Buttoning Up and Cleaning Out

It's that time of year. We are getting ready to say goodbye to a year past, and getting ready to start anew. Whereas springtime seems to bring the physical cleaning house, the New Year offers opportunity for reflection- an emotional and spiritual "cleaning." People start to think about changes they want to make in their lives, relationships they want to repair or let go. Of course there is the cliche New Year's resolution still alive and superficially making its way into guilty minds.

While some are conjuring up ways to lose weight, or cleaning out their Facebook friends list, I've begun a small cleaning project of my own. For months, maybe even over a year, I've been wanting to clean out my email subscriptions. I know this sounds minuscule and inconsequential, but it's something I've been meaning to do for some time, and I finally got started this morning. There's more than just the obvious reason of being sick of the ridiculous number of emails on a daily basis. It's the bombardment of commercialism and distraction. Do I need to know every item on sale in every store? Do I need more e-zines and newsletters than I can read in a week's time? I get emails from stores I haven't shopped in for over a year, and updates from websites I once ordered one item from, once, a long long time ago.

So you see, by cleaning house, I'm not just reducing the number of emails in my email box, I'm reducing the clutter of senseless distraction I encounter each day. It's just one more step in my long-standing goal to continue to simplify. If I really need something, it's not going to matter to me if it is on sale or not. I'm going to buy it. If I happen to catch a sale, great! I don't need to know every sale at every store and website. All it does is entice you to spend money when you don't need to, or that you need something you really don't. To tell you the truth, all you need is a calendar and a list of holidays and you'll know every time there is a sale.

Also being cut, Linkedin. Sorry folks, don't be insulted when I don't accept your request to connect. I rarely even use Linkedin. If I happen to go on and I see I've received a request, I'll accept it if I know you. But months could go by before I even see it. Doesn't mean I don't like you or I'm ignoring you. I'm also eliminating the Garrison Institute and the National Parks emails. Both of these really interest me, but rarely is there something I can capitalize on, as both require extensive travel. If I'm planning a relevant trip, I can certainly visit their websites. I've eliminated a bunch of others related to swim, as my son has officially completed his senior swim season and I likely won't have any use for those anymore.

There are others, I know they'll show up in the next few days, and I'll continue to eliminate. Maybe in 2017, instead of opening my email and deleting half of what's there, I'll actually be interested in reading what pops in!