Out with the old
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Out with the old A throw-away New Year Resolution By Alison van Diggelen What better start to 2003 than writing a list of New Year Resolutions as long as your arm and methodically working through them? Excellent in theory, but if you’re anything like me by mid-February you have forgotten or discarded most of them. But I still haven’t lost faith in this ancient tradition; at least it keeps you busy through the darkest month, when all the festivities have morphed into mere memories, smudged photos and bulging tummies. One of the things top of my list is a clear out. Thanks to the crazy real estate market in Silicon Valley, every square foot of our house is precious and used to its optimum capacity (read: we have piles of books, toys, clutter etc. piled up to the ceiling in some rooms). This makes it hard for an obsessive hoarder like me to find room for my treasures, whether they are artwork by the kids, Economist magazines or my growing pile of “must read” books. A short vacation to the mountains this holiday season provided sufficient incentive for a clear out. One of the best parts of vacations, I always think, is the chance to shirk all the paraphernalia of modern living and travel with one bag of belongings, (well make that as many bags as we can fit in the trunk of the car). It’s great to leave behind the material possessions: the humming computer with its ever beckoning email account, the busy telephone, and best of all, the vacuum cleaner. But being forced to choose your favorite underwear, a couple of pairs of pants, some T-shirts, a sweater, and tuck them in your suitcase is great. Throw in your five vital pieces from the bathroom; leave behind the volumizing mousse, the perfume and all those other fifty million magic potions. Maybe slip in your hairdryer and you’re off, lighter and freer. There’s a profound satisfaction to hanging your clothes in an empty closet on vacation and see them free, unfettered, with room between each to breath. It symbolizes the beauty of holidays, of change. It made me ask, why can’t it be like this at home? Life is suddenly simple: no schedules to follow, no beeping alarms in the morning, no curfew for the kids in the evening. You don’t have to shunt your kids around to school and soccer or gymnastics practice, and fit in your own deadlines. There is time to wallow in just listening to one another, really hearing the stories, letting our hearts speak. My husband threatened to bring his laptop this vacation until the very last moment. Then, in a crazed moment of pre-vacation euphoria, he relinquished his full arsenal of techy gizmos, including the Palm Pilot and business pager. I was ecstatic and looked forward to some complete relaxation, while he merrily entertained the kids in the crisp Sierra air. On vacation, we can all adjust to a different state of being, move down the proverbial gear or three, and feel very far away from the over-vivacious valley and our over stuffed little house. Being out of Silicon Valley lets you see clearer. It helps you to clean out your head and your life. Homecoming made me look at my accumulations with new eyes. My first target was the medicine cabinet. Why on earth did I have a million bottles of hand lotions, body lotions and massage potions? The cabinet was full of ancient skin treatments for hydration, exfoliation, and beautification. Did I really need to keep twenty year-old lipsticks of flaming fuchsia and sparkling wild berry eye shadows? And what about the multitude of miniature bathroom bottles accumulated like sacred relics from vacations and business trips around the world? It all had to go. My next target is the accumulation of clothes. This resolution will keep me busy for weeks. Look out, Sacred Heart Community Center and Goodwill, here I come! Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a joyful and uncluttered one. © 2003 Siliconmom
