CURATING YOUR LIFE

 

Late Summer Collage

Do you like the idea of curating your life?  I know I do.  Little bits at a time.  Someone I know makes what she calls "Shelfies," items meaningful to her that she rotates on shelves.  You know, a photograph, a memento, a candle or two.  We all do that.  On shelves by my computer, I keep a crocheted Mother's Day card that I like, a small jar of sea glass, a deer antler I found in our meadow, and other bits and bobs. 

The essence of curating is one more and one less, adding and subtracting.  For my dad's last years, he chose a small apartment with only 2 closets.  If he brought home a new shirt, he had to give one away.  One more of anything required one less of something.  A coffeemaker and a microwave, a recliner and a couch, a bed and a dresser, no more no less.  Think Marie Kondo without worrying about the joy part.  The joy was his late-life modest independence.  For us the joy might be a smaller footprint, less consumerism.  

Picasso, "Green Still Life," 1914

Some famous still-lifes begin with a collection of curated objects.  Picasso's own bits and bobs are in this one--a bit of a pear, a compote, part of a table runner, a vessel of some sort, the letters JOU with which a number of French words begin and, with WWI on the horizon, the startling inclusion of a hand wrapped around a grenade.  Picasso must have arranged things endlessly, adding and subtracting to get the right heights and shapes, dots and lines and orbs, the everyday with the symbol of looming war in the foreground.  Or maybe with his genius the arrangement was intuitive and instant.     

We can also seek a kind of one more, one less in a spiritual or mindful sense.  
At the beach I want to add more time bike riding and less time reading the news on my phone.  That's pretty much true every day of my life--more time doing X, Y or Z and less time with the daily news feed.  More contentment, less depression.

I came across a list someone made of their one more/one less choices.  Things like one less plastic water bottle, one less bag at the grocery store, one less hour of technology; one more smile for a stranger, one more deep breath, one more healthy choice.  I also began thinking of my own, as part of my mindfulness practice.  Looking for ways to start building a better life for myself and for others.  I think the idea of one more, one less makes a good writing prompt, it's so adaptable.  Sharing just a few. . . 

One less wasted hour, one less careless word.  One more creative project, one more thoughtful word.  Less time indoors.  More time gardening or walking, looking at the night sky or swinging in a hammock. . . .  Less time stressing.  More time with the children in the family, more time reading or writing for pleasure, more time at prayer. . . .  Less time making small talk, being sarcastic or not listening.  More time making real conversation, making food for friends, making love, making things better.  One less glass of wine, one more glass of water.  One less opinion, one more accommodation.  Less negative, more positive.  Like positive aging or positive self-acceptance, positive relationships, positive eating, you name it. 

Positive Thinking by Pooh

The prompt itself is making me feel positive!  What do you want more of?  What do you want less of?  What good things will we put on our shelfies?  What needs a bit of curating?  I'm enjoying this exercise.  Here's hoping you do too.                                           Nina Naomi