Part of adding joy back in to my life comes from the "giving up on good" principle. Haley from Tiny Twig and one of her blogging friends came up with this term and turned it into a weekly linkup opportunity for bloggers. But it's not a new principle--in fact, it's the foundation of why I love simplicity and the minimalist mentality.
You see, there are lots of good things that we should do. Take for instance this "How I Organized My Entire Life" post. She talks about how she got every aspect of her life organized, even putting into a list all those things we all wish we could get right everyday. She then concludes how it's a nice thought but it hasn't happened yet.
We all know the things we want to be doing. They're often good things--exercising everyday and getting in shape, only homemade meals and taking control of our food budgets, going on a cash system a la Dave Ramsey and never overspending in any category, eliminating all of the unused things in our homes and being content with what we have. Oh, the list goes on and on!
You can relate, can't you? Pinterest helps us put an image to these goals and dreams and aspirations. Planners help us organize our time, apps make certain things easier, and countless bloggers give us the how-to to prove it can be (and has been) done.
But sometimes (most the time), we need to step back to reevaluate these "good" things, and more often than not we need to say no to them. Say "no" to something good?! That's ridiculous! Or is it?
The above list had me envious as I read through it. Realizing I'm on my way in several categories, but not quite there. And anytime I get closer in one thing, everything else seems to topple out of balance. To quote a book on simplicity my sister just gave me:
We have taken on so many "good things" it would take a virtual Superwoman to complete them all.
Just because something is good, doesn't mean it's good for me. Or that it's necessary all the time. God gives us good things as a source of joy and peace and contentment. But when we strive for even more good, sometimes we lose focus of Him and miss the journey along the way--and miss appreciating the good in our lives at this moment.
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| {tiny twig : giving up on good} |
So, I'm joining Haley and Jessi and giving up on good. Not all the time. And not all good things. Just when I realize that it's not good for me and my family or not good for us right now.
There are good things I've already given up on... using cloth diapers all the time (we use disposables at night and whenever else we feel like it).... living in a larger house (I've fallen in love with small space living)... buying a newer car (we're about to put a bunch of money into keeping our beater around)... selling the TV (we really do watch more than I care to admit)... exercising an hour (or even 30 minutes) everyday (I'm content when I do my 4-minute workout). Looks like I'm on my way to pro status of giving up on good!
This week, I gave up on one more good thing. Not permanently. Just for this week. To catch my breath and cut myself some slack.
We went grocery shopping last night and bought only a few items to make simple (read: lazy) meals and use up things already at home. This week I will be making only ONE homemade meal. Otherwise, no homemade enchiladas for Mexican night or homemade biscuits for breakfast night. Just frozen burritos with instant rice, hotdogs and store-bought potato salad, and canned biscuits and frozen tater tots.
Meals like this can become expensive and are quite a bit less healthy than our norm. But this week, meals will take minimum preparation. And that break brings a little joy to my life :)
Because when you give up on one good thing, you are usually freeing time and energy to allow in (or refine) another good thing. I'm not positive what that is this week. Maybe more time with the family. Or more creative energy for writing. Or maybe just the freedom to know that I don't have to get everything right all the time for our family to be happy and healthy.
