And now a month has passed

When I was younger, I HATED that old people (OK, so they weren't THAT old, but relatively speaking) would always say "you'll see, time goes much faster when you're older"- especially when I would complain that I couldn't wait until "X" ("4th grade was over" "I can wear a bra" "I turn 16 and get my license" "I get out of Cleveland" etc.) But here I am, and I haven't ever seen time fly as quickly as it has this past month. The Princess started school, and loves it. She also comes home covered in something (paint, snack, sand, etc.) every day- a sure sign that all is well. And the Doctor (Dr. Drey) is now VERY chatty, rolling over (and complaining about not being able to get back) and already wears 6-12 mo clothes- no more itty bitty infant onesies.

And so it flies. Is this really just a function of age? Is it to be embraced or should I fight against the tendency to just let time go at whatever pace it needs? Can I really fight it anyhow? I suspect to fight against it would mean to strive to live more deliberately, something I continue to work on anyhow. Whether that will impact my perception of the passage of time remains to be seen.

C-R-A-P

It is absolutely amazing how much C-R-A-P can accumulate in one's life, in spite of putting forth every effort to "live simply." Purging the "stuff" raises several issues: first is the "what if I need this in the future?" question. Next is often the "It's such a waste to give/throw this away." Finally there's the "But I really am attached to this" dilemma. I am much more effective in helping other people handle these questions than I am in dealing with them myself!

The ironic thing is that I almost ALWAYS feel better when I have gotten rid of more stuff, and almost always feel crummy when I have spent hours purging and only end up with a little pile/bag/box for disposal. If I can just focus on that feeling of "Whew, it's gone and look how much more space I have gained!!" instead of "But I always LOVE looking through this box of 30 journals dating back to 1983..." I can hopefully avoid some of the aforementioned pitfalls.

Either way, "The Big Purge" (not too dissimilar from Boston's "Big Dig"- lots of excavation, unearthing of stuff, delays, and budget overruns) will be done by Oct. 1, the symbolic One Year in the New House anniversary.