Defining Myself

Do you like to move? I don't know anyone who does, myself included. So, after a series of moves, I finally got settled into a place I love for the past 17 months. My friends, church, gym and support system are close at hand. I love it here, my home really reflects me.

Moving Lessons

Imagine my shock and disappointment when I got that letter back in January - you have to move in 60 days! With each of my six moves of the past 5 or so years (after 14 years in one place!), God has shown me something about myself and my environment that helps me to better define the environment where I thrive.

• I love cooking, so living in a place with no kitchen privileges makes me unhappy.
• I can't live with cats, I'm too allergic.
• It's necessary for my spiritual and emotional health to be near the people I love, and who love me.
• I am more plugged in at church when it's convenient to attend and volunteer.
• My social life is more fulfilling when my friends are close by.
• I'm healthier when I have access to my gym and places to walk. Physical health translates to emotional health!
• Praise music, prayer and small groups welcome the holy spirit to take up residence here, and I love feeling Him here with me every moment!
• I love to be surrounded by the things I love, that represent who I am.

This last point is proving to be a stumbling block for me in moving preparations. One of the great joys of my current place has been the ability to surround myself with the heirlooms, photographs, gifts, and souvenirs of happy times and stuff that inspires my creativity.

While the Lord has provided an amazing living situation for me, it will now require me to heavily edit my stuff and put 98% of it back into storage until such time that I......you guessed it, MOVE AGAIN!

My stuff doesn't define me. But surrounding myself with things that inspire me and gives me happy memories is important to my emotional health. I'm having trouble, a LOT of trouble, selecting just a very few things to keep with me to my new place.

Prioritize My Values

I'm a complex and multi-faceted person, as we all are, with a variety of interests and passions. So I've decided I will take one or two things that represent me in my current season of life. Notice, I immediately weed out things that are more representative of past seasons - so most of my photographs, art I've collected over the years, and family furniture is going into storage. Not that I don't love it, but I have to make the cut somewhere.

Next, I decided to make a list of who I am, prioritize that list, and select one or two items from each category to take with me.

• Daughter of God - Praise music, prayer and study of God's word are the ways to grow in faith. So, I will be taking my small speaker, my prayer/yoga mat, and a small selection of bibles and reference materials, like my War Room prayer strategy guide. It's killing me to have to edit even these items, but I'm keeping them where I can grab them when needed.
• Writer - I need my computers, my journals, and some books that inspire me, including my Jesus Calling devotional, books I reference over and over (like Rick Warren's 12 Methods to Study the Bible), prayer strategy book, etc. My books seem to breed on my shelves, I'm not sure how it happens! The key is, I'm getting a three foot bookshelf, and I ONLY want to take what can fit on that single shelf.
• Leader/Mentor/Friend - Connections with others is very high on my priority list. How do I connect best? Often, it's through study and discussion based on our shared love of Jesus. So, I have decided to take my whiteboard and dry erase markers. I also have a few key training manuals/documents that are my go-to's so I will keep those with me. The rest will be in a carefully labeled box right at the front of storage so I can grab them. My friends wouldn't know how to act without a dry erase board, lol.
• Art Supplies - Last year I read neuro-scientist Dr. Caroline Leaf's book on our ability to re-wire our brain to get rid of negative thinking, using color and form to open up new thinking experiences. Her method is something called a Metacog, and I have been using a blank art journal and colored markers to practice that method of growing my faith. So, since that fits into my criteria of my "current season of life" I am taking a few of those supplies.
• Kitchen/Hospitality - This is the hardest category to edit. I collect pottery, and I FINALLY was able to get it all out and display it. I have a cool lazy susan made from a wine barrel that my dear friends Robert and Sherry, who live in Charlotte, gave me as a gift. But it's huge and there's no space for it in my new home. I'm going to keep out one piece of pottery and put it on my dresser, a few mugs I love (like my "Grace" mug my close friend Amy gave me when I was in Portland!), and my SMALL lazy susan with my special spices. (This might hurt a little......) I might sneak in a couple candles for my bedroom.
• Fitness Passion - I mentioned my yoga/prayer mat. I'll take my fitness band and possibly my small hand weights, since they don't take up much space. I sold my old bike last fall, and want to get a new one, but fortunately the new place has a hook in the garage for my bike when I get one!
• Momentos from Friends - I have a few things friends have given me that have great meaning. One of them is a cool little desktop storage box my friend Donna Whitten gave me on our recent writing retreat. I also have several cute prints, candles, etc. that friends have given me. I love them because they remind me of the people who gifted them to me!

If you had to edit down your life to just a few things, what would YOU select? Would love to hear your thoughts on editing your life!