They say ‘Do Not Hoard’,
Declutter your life & cupboard,
Go not for all you can afford,
Stick to what fits your fold,
Let’s not hop, jump & plod,
Over things covered in mold,
Hunting for things to be found,
Amidst ever growing mounds,
Free the mind of sickly bonds,
Do not grow way too fond,
Part with the extra load,
Loosen that vice-grip hold,
Walk down the generous road,
Make happy some poor sod,
That’s the true path to God,
Make it’s weight worth in gold.
Every age of human history has seen battles that have been instrumental in moulding the future… battles fought with tactics & ammunition. They become part of our heritage, our valour. We take home hard lessons (which makes for ‘harder lessons’ in school History books) from every battle won or lost. We plot & ponder, discuss & debate, about things long gone by & make strategies and weapons that will ensure our futures ‘bye bye’. Ironically amidst all these great battles fought & taught, we are still clueless as to how to win the Battle of Life (can’t recollect learning any such valuable skills at school/college; was busy cramming ‘knowledge which is yet to be of any use’, not to be a scholar but to earn a collar & ultimately pocket some dollars). Colonies are being planned on Mars, sadly Indian education system is yet to get ‘paar’ colonial times.
In our fast paced & tech laced, cut throat & stress wrought lives, we fight not one, but many losing battles, everyday - battle of nerves to the battle of the bulge, battle of wills to the battle of wits, battle of sexes to the battle of exes… not to forget the epic battle of them all – Battle of Splurge. With unlimited online shopping options & offers that make duffers out of us, Splurge is the new rage. But mates, if Splurge is your first name, do ensure Generous is your last name otherwise Grievous is soon going to be your middle name & Battle of the Clutter your next game. Take it from an Army wife who has had more than enough (roaming states/cities, the shopping prospects multiply ad infinitum) to appreciate that ‘less is more’.
Although I still fervently believe & agree with John Keats that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’, I have learned through ‘experience’ (what a school teacher she would have made) that it is not always good to let our homes & heads ‘burst’ with too much of that joy. So I have started taking baby steps (since they say, success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in & day out) in downsizing my life, & enjoying the ‘lightness of being’ in the process.
Although I have given away most of my children’s outgrown toys… I held onto some teeny weeny bits (habits die hard) which I used to do up some green arrangements. Please take a look.
Nested a ‘birdie’ inside an abandoned nest for this cutesy arrangement.
Some miniature cows & flowers from the kids dairy collection found their way on the carpet grass planted inside a glass bowl.
Simple mini moss arrangements rose a notch higher with the use of these tiny toys.
Toys put to good use to make these ‘divine’ pot arrangements.
Einstein said that the more possessions you keep, the unhappier you are. Now guys, you don’t want to stay unhappy right!!! So declutter (but do save some to make some).
If I am to depict my adult life, with some brush strokes, it will be named ‘Starry Days’. Not that it w’d hold a candle to Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Nights’ (Maths isn’t the only exception for me to be useless at)… but it would certainly sum up my married life, a literal starburst.
The first time I got to ‘star’e at my ‘would be’… I was star struck & he was star studded. Amidst star-jasmines & star-hyacinths our love blossomed, our star signs gelled & unlike star crossed lovers, our paths crossed to merge into one. Although hubby dear did not propose with star-sapphires & star-rubies, he being an artillery man, ensured I learnt all about star shells. Before the star dust in our eyes could settle, into our lives entered our two ‘Aankhon ka stars’, who since then, have not let a day go by without making their parents see ‘stars’ or them watching Star Wars. Not to let us down, the onions & dals are also doing their bit… their sky high prices will soon ensure that we ‘star’ve.
Now it wouldn’t come as a surprise to you if I say that star gazing (the sky & Tata sky) is one of my favourite pastimes. Like Sarah Williams, I too love the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. I can sit starry eyed staring at the twinkling, captivating & mesmerising stars lit bright in the night sky, for an eternity.
Twinkle twinkle little stars,
Wonder how to get you here,
Down below the world so my,
The little solitaires in the sky.
Imagine… all that ‘Tare Zameen par’!!! Some I w’d scatter around my home & some will go you know where. But then, I know (we ladies ‘know all’) aiming for the stars might be a good thing but to aim for stars to come to you… better be watching a Star Trek movie. So the next best option is to decorate your home with ‘make do stars’ – be it fairy lights, Christmas stars, candles, diyas, glow in the night stickers & such. I will share with you a pair of ‘super star’ like candle holders I have made for my bedroom. Hope you will give it five stars.
Rescued a meat chopping board before it was marked with blood. Got it cut lengthwise through the middle.Cleaned out the labels from a couple of Dabur honey bottles (1 kg) and attached rings (welded onto chains) around their necks & used them as candle holders.
Attached a hook onto one end of each board to hang the the candle holders. Pasted two thin ply board cutouts (bought from a craft store) to give them a fancy look.
Kept wooden discs (to form the base for the candles) inside the candle holders.
Placed the candles inside and lit them.
And lo behold…. into my bedroom the stars have descended. Try them out… they are sure to become the star attraction of your home.
So that is me saying adieu, hoping that our life gets by without ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ & that one day a Dan McLean w’d be inspired enough with our lives to dedicate a Starry Starry Night/Day to us.
