Look at a star in the sky
not as something unreachable
but as a planet you would visit one day.
— 100 Acorns

Starting fresh is a very important concept for me, one that I take literally to the bone when it comes to starting the new year. A true procrastinator at heart, I’ve been putting this off for a while now but we are only two days away from 2010 and I want to make sure I am well armed for whatever it throws at me.

The importance of order in the home (out with the old!)
If you are a neatfreak at heart, there is no way you are waiting until spring to clean out your closets! What better way to start the new year than with an organized wardrobe? Throw out anything you shouldn’t take with you into 2010. Consider the following: Is it over two years old? Have you worn it in the last appropriate season? Is it covered in lint balls? Are you only keeping it because it was a gift, and never actually to wear?  If the answer to any of these is yes, is it a favorite piece you can’t do without? If it isn’t, throw it out. Careful with downgrading pieces to “loungewear” because you cannot part with them. Your loungewear drawers will be overflowing within months (I should know!)

Orderly Corners
Another thing I love to do is go through my computer folders, deleting excessive files and photos (I have photos in my ‘inspiration’ folder from 2005…). I keep my bookmarks down to 100, so only the essential dailies. Anything else goes to delicious just in case!
I also go through my iTunes and delete songs that I usually skip over and I make new playlists or revise old ones.
Tame down crowded shelves and drawers; I basically go through them all over the house and throw away piles of things — if I didn’t remember I had that, or if I haven’t used it in forever, they go in the bin. If they are in good condition I put them aside maybe to give away.

Productivity Powerhouse
The desk is where some of the magic happens, if not most depending on your job and hobbies. I tend to be glued to mine (to an unhealthy extent sometimes!), so it needs weekly maintenance. Extra papers, clippings, pens running dry, little things you just don’t know where to put so you shove them in any drawer. All these need to go out! Keep only what you use actually on your desk, the rest should be filed away. Keep some sort of board up for calendars, important notices/reminders and inspirational tidbits! This year I’ll be keeping a physical inspiration folder of inspiring articles, and I’ll leave the pictures to be put up on the wall next to my desk. Whenever my creative juices are running low, I’ll just glance over at them and keep going! Things on my desk: this semester’s books and notebooks, a big bag of pens and markers, extra paper and my printer. Nothing to distract me here! Except for the laptop which I kind of overlooked. Set it on sleep and you should be good for a while (damn twitter!)

Put those Christmas gifts to use!
Those of you who have already received your presents can start the new year with brand new shiny things, yay! I will have to wait until January 6th as is tradition here for the big loot, but a few days can’t hurt I guess!

So now that your home is a wonderland of all things beautiful and new, all you have to do is wait for 2010 to roll around! That, and maybe write down your plans for it; big ridiculous plans, small details, wants, wishes…! Exciting!

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

— e.e cummings

I am finally free for the Holidays! Well, semi free, as I have four exams waiting for me in January. BUT that does not mean I am any less excited about 2010 coming! Today I have been daydreaming, making plans and early lists of what I want 2010 to be like. And because you attract what you will, in some measure or other, I am going to make sure I close off 2009 well so that I can start fresh. And no, I don’t mean making a list of resolutions that I will forget about after January 5th; I mean an actual goal plan, what do I want to do and how do I get there?

For today I have been looking at homes with little quirky corners, and have found my favorite places archived away in the murky depths of my hard drive. My plan is to print these out and put them up on my wall; a sort of inspiration wall that will contain all sorts of treasures that I find.

LITTLE CORNERS

Some of these may be repeated in my past posts, but they are favorites! As always, from The Selby.

We are of the universe, a galaxy of thoughts, of happiness and mystery, love, anger. We are a mosaic of eclectic crystals, sometimes an artist, others a bit of a diva, maybe a dreamer. People often feel that being one way automatically cancels out  some other part of their personality, when really there is no clear cut between black and white; there are millions of colors and shades that make us the way we are! (And I am not just saying this because I happen to be a walking contradiction…) This pours through every aspect of our life, our moods, our clothes, the way we decorate our home, those little things we love to do with the people we most cherish.

And remember, no matter where you go, there you are. — Confucius

It isn’t about labeling yourself, because labels confine your identity to one sole mass based on popular stereotypes, and while a few people do feel like they belong to a certain category (i.e. the way music might be in a specific genre), it all comes down to attitude, your tendencies, the part of ‘you’ that remains even as time passes. You might have a tendency to be quiet, yet around friends you are out going and the life of the party. That’s fine. Maybe you love the vintage look but on a Friday night you go all out, Poker Face style. That’s fine too. Your ‘essence’ will remain no matter how your mood/the stage of life you find yourself in determines what you wear or how you act. It is about knowing more about your ‘self’, being comfortable in your own skin (and being comfortable does not mean becoming static; there is always room for experimenting and trying out new things which may or may not work for you).

Of course it is definitely easier said than done. Many of us aren’t even sure of what our ‘self’ comprises entirely. This shouldn’t become an identity struggle, but rather just a reminder to be aware that we do not need to be constant with absolutely everything, that we are changing (the way that you can’t step into a flowing river twice), and to nurture every part of our inward being.

From my own self, I have identified the six parts that make up my essence for now, so to speak. Though they are and will be forever changing there are certain aspects of them that will always remain:

1. The Dreamer: She is looking for change, ways to improve her life and experience. Sets goals and seeks motivation to get them, trying (though very hard sometimes) to keep a positive attitude. May find herself up in the clouds from time to time, but if there is a will there is a way.
2. The Meditator: She is contemplative, keeps her surroundings in mind and always imagines the what ifs. Driven by curiosities, both big and small, she wants to learn and keep learning.
3. They Gypsy: She is spiritual without committing to any one specific religion, instead taking the best of each. Of the Earth, tries to find balance between the materialistic and the spiritual. Importance of mental health and spiritual well-being.
4. The Lover: She loves herself first, including all eccentricities, physical imperfections (though she battles with The Diva at times). A lover of everything that comprises life: the people, the places, the experiences. Forgives herself, finds a way to live with not-so-great decisions so that she may have better judgement next time around.
5. The Diva: Adds that little bit of drama. Everything superficial, indulges in shopping and little greedy wants. She is strong willed, quiet but stubborn. One day on top and the next hoping to blend into the walls, versatile, indecisive, jealous.
6. The Artificer: Loves to create, imagine. She is a perfectionist and very impatient, which is why she needs a little extra push for some projects (driven by The Dreamer)

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Which parts make your ‘self’? Do you tend to be constant in behavior, or are you a bit of a contradiction like me?