My Journey to Simplicity Has Just Become Simpler

I did it! I went 7 days wearing only 7 pieces of clothing. I can't say that it was hard. In some ways it was, but in others, not so much. The word that's most fitting is funny with the "LOL" in caps. There were a few funny moments that I dare not share publicly. None the less, it was surely a journey that I will never forget.

I did however, learn something about myself. It had nothing to do with clothes, but everything to do with something material that up until 3 years ago I didn't have. It's my laptop. Or should I say was my laptop.

For years I longed to have my own laptop. I would literally dream about the things I could do with my laptop. For years I shared a desktop with the children and occasionally with my husband when he got on two or three times a year. One day, my dream came true.

I still remember the day bringing her home. Yes, her, because I called her "my little girl". She was mine. Everybody knew that she was mine. She was such a part of me that I gave her a name. I named her Tilly. I went so far as to add her as a daughter on my Facebook profile. I know by now you're shaking your head wondering if I had my head examined recently. Rest assure, my head is fine; well, as least that's what I've told myself for years (ha ha).

I've been longing for simplicity and carry out my commitments to the book "7" by: Jen Hatmaker. What I didn't know that my journey to simplicity would entail learning a valuable lesson about myself. You see, I had not died to self (me) the way that I thought I had. It wasn't until some material thing that was so precious to be was no longer there. Soon after, I heard something. Or should I say Someone.

"I'm all that you need Sandra. When you have Me, you have everything."

I wanted a simple life. I wanted to rid myself of excess. I wanted this journey to open my eyes to me and the things deep within me. That's exactly what He did and exactly what He's doing. He's making my life simple...

In recent days I've been reminiscing about the early days of my children's live. The days before I had a computer at all. Those days were so sweet and full of peace. We got up. We ate. We "played" school, but I was really homeschooling; I didn't know it then. I remember the days when I had no idea what was going on in the world because we didn't receive any channels on our television. Those were the days. The days where my stress consisted of a baby teething and why didn't my child eat lunch. I long for those days...

The next journey that I'm going on is a "No Stress" journey. That will be 7 days of no stress. How can that be possible? I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out. For sure that means ridding myself of those things that bring stress. My 7 days of no stress would be easier if I went to Hawaii, but I'm not. I'll let you know how it goes. Not sure when I'll be back on. I'm at the library and my session is about to expire. Until then, take care my friends.

Oh, before I forget, I gave away 7 pieces of clothing.

"Unplugged": My Journey on 7 Things to Simplicity

"So much to do. So little time," said the woman who didn't complete the to-do list again.

Why is it we have so much to do these days and not enough time? Our fore mothers were inundated with tasks around the home and had the same amount of time as we do today. Yet, at the end of the day, they seem to have accomplished more than I can only imagine.

What is different today than the days of old? My first guess would be technology. We are plugged in to so many sources that our eyes become crossed from reading the latest via blog, Facebook news feed, Twitter and you name it. I've lost count of how many times I have sat on Pinterest getting creative ideas to re-decorate a bedroom, but have not been able to do it because I continue to click that button at the bottom to fetch more pins...*sigh* It was then that I realized my life looked like this:

I needed to become unplugged!

I got confirmation when talking to a friend and she shared this book with me. 

Some women in our church are reading this book. The goal is to do an experiment of sorts. I've decided to do something in regards to social media first, but I feel this tug to do more than just media by the end of my experiment(s).

For those who know me IRL (in real life), know that I'm a very social person. Hey, I'm the girl that will dance with the waiters and waitress at Joe's Crab Shack. I'm the one who's so nosy that I will go up to a random person and want to know their life story. I will even go so far as to try and find out if we're cousins or not. That girl, me, is going to unplug herself.

I'm going to unplug myself. I'm going to unplug myself...*repeating it over and over until it sinks in*

I'm starting out slow. Real slow. I'm not sure what that's going to look like. All I know is that I will start on February 18th.

From February 18th-25th, I will unplug from all social media. Social Media for me includes Facebook (which I love), Twitter (my new found obsession), Pinterest (one word: addicting) and Instagram (*big sigh*). I won't even check my emails during the week. Remember, this is just the beginning. I will do other things to "unplug" myself as time goes on. First, I had to start with something I love, social media. I'll leave my greatest love for last. Chocolate! My flesh is already shaking just thinking about that one.

The goal of my personal journey of unplugging is to live out this verse:

Jeremiah 6:16, "Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls."

To help me with this journey, I'm going to delete social media apps from my smart phone. *thump*
Did you hear that loud thump? My was my flesh! It's in the process of dying...

The only way He can increase in my life is if I decrease.