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The definition of minimalism is, “the intentional lifestyle of owning only what you need and removing distractions to focus on what you value most.”

If that’s the case, I do believe in minimalism. However, even though I’m working on removing distractions, the “stuff” I accumulate seems to be growing no matter how hard I try to get rid of and to remove distractions.

Perhaps in the broader sense of the word, I’m really not a minimalist, just someone who is play acting at being one! My home is an eclectic mix of pieces I love, both modern and antiques. My ex used to call them dust catchers. Then again, what does he know?!!

Clutter gives me a sense of comfort. Not the kind that just takes up space but the kind that holds memories, momentoes that speak of a certain time and place, and just things that I love looking at. A girlfriend recently pointed to a glass apple on the fireplace mantel and said, “I really love that! Where did you get it?” I pointed out that it lights up and is a great addition during Christmastime. She was impressed.

I think I’m a collector of sorts. As such, it is hard to be a minimalist! When something catches my eye, I buy it and it takes up space and gathers “dust” if you want to call it that.

To answer your question, I don’t think I’m a minimalist in the true sense of the word. At times yes and often I’m NOT!

This one felt like it was straight out of a movie. Which one? I don’t know and I don’t care. It just felt like it was.

It happened when I was 16, just coming out of my tomboy phase. I had traded in my faded shorts, my dirty cap, and my mud-caked feet for a dress, freshly washed hair, and had slipped my feet into sandals or rather shoes! It was the time when the first boy asked me out on a date. We went out on our first date and it was all very innocent and nothing much happened. He bought me an ice cream after the show and his dad drove us back in his Rolls Royce! Yes, a rich kid and good-looking to boot!

Next was a dance. My first one. I was a late bloomer! It was held out in the open under the summer sky. The night was warm and I had been working as a temp at this company during the school holidays. They had a summer fest with all the works and I went with some friends because there was going to be music and dancing under the stars. I simply went along because I had nothing better to do.

Standing to the side, I watched as people gathered in the middle and started moving to the music. Then I noticed this Chinese guy, I was in Asia at the time. He was standing next to a tall, reddish-blond, good-looking guy and their eyes were trained in our direction. Then they walked over and the Chinese guy introduced this other guy and he held out his hand. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole! This was all new to me. He walked me to the middle of the dance floor and we started dancing. Did I tell you he was gorgeous?!! He was. Then the music slowed and he held me close as we moved. I had my face next to his and all I could think was, “Man, he smells good!” I can’t remember the song we danced to but it was dreamy.

We went for a walk afterwards with my girlfriends in tow! Turned out he was from California, a manager, and was visiting for a short time. All I can say is that he had only eyes for me that evening and stuck close to me.

What happened? Bummer! I can’t recall. We didn’t kiss. My first kiss came much later. He did hold my hand which sent my heartbeat skyrocketing. I had stars in my eyes and I think he did too. It was the perfect boy meets girl moment. The “Notebook” variety. I remember the dance, the moving close together, the talk afterwards but I don’t think we ever went out or had anything more.

I was too young and innocent and he was much older for one thing. It was an experience that is deeply etched in my mind simply because something was waking inside of me and it felt good at the time.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?

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I’ll do one better than a photo. Painting pictures with words is my thing so let’s see how I do with this Daily Prompt.

The thunderstorms have moved in after days of really hot and sticky weather. The rain is a welcome change but not the lightning and thunder. I never liked them. Anyway, I waited until it let up and took off to the fields just to get a glimpse of what it looked like after the rain.

Not much to see and nothing eye-catching to describe. The animals have gone into hiding much like my three cats are doing back home. Even the hardy crows who are out there in any kind of weather have taken refuge somewhere. It is quiet, too quiet. The calm before the storm? More is on the way it seems and the rain should be with us for the next several days. I’m not complaining!

The sky has cleared up a little but there are dark clouds on the horizon. No movement anywhere so the peace and calm is mesmerizing. I love it! The trees are swaying in the wind. The grass is an emerald green thanks to the dung they’ve been receiving. The farmers do a great job of keeping the fields in tip-top form. The apple trees have finished blooming and are wearing their bright summer wear of green. The mountains in the distance are shrouded in clouds and are barely visible today but I know they are there. The cool air is a welcome change and as I walk my mind is searching. I’m not sure what it is looking for but I’m sure it has something up its sleeve.

The rocky pathway is a little muddy and slippery in places as I pick my way through stepping lightly. It seems nature is bracing for another deluge and the unusual quiet is a precursor of things to come. Nothing much has changed here except for the fact that the fields have had a really good wash today and are looking like a wet rat after a bath!

I hope I captured it perfectly!

Daily writing prompt

Go on a walk today and share a photo of something that catches your eye.

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I was into books and read everything there was to read at one point in time but I can’t remember the first book that I finished and still remember to this day. I read books from cover to cover and enjoyed every single one I read.

Fairytales were my favorites, adventure series were next, and later on I got into romance novels. Cartoons were never a favorite and anything that required too much thinking I didn’t like! I was into the easy reading stuff. Get into it, it takes me places and brings me back safely!

There was a point in time when I spent a lot of time in my bedroom reading books. Somehow I had discovered that I could go on adventures, have a love affair, nurse a broken heart without ever leaving home! That was the pull and it kept me going for quite a while until the guys walked in and blew it all to pieces!

Coming back to your question, I can’t remember the first book I read. It was probably a fairytale. Which one? I don’t know. Probably with talking animals and lots of fairies in it!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the first book you ever finished and still remember to this day?

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It was basically, NEVER GIVE UP! Of course, my mom went about it the roundabout way. She said, “If you fall off the horse, dust yourself off and get back on that horse.”

To my teenage ears it was blah! blah! blah! Mom was always giving unsolicited advice and I was in the, I know it all phase of my life.” It went in one ear and out the other.

Now that I’m all grown up and she is no longer here, I see what those few words did. They helped see me through the hard times, they taught me to take timeout, and no matter what to get back on that horse like she wanted!

There were moments in life when I wanted to just throw up my hands and say this is enough! I’m not getting back on that horse no matter what. However, her advice had sunk deep even at a time when my head had been so full of other things.

Thank you mom for those profound words. They’ve helped me through thick and thin and kept me going. If you’re looking down from heaven of which I’m sure because you were a hands on mom and heaven or anything up there is not going to stop you from getting the last word in!

Thank you and I hope I’ve made you proud.

If I had an unlimited budget for 24 hours, I wouldn’t know what to do! I would probably stop dead in my tracks, gasp for air, and then go on from there.

I guess I would daydream about all the STUFF I could do. I would think about the people I could help. My son would be on that list. He’s just starting out on his career path and there is much that needs to be done. Moving into a new apartment is just around the corner and it needs planning and coordination. I would hire someone to take care of the whole shebang! They’ll do all the packing, transporting, setting things up, and all he has to do is move in and enjoy his new place!

The next thing I would do is to go to a beauty salon and get the works! It is something I do on a regular basis but since the cats moved in, I haven’t had the time nor the inclination to get things done. My day revolves around “the three” and they give me plenty to do. It would be a well-deserved break to enjoy some pampering and to stop my mind from thinking for a little while at least.

What else? I would invite some friends for a free meal at a nice restaurant. Just some time spent to catch up on things and I will pick up the tab. Hmm….shopping might be on the list but I’m not too big on buying for the sake of buying these days so I’ll leave that out. However, I might splurge on friends if they wanted anything. Yes, it’s good to be my friend!

I can’t think of anything else so that’s it for the unlimited budget. I wouldn’t do much with it as I am happy where I’m at now. Simple things are my thing now, things that don’t cost much like a walk in nature, sitting out in the garden and listening to the birds, and watching the clouds roll by. Nice things that money can’t buy but they give me a lot of pleasure. I’ve come a long ways from way back when I used to love shopping, spending, and spending! The journey of self-discovery I’m on has taught me a few things and one of them is that money can’t buy everything!

Have an amazing day.

Daily writing prompt

If you had an unlimited budget for 24 hours, what would you do?

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I love watching shows especially ones with several seasons attached to them. I’ve watched all there is to watch, so much so that I’ve forgotten the endings!

Army Wives was a favorite. Revenge was another but my all time favorite was Breaking Bad. I didn’t think I would like it at first but I got caught up in it and waited for each new season to show up and I was there when it did. It never failed to bore him and that is saying something. Most series fizzle out after the 2nd season but this one kept my interest.

One source called it a perfect ending because “it provided definitive consequences for Walter White’s greed while successfully completing his character arc.” There were no loose ends to be tied up, it was all there at the ending. Throughout the five seasons, Walter White claimed or rather justified his criminal behavior with the excuse that he was doing everything he did for his family. However, the truth comes to light at the end. He says, “I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it.” That gave the series the closure it needed.

The dynamics between Walter White and Jesse Pinkman is the heartbeat of the show. However, in the end White sacrifices himself to save Jesse. In the final season, Walt dies where the story began, in a meth lab, and he gets what he deserves. His family is destroyed, he is ruined and he dies as a hunted criminal.

A perfect ending for a not so nice guy. Unlike other series endings where you’re kept wondering what is coming next, what didn’t happen, and why it ended the way it did, this one had full closure.

I would choose to have dinner with the 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, and Sufi mystic. Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi is a phenomenon and his poems have sold millions of copies making him a legendary figure.

I’ve posted many of his quotes here and I absolutely love his work. It would be interesting to sit down to dinner with him and to pick his brain on how he came about writing some of the most beautiful and thought-provoking poems of his time.

He died on December 17, 1273 so having dinner with him would be impossible but if I had a wish I would try to make it come true. His “profound verses on love, self-discovery, and spiritual awakening,” still continue to inspire us today.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

Feeling inspired? I know I am. It would be a great honor to have dinner with a man who had spent a lot of time contemplating about life. Perhaps, a good way to gain wisdom and to forge a pathway forwards.

Daily writing prompt

If you could have dinner with any philosopher, who would it be?

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These two go together where I’m concerned. You don’t see the one without the other. Fear has been my constant companion although these days, I’m less fearful than I used to be. Gone are the days when a “whisper” made me fearful! These days, I handle things on my own. Problems may seem big in the beginning but I’m willing to take a step back, look at it with less of a critical eye, and I make my way forward, taking it slowly and knowing that this too is just a glitch in the matrix of life, my life.

Self-doubt arises from the feeling that I’m “NOT ENOUGH!” I’ve always been critical of myself more so than others. It didn’t matter if I get told a hundred times that I’m enough as I am, self-doubt still rushes in and takes the upper hand. However, this putting myself down every chance I get is getting to be a part of the past as well. These days I look at myself in the mirror squarely and I know that I’m fully capable of handling whatever comes my way.

Last week proved that point. I had more than my share of problems where the house is concerned. There was a short-circuit in the kitchen which almost caused a fire. If that wasn’t enough, there was a leak in the garden shed that needed fixing. The kitchen problem will be taken care of in a short time and the garden shed got fixed on Saturday. One guy came by and wanted more than a 1,000 euros to fix the roof. An exorbitant amount for an old shed so I sent him on his way. Another guy offered to do it for 350 and I took him up on it. A really nice guy who did the job superbly and took away the old wood and stuff! The man who wanted more offered to finish the job in three days whereas the “nice” guy did it in one day! I gave him an extra 50 for doing such a fine job and he offered to come by this week and fix the door to the shed at no extra cost!

We are all capable beings. It is the fear and self-doubt that tell us different. The next time these two walk in, take a deep breath, look at them carefully, and put them in their place where they belong!