbelievable!" the first man says. 
"I went to Saint Mary's and I graduated in '62, too!"
About that time in comes one of the regulars and sits down at the bar. 
"What's been going on?" he asks the bartender. 
"Nothing much," replies the bartender. "The O'Malley twins are drunk again."

spring stroll in sepia tones

 

A ‘rest stop’ worth exploring

I was reading a guest post by Joshua Becker this morning on the ZenHabits blog entitled “The Lost Practice of Resting One Day Each Week”.  It’s not surprising that hectic lifestyles are making us more stressed and subsequently, less healthy.  Are we achieving the work-life balance that many of us crave?  Are we missing opportunities that we might later regret?

So, today…or at least this morning, I took a break from my usual routine.  With a snack and my camera in my backpack, I went for a walk along the lake front.  This is an area that I have ‘run through’ on many occasions, but rarely do I take time and actually stop, listen, observe, and appreciate the surroundings.

Art, architecture, history, and nature – all plentiful when you transform your pathway into a rest stop. 

 

 

Carvings by local artist Jim Menken (www.jimmenken.com), someone who changed professions to followed his passion.

  

Adamson Estate

Little did I know that just a few feet away from the path I had often run, there was a pet cemetery.  Stone markers for cats, dogs, and and other beloved pets were gathered in one spot to honour their memory.  I could envision ‘Caesar -the truly Golden Retriever’ running to the water’s edge to sneak up on a wave, or chase a seagull.  ‘Friskers’ was likely content to spend her day catching mice and lazing on a comfy porch chair – sounds like a perfect work-life balance!

And here I am, feeling rejuvenated and ‘embracing simplicity’ - all from a simple rest stop. Yes, that was a contented sigh you just heard.

Turn right, next exit…and enjoy…