Clutter

I don't remember how long ago it was when I started getting fed up with the world. TV sickened me, I had trouble finding good books (and I'm a bookworm), even shopping became a dreaded chore. Forget movies! I stopped going years ago. Stopped renting them, too.

When I take a good long look around me I am horrified at what I am realizing. The picture has only grown clearer as days go by. How much of what the world says I need do I really need? I'm beginning to understand that the answer is ...very little. Many things just seem to clutter up my life. I barely ever use my microwave (despite my lack of cooking skills I prefer to use the stove), I can wash and dry my dishes by hand more quickly than when I use a dishwasher (because I have a small family), my cell phone is barely ever used, I rarely use my alarm clock, I never use the DVD player unless I put something on for my daughter, I watch TV once in a blue moon, I had an electric can opener but still used the hand one...the list goes on and on.

When I was a teenager I resented the times I lived in. "Are you sure I wasn't supposed to be born 100 years ago, Lord?" (At least I'd ask this when we were on speaking terms.) It really, really, irked me. I got mad every time I felt that I had to try to "fit in" to be accepted. I should have known better. I wish I had understood that I never had to "fit in" and that being true to myself would have made my life much less complicated. You can't change the past though and at least it teaches us good lessons.

I may not be able to change the world now, either, but I can change myself with God's grace. I have been trying to simplify my life for a while and am curious to see where this will lead. One last thing:

Who invented the torturous devices that pass for women's bras these days?

I just had to throw that in :)  Tell me it's not true!