Torture, Temptations & Treasures

My last purchase at a retail store that Sunday over a week ago was meant to be a symbol of the simple pleasures I hoped to incorporate back into my life. I bought one of those beautiful wooden boar bristle hairbrushes. The kind women used to brush through their long hair 100 times every night. I thought this would be a beautiful tangible way to start on my new path. So that evening, while Gaston my husband watched a Western movie, I sat in my chair while to the sounds of horses, gunshots, trains and coyotes, I used my new stiff bristled brush to brush through my not so long hair. As usual, I figured MORE was better. If one hundred times had been the trend, then brushing it through the entire movie would probably be miraculous. So I did. The entire movie... My first waking thought the next morning was 'the children have been killed in their beds or burned at the stake because I, obviously, have been scalped'. This was my first reminder that more was not better, not even simple pleasures and that living simply was not going to be painless.
The next night my nineteen yr, old son, Clyde Pierre brought me a shopping bag from Kohl's, to show me the great deals he had gotten. He had a Peanuts shirt he had gotten for $1.50. I began to plan my dash to Kohl's upon rising the next morning, bright and early, because I really NEEDED A Peanut's shirt too and my gosh, can you imagine if that is such a good deal what other things they must....OH. Right. I'm not shopping. Well, I wondered, I could give Clyde the money and have him go get it for his beloved mother, that wouldn't be cheating now, would it. The gods of Simplicity frowned. So I do not have a new Peanuts shirt from Kohl's. Instead I cleaned out all the drawers full of clothes I already had and gave most of it away. Now when I open my dresser, it not only opens, but there is SPACE between my clothes. That space is more beautiful to me than a new graphic tee. Even Snoopy.
When I left the final store that Sunday, I put my new plan into action and went to Goodwill to look for the glasses I had gone out searching for, with the decision to be content with whatever was provided. Well, this new attitude seemed to have opened a floodgate of blessing, because I found so much treasure! I found a brand new, never used, sticker-still-on set of steins, the kind you freeze to make your drink cold, each a different color. Perfect. My son was thrilled, he loves them. They were 70 cents each so the world didn't end when my husband immediately dropped one and broke the handle off. When he felt bad, it was easy to say, "no biggie, it's from Goodwill"! I got two black Corelle coffee cups to go with my white ones for 39 cents, an almost new commercial grade Nordicware wok approximately $40 new for only $8, it will last a lifetime & has been very helpful all week in my attempts to eat simpler foods. Also two ice trays for 29 cents, a set of very orange, very 70's measuring cups, 29 cents and my favorite find, a pair of thick flannel pajamas from Vermont Country Store, hardly worn, in my size, blue flower print for $3! They sell for $40 new and my little boys think they are beautiful. I also found a pair of Land's End mocs in my size, very good condition in a most unfortunate shade of pink, that I have been wearing with pleasure for only $4 which sell for $30 new.Have bought many brand new items and stored away as gifts and of course many good books that have made the week very enjoyable. This was fun!
There have been many moments of restlessness or boredom that my first thought was to jump in car, run down to Walmart, just to look around. So am having to learn to redirect my mind as I change my habits. It has been a very good time of change, gears grinding down, speed slowing, learning to be still. More about being still, clutter, hair, food and gifts later. I hope your week is full of many simple pleasures. Remember, when you get to 100, STOP BRUSHING.