Let the Book Fast Begin!

Hi. My name is Brittney and I am a bookworm. You might call me an avid reader, literature buff, page-flipper,bibliophile, or a fiction connoisseur. Or you could just call me what I am...addicted to reading.

I think I've loved reading since even before I could read. :-) Even as a little girl, I was a book nerd. Out of all the Disney princesses, I wanted to be Belle because she had a massive library. The temptation of having fins like Ariel or a pet tiger like Jasmine were nothing compared to the idea of floor to ceiling books.

In middle school the kids on the bus didn't know my name so they just called me "the-girl-who-sits-at-the-front-of-the-bus-and-reads." I was totally that kid with the highest Accelerated Reading points to reach and I would usually end up with triple the points I needed. My perfect day would involve getting lost in a book and those who know me best know not to interrupt me when I'm in reading mode. The odds are I won't even hear you if you attempt conversation with me anyways.

     So I've known for a long time that I'm addicted to reading, but I always kind of thought it was a worthy addition. It's free, (I get my books from the library 95% of the time), it improves my vocabulary and writing skills, and it's a hobby that can travel anywhere. The thing is, I'm not sure there's really any kind of addiction that's good, except perhaps if you are addicted to acting as Christ would have. All other addictions, reading included, tend to distract us from other important things around us.
    I read in the parking lot before I go into work when I could be praying. I read during my breaks and lunch at work, when I could be connecting with my co-workers instead of blocking them out. I read when I get home from work and on the weekends, when I could be spending quality time with my husband. Out of curiosity I looked up my library history and crunched some numbers. Since January 1st, 2012 I have read

*50 books
*Totaling 19,198 pages
*Stacked up, these books would be over 8 ft tall

Umm....Talk about some potential wasted time! Not all completely wasted, but when I read, I'm dead to the world. It's time to open my eyes and truly see things. Then I'll at least know what I'm missing. Soooo...I declare a BOOK FAST! I'm going to abstain from reading for pleasure for one month. Instead of devouring books, I'm going to have conversations, practice guitar (with my patient husband), try out some new recipes, work on my spiritual growth, and maybe blog some more! Wish me luck!

Let the Book Fast begin!

A Lesson from the Clouds

Clouds are SO beautiful. Sometimes I neglect that beautiful creation. I'm so concerned with what's right in front of me I forget to look up and notice the poof-balls. But when I finally do take some time to truly bask in their majesty, it's always a treat. God was so good to us to provide us with an environment that is not only safe, but gorgeous.

So anyways....About clouds... They kind of remind me of life in general. I remember the first time I ever flew in an airplane. I was SO excited for the whole endeavor. I was most excited to fly through a cloud, though. I guess I thought it would be like flying through cotton balls. But you know what I saw when I looked out that little oval-like window in the plane?

Fog. Ugh. A cloud is nothing more than dense, grey, NOTHING when you're in it! Talk about a bummer. But that's how life kind of is, isn't it? Say the cloud is your life. It's whatever you're going through right now. When you're in it, you can't see the beginning or end. You don't know what it looks like from afar and you definitely don't seemed "awed" by the inner workings or supposed beauty of the cloud.
But you know what people on the ground see?

THIS!!

Clouds were really meant to be seen as part of a bigger picture. As a person and a Christian, most of the time I feel like my life is seen by others as more of a fog than a beautiful cloud. I shouldn't though! Because if you're a Christian, you have the benefit of Christ being on your side, with you always, and (ideally) ever-present in your thoughts and actions. He is the Light and in Him there is no darkness. Clouds get DRASTICALLY more beautiful when the light is shining through them. So press on. Though some times it's seems like your life may not be the greatest testimony of the One you serve, maybe you're just too close up to see Christ shining beautifully through you. 


Matthew 5:14-16
 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Suffocation via Fashion

It's been a while, but I'm drawn back to the blogging world for the same reason I wrote my last blog...to vent about getting rid of clothing. Lately I have been feeling suffocated. Suffocated by things in our apartment, by preoccupations in my mind, and by obligations. We, as a society, tend to feel like more is always better and I'm starting to yearn for the simplicity of having less. People in Bible times lived w/ less (WAY less) and had fulfilling lives. Maybe I would be closer to God if I got rid of the clutter (physical and mental) and regained my focus.

So anyways....I say all this to say that I stumbled across a "minimalist" blog called "Be More with Less." She talks about minimizing clutter in ALL aspects of life. But where to start? She wrote a blog about minimizing our wardrobe. Drastically. And I mean DRASTICALLY. Down to 33 pieces...and that includes clothing, accessories, outerwear, shoes, and jewelry. See the link below for more info on that. 

http://bemorewithless.com/2010/quick-start-guides-for-project-333/

I'm not even remotely insane enough to think that I could accomplish that, but I did want to see how many unnecessary pieces of clothes I could get rid of. So last night I purged. And it was painful! Why is it so difficult to get rid of clothes I hardly ever or NEVER wear?? Ugh. I found that there are a few different reasons why it's hard to let go of clothing. 

1.) The item represents how I would like to view myself.
      For example, thinner, taller, bustier....whatever.
2.) The item holds emotional value
      For example, I never wear it anymore, but I wore it as cover up on our honeymoon. It symbolizes great memories!

3.) The item has never been worn! You hate to admit that it was a TOTAL wrong decision...so you keep it in your closet for months and months till an appropriate amount of time has passed so that you can get rid of it without feeling like it was useless (even though it was).
     For example....this pink shirt that never ever fit correctly (purchased just a few months ago) and a pair of shorts...w/ the tag still on them!

4.) They're ancient.
     I have had this "Janna's school of Dance" t-shirt since 5th grade and the white youth rally shirt since 2000. These shirts are over a decade old. They're practically vintage! 

5.) They represent a part of who you were.
     I loved being in a social club in college. However, there are not a lot of places where I feel like it would be appropriate to wear a GTO jersey. Actually, I can't think of anywhere except Freed. But I love(d) my kelly green and royal blue apparel because it represented Warrior pride and some of the most fun times I had w/ my friends. Alas...there are no social clubs at work these days. Not officially, anyways.

6.) I think I'll need them eventually.
     Like my dress clothes. I dress up for church once a week. That leaves a lot of business-y dress clothes high and dry. I think, "I don't have a job where I have to dress up for work now, but I might someday!" Yeah...right. It's been 6 years of working without dressing up. And if I do happen to eventually get a "fancy" job, I doubt my style will be the same.

I wore this little skirt-suit thingy once. In three years. The odds are not in its favor.

And what about this little number? Only worn ONCE! Jk! I'm not getting rid of the w-dress!

I felt like I got rid of SO much stuff (65 items) but I couldn't even tell a difference by looking in my closet and drawers! My ultimate goal is to be able to get rid of my dresser (it's crappy anyways) and to fit all of my clothes in my closet (on only MY side, Rett would prefer). Not only that, but I'd like to be able to thumb through them with ease....not have to push and push on them to see what lies behind each hanger like you have to do at Goodwill. 

There's no telling how many items I have if getting rid of 65 didn't even make a dent. It's embarrassing, really. I haven't given up yet, though. Being more w/ less might take a while, but I'm determined to make some wiggle room in my life and in my closet...starting with one pair of jeans at a time.

My "ditch it" pile. Only the beginning, let's hope.