Some Words for the New Year

I have been writing and rewriting a New Year post in my head for more than a week now, but it somehow still hasn't made it to my computer screen.  I don't do too well with specific resolutions, so as usual, there are a lot of "more ___" and "less ___". 

I love Marcia's word of the year idea, and I had been thinking I would go with simplify for the second year in a row (surely that's allowed?).  It was my word for last year, and although I did a lot more thinking about simplifying than putting it into action, it still helped as kind of an overarching theme for the year.  I tried to keep it in mind when making decisions--to evaluate which avenue would further the goal of simplifying our lives.

So, going into the year, my long-term goal is yet again, to simplify.  Jeremy and I want to reduce our stuff, reduce our spending, and do more enjoying of the simple pleasures in life.  That still holds true.

However, this weekend I unexpectedly found a new angle for thinking about my year, and although it falls in line with the theme of simplifying, it defines my focus a bit more...and puts it exactly where it should have been all along.

I had the blessing of attending a retreat with the youth from my church, and it was a great way to kick off the year with the right attitude.

Now I have more than a word for the year... I have a mantra:

Nothing more; nothing less; nothing else.

Sounds like the perfect mantra for simplifying life, right?  Actually, there is much more to it than first appears.  In the context of the song it comes from (by Peder Eide), it is followed by the words Do what you want with me. 

I don't know if the youth felt the real meaning of this song as strongly as I did or not, but for me, it was the perfect reminder that I don't need to spend time worrying about living up to the world's standards of success.  God will put me in the places I need to be to serve Him best, and really, isn't that exactly where I want to be? 

I am listening for the whispers this year, the quiet nudges directing my path--maybe not always my path, but His path, which promises to be infinitely better than anything I could do on my own.

Nothing more; nothing less; nothing else...just what He wants me to be.

Get ready, 2012, I am coming for you!

August

I'm a terrible list-maker.  I consistently leave half the important items off the list, and I usually leave the list in a totally unhelpful spot, like my desk drawer at work.  It's hard to shop from a grocery list when it's locked inside the office for the night.

I have found, though, that if I write about my list here (or if I keep it on my iPhone, where I have it with me all the time), I am at least a little more likely to refer back to it and remember what I wanted to do.  And if I can remember what it is that I intend to do, I am surely more likely to actually do it.  That's the theory, anyway.

So I am joining the ever-lovely and inspiring Marcia to talk about my monthly goals.

On the to-do list for August:

•  Get everything priced and ready for a yard sale the first weekend in September.  (I actually started this last night, but I have a long way to go!)
• Related:  do a thorough purging of everything in our house that we don't want/need/use.
• Make shirts for the girls to wear when they go back to school.  (I like to put them in monogrammed stuff the first couple of weeks to help their teachers learn to tell them apart.)
• Find a new dentist and make an appointment for Jeremy and myself.
• Paint the desk for my kitchen.
• Keep up with the laundry.  This is by far the hardest thing for me to stay on top of, housekeeping-wise.  All of our clean clothes are folded and put away at this moment, and I am feeling empowered to keep it that way.
• Walk at least 3-4 mornings a week.

And, lastly, to add a little something fun in there:

• Go on an overnight trip to Atlanta with Jeremy to celebrate five years of marriage!

Surely I can at least accomplish that last one.  : )

Look...it's on my phone now, so there's no backing down.

What's ahead for you this month?  Write a post and link up so we can encourage each other!