Last month, in the midst of my own major post-holiday declutter, I learned a new-to-me term: osoji, which Google tells me literally means “big clean” in Japanese. It’s not a new tradition at all, however–it dates back to circa 800 A.D. At that time, the Imperial Court was ritually cleansed of soot at the end of each year to welcome the deity of the new year (source, source).
Keeping my home free from unused items does have a spiritual component for me. It feels respectful to my family to maintain a decluttered home in which the kids can play and Eric and I can efficiently live our lives. It feels respectful to the environment to thoughtfully pass on items we don’t need, and to receive an annual reminder to be intentional about the things we bring into our home. I even have more mental space to focus on what matters in life and to be intentional about my own spiritual practice when we aren’t overwhelmed by unnecessary stuff.… Read More »
Happy new year, friends! I’ve sat down several times in the past couple of weeks to write about our not-so-minimalist Christmas and my thoughts on holiday celebrations–but, there are too many strong emotions there right now to write anything productive. So we’ll let sleeping bears lie for now.
When I’m in a slump in parenting, relationships, or life in general–it’s usually because I’ve forgotten to embrace uncertainty. It’s so simple, but so easy to forget.
I was gifted a copy of One Yes At A Time to read and review on Just to Claireify. All opinions expressed are my own.
Happy December, friends! Can you believe it’s the last month of 2024? This year absolutely flew by for us–pregnancy and election notwithstanding–and I’ve just about wrapped up my holiday shopping 🙂 I’m ready to settle in for a month of festivities with (ideally) low stress and Christmas to-do’s.