Cleaning to the Seven Wonders

"If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." According to Steven Jobs, this quote helped shape his life and helped him to remember what is important. "For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

If you knew today was the last day you would ever have, how would you live it? Well, I've been spending my days lately cleaning and I have to tell you it is making me very happy. So happy that I've had a couple of people actually ask if I was on drugs. You just have to laugh.

Many years ago, I decided that I needed to simplify my life. Not an easy task since it goes against my genes. You see I come from a long line of pack rats. I've also had to help clean out the homes of people who have died and talked to friends that have done the same. I know I only want to be surrounded by things that I love and either make me happy or support my creative endeavors.  I know that I want to make 2010 a year of intense creativity so I need to clean away the clutter or unnecessary things to free up space both physically and mentally. I shipped another box (40 pounds) to the Ohio Reformatory for Women. I know they will use it. I filled my jeep for a trip to Goodwill. I still have a ways to go to get my basement studio space in working order but it is getting there. The recycling bin is full of paper and old magazines. Like I said, it feels good! It's been fun to revisit some things. One of them was an email sent to me from Bonnie McCaffery in 2005 about a girl in school writing down the 7 Wonders of the World. For her, they were not the Great Pyramids or China's Great Wall but the following:

1. to touch
2. to taste
3. to see
4. to hear
5 to feel
6. to laugh
7 and to love

So if what I have does not support the 7 Wonders, it is finding a new home where it hopefully will. The cleaning out also helps me to feel that I am in control so now it's back to cleaning!