Tomorrow at dawn we will leave New England for our new home in Florida. Our car is packed; boxes, bike, and drums have been shipped ahead. My husband, Lacey (our toy poodle) and I are ready to say good-bye to the home in which we came together as a little family rather late in all our lives, and embark on a new journey.
What started out as a project to declutter my home has become a total revamping of my life. I’ve traded my cramped and overly-furnished home for one that is smaller but simple and restful, devoid of a lifetime’s worth of books and assorted collectibles. We’ve given away all the things we don’t need or can’t use, and are headed for a little villa on the coast where the weather is sunny and mild, and the vistas pleasing. We’re ready to live less encumbered, giving to the world and being supported by it in the ways we enjoy most, embodying “The Power of Less.”
I will have with me only what I need, and be doing only what feels right, I’ll be kayaking the mangrove swamps instead of surfing the Internet, taking long walks instead of constantly checking my e-mail, sitting at my harp more and at my computer less.
I’ll still check my e-mail daily, because remaining connected to people is crucially important to me, and I will continue to follow the people who inspire me, online and in print. In two weeks I will begin an on-line training program in harp therapy (IHTP), combining my love for music and healing work, something I have wanted to do for twenty years but didn’t have space in my life for, until now.
I have identified what is essential to my life: time with my husband, time with family and friends (whom I’ll continue to see), and some time alone, doing the things I have longed to do and of which I have done too little. My top-priority list is short:
- Health.
- Husband.
- Harp.
Clearing the clutter has allowed me to see that it all comes down to how I want to spend time, so precious and unpredictable, the currency of life itself. My husband and our health, and music – the stuff of our fulfillment, peace, and joy – are my priorities.
As we are doing now, my book has taken flight, moving on into the wider universe. I hope it will continue to make its way to people who will find something in it they can use or enjoy. I hope readers will continue to recommend and share it – and when they look at its cover image of quiet beach and blue sky, they will see my life as it is now. Serene.
Today, life is good, and full of hope and promise. I deeply and truly wish that your life, too, be and continue to become what you want it to be.
Always,
Samantha
