I love having long hair; it makes me feel good to let it down and show off its wave. Ever since my boys were born I’ve always either had it in a ponytail or even worse in a bun where I weave my hair within itself. I will let it down when my husband and I go out or when I have some function to attend. It’s actually pretty shocking to a lot of people who normally see me in a ponytail with the comment being “I had no idea your hair was this long!” A few months ago, I noticed a woman at our school that’s always carrying her three year old child around. This woman’s hair is always let down, never in a ponytail and her daughter actually grabs on to her hair like a toddler would a blanket. I decided that from that day I would constantly wear my hair down too. What’s the point of keeping it long if I never enjoy it? I can tell you that I’ve made it a point to do that for a couple of months now and I love it! It’s actually so freeing to me I can’t even begin to describe it.
I started thinking about everything else that we own and never utilize. In one of Wayne Dyer’s lectures he talked about the 80/20 rule. This rule says that 80% of what you own or especially what’s in your closet you never wear or use however it’s the 20% that is utilized over and over. How true is that? We went to Orlando for eight days and packed enough clothes to not have to do laundry. I did laundry three times while I was there and all four of us grabbed the same t-shirt, shorts, and pants every time they were clean. We could've packed a quarter of what we took. This also applies to the eight water bottles I own; I find myself reaching for the pink one with the smaller spout every time and if it’s dirty then I clean it and use it. So why not get rid of the other seven?
There’s a joy that comes from taking care of the things you have and utilizing them. We planted a garden for the first time last year and I truly believe it thrived the way it did because my husband gave it so much of his attention. He woke up early every morning to water, weed and take care of the garden. He does the same for his car. Our kids feel very comfortable spilling milk, juice and whatever else in my car but never in dad’s car. The reason for that is the respect he has instilled in them for his car. I only wish he loved our garage as much as he loves his car! Even my family mentions to me how great it is that my husband totally utilizes everything he buys. Our youngest son is that way as well. My mom will say that she loves buying him toys because he plays with them so much it actually makes you feel good.
I remember buying five books at one time thinking that I’ll get to them eventually. The truth is that most of the time I never get to that third, fourth or fifth book. Then why buy them?
I attended one year of homeopathy school while pregnant with my second child. This school offered a two-year homeopathic certification training program. My objective of going through homeopathy school was to be more comfortable giving my kids homeopathic remedies and no more. I myself have had a lot of problems with antibiotics and such so I wanted an alternative for my kids. Although I knew at the end of the first year that I was done I still bought the most expensive software available at the end of the year. I often think about that software that’s just sitting in my cabinet and it actually makes my stomach cringe a little.
I have been getting better though. I will stop before buying something to ask myself whether I will really use it or not. We were at a dinner party the other night where someone was talking about how she dreaded when her husband went to Costco and the fact that they had Kleenex coming out of their ears. My friend moved to the Emirates a couple of years ago and she was shocked by the fact that they had no storage space anywhere. She actually got rid of a pair of maternity pants because there was no place to store them and she wasn’t for sure whether she was going to have another baby or not. I’m thinking about all these stories right now and trying to simplify what I bring into our household. I’m saying if I know it’s not going to make the 20 in the 80/20 rule then I’m not buying it!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
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On my way to Target, we'll see if I pass the test today!
Mary
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