Back in the Saddle...

Less is more.

Quite fitting since the last time I posted was almost two months ago. Let's just say that I've been busy with life...and the myriad of other things that go with it.

Enough said.

Back to my topic...there are many things in my life that I would love to see less of.

Less whining.
Less traffic.
Less laundry, dishes and cleaning.
Less, less less.

So why is it that the things you would like to have more of seem to inevitably fall into that chasm of "less"?

Time...
Energy...
Money...
Sleep...sleep...oh SLEEP!!!

I was listening to a report recently on how the general public seemed to be tightening its belt quite a bit with the economic crisis of late. With the jobless rate on the rise, many families had been forced into budgeting their money more conservatively and spending trends had appeared to have taken a steep dive. Bottom line...people were saving more and thinking hard about what they were really using their money on, which overall meant LESS spending.

Situations like the one described above creates a shift in one's thinking and stimulates a creativity that surrounds the choices we make. In my own house we have taken many simple steps towards limiting our needless spending. We have chosen to enjoy many weekends at home with homemade meals, where a year ago we might have instead ordered take-out or gone out to eat at a restaurant. We spent our fall working on our property with our own hands (free labor!) instead of doing many of the renovations that could have been quite costly. We used cash more often for groceries and when it was gone...it was gone. Let me tell you, one trip to the grocery store with a limited amount of cash and a calculator is enough to really make you think twice about your purchases. It makes you prioritize.

And that is what life is all about...priorities.

I won't tell you that it has all been love and roses. We have definitely hit our bumps along the way and there have been many frustrations over not being able to just get what we want when we want it. But I will tell you this, we have always had MORE than enough of those things that we needed...

Time.
Energy.
Love.

I desperately wish I could add sleep to that list but it's just not quite in the cards yet. With two young VERY early risers that is still one thing that regretfully I still have less of.

One day, oh...one day...

It's good to be back. I'm hoping that my absence is something that there will be LESS of.