Resolution revolution

Becoming organised (and the dangers of restrictive rules)

Last year I had a bit of a resolution revolution, and I decided not to make any New Year resolutions. I’d just started using the Headspace app and the influence of mindfulness was beginning to take effect. I’m pleased to say that I continued to use Headspace every day in 2016 and have now clocked up 91 hours of meditation – that’s nearly four days! I’ve also become a bit of a yoga addict and usually manage to do at least half an hour on the mat every day, too. So, I decided to continue with the simple life theme, not looking back but looking forward. But, I really would like to become more organised, especially with the food shopping, and I wondered if perhaps making a few resolutions to stick to all the little things I could do to achieve this was the answer.

Then, I just had one of those ‘ah!’ moments when suddenly everything fell into place. I realised that I would never be completely organised, that everything was really just a continual process of moving forward. (I’ll ignore the ‘where to’ angle, as that’s getting a bit too deep.) Throughout the evolution of my Project 333, the organisation of the campervan larder and then the kitchen store cupboard, and the development of our vegetarian and vegan eating practices I’ve always had it in mind that it was part of a process, and that someday soon everything would be organised. One day I would have sorted out the freezer, it would be full and I wouldn’t have to do it again, I could sit back and enjoy. I could stop tweaking the lists and the plans. Minimalist mission accomplished.

But of course, this overlooks the fact that we keep eating. No sooner do I stock up the freezer than I have to go to the supermarket again as something has run out. Surprise! Surprise! This is normal. It’s OK, it’s not a sign of failure. Each time I find a new recipe that demands a new ingredient I have permission to buy it. If I’ve gone over my self-imposed limit, that doesn’t matter. I’ve realised that you have to be careful not to allow the search for simplification and organisation to be taken over by an inner control-freak who imposes impossible limitations just to watch the inevitable failure. That’s too much like New Year resolutions. The whole point is to enjoy the ride, whatever the destination.

We’ve just had a new kitchen installed, and it’s fabulous. I’ve got acres of work surface and lots of empty cupboards to fill. At long last there should be room to store everything in the kitchen area and actually see what’s inside the cupboard, rather than rummaging around at the back only to find the teabags have run out or there’s no replacement washing up liquid. But I don’t want to rush out and buy lots of new storage boxes, there are plenty of glass jars that can easily be recycled. I want to plan the organisation of the kitchen carefully, so that it might be possible to reduce the number of shopping trips a little. I’d like to achieve a balance between the absolute minimalist campervan store cupboard of thirty-three items, which rules out cake-baking and any recipes that are too complicated, and filling the cupboard with a dozen tins of chopped tomatoes.

So, that’s my plan for 2017: to achieve balance. Balance in our vegetarian/vegan diet; balance between work and leisure; and perhaps even one day, balance in yoga – if I ever manage to master the tree pose.

Happy New Year 2017