Kai Jones

It's been surprisingly easy to incorporate the tasks of my challenges into my life. 

As this year's challenge comes to a close I am considering how to take my experience and expand it in my life.  What can I keep from this to make the world better?

Today my life has been very busy and making time for the Ecochallenge was difficult, but the damage to Earth's ecosystem doesn't take days off.   

Sometimes it's hard to let go of things--art, china, books, decorations--that aren't important to me, but were important to someone I loved.  I have many tchotchkes from my mother and her mother, my nana, and even a few things from my great-nana--but they're in boxes because I don't actually like them.  Working out how to remember a good relationship with family without attaching it to their things is important.  I like to take a picture and write a paragraph about what the item meant to the person and how I remember them as that person, then I can let go of that item so somebody who really likes it can find it. 

I spent considerable time this weekend going through all the emails and mail I've collected over the last month, changing the things I need to receive to paperless contact and resigning or canceling my subscription to places that send me things I don't need any longer. 

Today I sorted a box of stuff and put most of it in the recycle corner to take to a donation site on the weekend. 

Today I sent an email to a friend to thank them for kindness during a difficult time in my life.  I also set up a basket to collect items I will donate to reduce clutter in my home. 

I am looking forward to accomplishing my goals in the next few weeks!

As part of my Simplicity Challenge to de-clutter my home, I've researched where to recycle some of the more unusual items in my home, like a broken portable air conditioner.  It's not easy to recycle some things, but it's worth it.