Tualatin residents weren’t the only ones participating in Tuesday evening’s Say YES To Less workshop. Couples, single moms and seniors from Tigard, Beaverton, Wilsonville and even Damascus braved the snarled traffic and nonstop rain. 35 eager folks gathered to learn practical and mindful ways of clearing out clutter. I love the dynamics of diverse community members coming together to learn, share and be inspired. Thanks again to Tualatin Library for sponsoring the workshop and for compiling a handy reading list for further insight on this topic. If you missed the class, click here to download the brochure: Tualatin Library book list. Explore over 20 titles available from your library including some E-book, Audio and Kindle versions. Note: Since books are one of the biggest challenges in clearing stuff – avoid purchasing new, pass along the old and always use your library as a reading resource first. Thank you!

Congrats to b-glowing for being one of the first to do a CW collection drive in the new year. The online beauty product boutique – with thousands of loyal customers worldwide – has its heart in the community and eagerly signed up for a chance to give at the office. Community Warehouse delivered the collection bins to the company headquarters in downtown PDX and will pick them up in a few weeks. Thanks, b-glowing, for showing that giving to others brings out the beauty in all of us! Read more about CW, their mission and how to schedule a community collection drive.

 

 Nonprofits typically see a big decline in donations following the holiday season. Why not start a new tradition and keep the giving going … and clear out your space while you’re at it. If you’re in the Portland area, host a collection drive at your office, school or neighborhood to support Community Warehouse.  You pick the dates that work for you, CW delivers the collection bins and picks them up when the drive is done. Simple! (What a great way to regift that nice but not needed set of mugs from Santa.) Contact CW to schedule your collection drive. Note: Accepted items include new or used small household things like kitchenware, linens, etc. No clothing, food or personal hygiene items. Click here to get a detailed list of what they currently accept. Read more about CW and why I’m a fan. Happy Giving … and clearing!

TIP: Not in the PDX area? Use the nationwide donate/recycle guide at Earth 911 (another favorite from my Resources Page). Just put in your zip code and up pops a list of who in your area accepts what you what to donate. Easy!

Sponsored by Tualatin Public Library. January 19th 6:30-8:00pm. FREE admission. An entertaining workshop offering simple steps to help get your space clear. Enjoy this unique “no blame/no shame” approach to tackling clutter and the challenges of too much stuff. Presented by Jane Green, author and creator of A Clear Place.

Learn where to start, how to sort, and who gets what. You’ll also learn the guaranteed litmus test for what to keep.

A great refresher to ACP’s popular STUFF-ication series, Say YES to Less by A Clear Place offers more tips, updated resources and new before and after shots. Come learn more about less!

 Click here for location and map. Come early and enjoy the lovely library fire pit. You are welcome to bring refreshments.

Click on the Contact page to request information on workshops and consultations for your community or workplace.

 

Everything is energy. Being mindful of the energy in and around you is key to living a healthy and vibrant life. Your furniture, clothes, papers, computers … all contribute in a light or heavy way to the energy in your space.

Find out more about this week’s Focus card and adding its wisdom to your home. View here.

Get a rain shower whenever you want it with a neat download from SimplyRain. Cool factor: you can go from drizzle to downpour by just sliding the bar. You can even oscillate the rainfall or add thunder (I can never get enough thunder). Get your rainshower here. Want more water energy? SimplyNoise offers an expanded one hour stereo thunderstorm for free. It’s my favorite soundscape for staying refreshed while at the computer (I’m listening to it right now.) Ocean waves and white noise options are also available. Mobile app friendly, too. Get more water here.

This morning I watched a garbage pick-up at the end of the road. Apparently some of the trash hadn’t made it into the dump truck and bottles and debris were strewn all over the street. The garbage man carefully shoveled up every piece of glass and gunk and put it back in the can. Then he got in the cab, pushed the button and out came the mechanical claws that grabbed the big can, lifted it high over the truck, shook out the contents and returned it to the ground. Once the arms had retracted, the man got out and climbed up to the top of the truck to grab the final pieces of garbage clinging to the edge. The job finally completed, he got back in the cab and drove on to the next pick-up. Quite a process. Viewing the scene inspired me to think about what kind of debris from the past I might be carrying around that needed to be shoveled up and cleared out. Here’s the little exercise that I came up with: I relaxed and focused on my belly and then visualized a golden garbage truck pulling up. Two men (angels/light beings – whatever you like) got off the truck, each with a golden shovel.  As I named the debris (anger, resentment, etc.) they shoveled it up and tossed it into the truck. Some of what I recalled required more effort to scoop up but it actually didn’t take long. When they were done, the workers sprinkled gold dust on the clean surface, tipped their hats and said with a smile, “We’re here whenever you need us.” I’ve scheduled weekly pick-ups.