GRATITUDE + CONSCIOUS LIVING Page 11 of 17

The blessing of storage – and why it is worth making time for a clear out

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Painting

In the process of painting everywhere white to start afresh

When we went to live abroad for a few months last year we had to clear out our house for the tenants. We decided to put everything in storage, although ended up getting rid of a huge pile of things in the process (especially out of the big black hole that is the attic!) Now we are back we have unpacked our luggage, put away everything in the boxes we shipped (mainly books, stationery and more books) and repainted.  We have taken a few things out of storage, but more than 70% of what we stored is still in there, and I have hardly noticed. Compared to before our house seems much emptier, but in a really good way. It is lighter, more airy, more us.

Having culled my wardrobe and given many things to charity shops when we went away, most of what has been stored is beautiful, useful or precious to us. But I have come to realise that we don’t need to have all of it on display, or within reach, all the time.

From time to time I pine for some of my books packed away at the back of the unit, or for my easel, tucked away behind some chairs, or for this jumper or that skirt. But mostly, I like having a whole lot less stuff around me. It is easier to make things look beautiful when there is less clutter. It is easier to think when there is less to distract you. And it is easier to clean when there is less to move around! Not to mention that paying for a small storage unit is cheaper than getting an apartment or flat big enough to have everything on display. A blessing on many fronts.

The beginning of the year is as good a time as any to declutter your house, your creative space and your mind.

Why not try it?

Make space for new good things.

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Have you decluttered recently? What difference did it make?

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PS If you want to think more about this topic you might like to check out the blogs ‘Unclutterer‘ or ‘Zen Habits’

Just gotta laugh – what I learnt from bad customer service

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Just gotta laugh - what I learnt from bad customer service DWYL BLOG TUNEINCHILLOUT 650X250PX LR

Warning:  short uncharacteristic rant coming up (there is a point I promise).

5 months ago we bought a brand new oven. It was really expensive, and our tenants broke it. When we got back from Japan we called the company and they sent round an engineer to check it out. Apparently it needed two new parts. That was nearly three months ago. We have been waiting for the replacement parts ever since. I have called the company at least 15 times but every time I get fobbed off with ‘the part is still on order’ etc etc. This went on all through Christmas (yes it meant that we didn’t get to have Christmas dinner at home).

Last week I called and they said the parts had at last been dispatched to the engineer who would call me within 48 hours. That was five days ago. When I called today they said the parts had at last been dispatched to the engineer who would call me within 48 hours. So the woman I spoke to last week told me a blatant lie. No wonder the engineer never called.

Our oven is still broken, but that’s not the point.

The point is that by call number 15 (a total of about 4 hours on the phone listening to a holding message telling me how they pride themselves on product quality and customer service) I was understandably quite frustrated. I had been really polite every time, but by now I just wanted to scream in frustration (and have someone turn up on my doorstep with a shiny new oven).

And then, something brilliant happened. My man came in to my office, took me by the hand and led me to the middle of the room. He made me jump up and down, shake my arms around, and shout really loud. And he did it too. We looked like a pair of crazy people. And you can imagine that by the end of that we collapsed in laughter. And I felt a whole lot better about it. It’s bad enough having a broken oven. I don’t need a stress headache too.

As they say, you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control the way you let it affect you.

Lesson learnt.

Hello 2013!

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DWYL declaration

(The Do What You Love declaration and a sneak peek at our new branding, all to unveiled very shortly with a brand new website!)

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I have a very good feeling about this year.

Apart from the fact that I am getting married(!!) there is so much to look forward to. And there is something in the air that makes it feel like a year full of possibility.

I know there are some big changes coming, but I am excited about them all.

How about you? What are you hoping for in the year ahead?

Whatever it is, I hope you spend 2013 doing what you love!

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PS Do What You Love is getting a major overhaul for the new year – stay tuned for a brand new website later this month, with heaps of fresh resources to help you make 2013 the year you finally start doing what you love, for life!

Farewell 2012

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A cup of celebratory gold-leaf tea

A cup of celebratory gold-leaf tea for you

2012 was always going to be a big year. It had a circle round it in the ten year calendar of my mind ever since London won the right to host the Olympics back in 2005. And for many years I was involved in that monumental build up… but then I changed track, and ended up here, with a very different 2012 from that which I had imagined. It has been a sparkling, eye opening, special year, so I thought I would write it a letter.

Dear 2012,

You were extraordinary.

You made me slow down, speak up, laugh every day.

You made me move half way round the world, and back again.

You taught me how to make beautiful paper with my own two hands.

You showed me sunrises and sunsets, mountains, sand dunes, ocean, sky.

You introduced me to some amazing new people, and saw me get engaged to my true love.

You were full of adventures, you made me learn and grow, you pushed the boundaries of what I thought I could do.

You surprised me, uplifted me, delighted me.

And you have brought me here to the cusp of 2013, where I have no idea what is going to happen next year, except that I am going to get married, go on a honeymoon, start a new chapter and choose love.

I am grateful for so many of the things, people, experiences, opportunities you presented – please have a word with 2013 so they keep on coming!

Thank you 2012. For everything. I will miss you

Beth

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Wherever you are in the world, whatever year lies behind you, and whatever year lies ahead of you, I wish you a moment of stillness to be thankful, and to choose to make 2013 the year that YOU do what you love.

What makes a good marriage?

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Save the date - Paul & Beth Kempton

Today is my parents’ 41st wedding anniversary. 41 years. That is a long long time. Longer than I have been alive.

As I prepare for my own wedding next year, it is fun to get excited about all the plans and ideas for the big day itself, but what comes after that is even more exciting. The fact that I am going to be married to my favourite person, hopefully for the rest of my life.

Thinking of my own parents’ very long marriage, it has made me wonder what it takes to make it work for so long. So I thought I’d ask you. What do you think makes a good marriage? What do you wish someone had told you just before you walked down the aisle?

Are the things that make a good marriage the same things that make a good life?

Please share your advice and thoughts in the comments below for this bride-to-be…

My own bed

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Beth shadow

Since leaving Japan three weeks ago I have been a nomad, living out of my suitcase and sleeping in about 12 different beds.

I am hugely grateful to friends and family for putting me up while tenants remained in our house, but tonight I am excited to be able to sleep in my own bed again.

Bliss!

The kindness of strangers

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 Mrs Tanaka with a bowl of azuki kake-gori (shaved ice with azuki beans)

Mrs Tanaka with a bowl of azuki kake-gori (shaved ice with azuki beans)

It never ceases to amaze me what an important role strangers can play in our lives. Many years ago, when I first went to Kyoto at the tender age of 19 to study, this particular lady made a huge difference to my time there.

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