To Combat the Cold, at least Emotionally

It’s been seriously cold, with wind chills in the 20s below zero. Some areas, like near the New England coast, are buried under as much as 7 feet of snow. It’s difficult. I can hardly visualize green grass, can’t imagine going out without multiple layers of clothes.

What to do? Since the calendar will advance at its own inanimate pace, bring some green into your home! A bouquet of flowers and/or a new houseplant will boost your spirits, in a big way! It may not help with clutter, but it/they will make you smile. Just be sure to ask for wrapping for protection against the cold.

Spring WILL come. Like Stevie Wonder’s wonderful song lyric reminds us, “…the seasons know exactly when to change.”

Tax Time Again!

Is the idea of filing your 2014 taxes filling you with dread? If so, and even though it’s still January, you may want to start the process. As with de-cluttering, there’s a lot to be said for starting. It’s all about forward “mo” (momentum).

If you have all needed documents gathered together in one spot, all to the good. Congratulations! It will make the task much easier. If not, here are some tips. Suggested previously on this website, they may make your life easier. They’ve worked for me, as I near finishing mine.

It’s easy. Store receipts, etc., in a tax file. I keep one going all year long. It includes letters about charitable contributions and medical receipts. There’s a list about online purchases, so I can pay state sales tax. (Yup, I’m one of the honest ones!) Elsewhere, in the old-fashioned calendar I carry around and in a small notebook kept in the car, I log miles driven for all volunteer activities, including choral rehearsals and performances. I typically drive ~2,000 miles a year. At 14 cents a mile, it’s well worth it.

Admittedly, these suggestions are so low-tech as to be no-tech. They work, though. You might try them. When tax time comes around again, as it surely will, you may be grateful for your tax file!

Sparking Joy

With thanks to my cousin Robert in Massachusetts, this is about sparking joy. He’d read an article in the Wall Street Journal about Japanese author Marie Kondo and emailed about it. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, published in October 2014, has been a sensational success. It includes the idea of tokimeku, that clothes should spark joy. All items have energy, as Chinese feng shui and Japanese Reiki remind us. If an item doesn’t spark joy, Kondo suggests letting it go. I would extend that thought to everything. If you don’t love an item, let it go, as its energy isn’t doing you any good. Having trouble saying goodbye to it? Take a picture of it, then add it to a photo album or burn it onto a CD.