Thoughts on Thursday: Operation Simplify My Life (OSML)

It all started with a mouse.

And now I am being overwhelmed with the urge to…

my life.

It’s an overwhelming theme of…

(minus the throwing up)

As I began ridding my body of chemically produced medicines, I have also felt the urge to rid my life of all excess…

And thus Operation Simplify My Life was born.  

(OSML, for short. I love this b/c SML is an acronym for Smith Mountain Lake, a place of peace, and joy, and when you add the “O” it sounds like you’re saying “Oh, Smith Mountain Lake” or OSML).

If it stresses me out, it’s gone.

Cluttered mess of gift bags under my bed=GONE (or given away at my OSML yard sale)

Old pillows from college=GONE

Bed frame that is falling apart=GONE

Extra envelopes from my wedding invitations=GONE

Ugly picture frames=GONE

Receipts from 2006=GONE

(and hopefully…)

Stress=GONE

Perhaps instead of “gone” I could say “recycled.” I try to be a “re-user” when possible as a lover of all things old and vintage, and now it’s my turn to pass things on for others to enjoy (except for the stress because that is GONE FOR GOOD, right?).

This reminds me of a post I did called “Spring Cleaning,” but instead of spring it’s winter and it all started with a mouse, not a warm breeze and the smell of fresh flowers.

Little mouse droppings in the cupboard led to a rehaul of the kitchen cabinets, which led to a reorganization of my craft items, which led to a restructuring of our office to fit said craft items, which led to a cleaning out of guest rooms to make room for said office items…

Which all led to my Operation Simplify My Life YARD SALE this Saturday, though I’m hoping my own friends and family will come take everything by then so I don’t have to get up early and go out in the cold.

I’m running a “stuff everything you can into one of my thousands of gift bags for $5″ special!

Very exciting.

As mentioned in my Tools and Topics Tuesday post, in Four-Word Self-Help, Patti Digh says “Life is complex, not complicated. Most of us mistake what is complex with what is merely complicated. We create more strategic plans and worksheets and believe we must invest in expensive solutions to the complicated issues of our day.”

Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

So, next time life starts getting all complicated with mouse droppings, and Christmas decorations, and panic over the things I cannot control I am going to remember OSML, sit back, and think of fun, four word maxims like:

“de-clutter the old crap”
“detox the meatball subs”
“de-craze the crazy head”
“de-complicate and find beauty”