Simple Self Improvement

                                                                    Image:Marie Vonow Okay, so here I am at the final day of November and the end of my self imposed six month ban on unnecessary shopping. For further information check out my blog post http://simpleselfimprovement.blogspot.com/2019/05/six-month-shopping-ban-challenge.html  How did it go? What did I find out about my shopping habits? What are my goals for future purchases of non essential items? I actually found I made more non essential purchases as time went by because I had come to the conclusion that making such a purchase from time to time is okay. I think each person needs to make their own decisions about how many items they want in their home and how many 'new' items they feel comfortable buying. I still believe decluttering has benefits and I don't want clutter to pile up. From time to time I donate a few items I no longer use to an op shop. Recently I bought a small square 'saucer'

Blackbirds hang out in the palm   Image:Marie Vonow Life is full of things to do, people to catch up with and appointments to attend. It seems there is always so much to do and life can be overwhelming if you don't schedule time to just breathe. I am fortunate at this point in my life I don't have to rush off to work in the morning. I am able to take some time for myself most mornings and watch the birds in my garden as I slowly drink my coffee. I wrote this short poem about relaxing in the garden and observing the local birds.         Birds And Nature Friendly birds sitting in the tree Joyfully singing songs for me, I love to sip my coffee while I sit, Watch them and relax for a bit. Nature can calm my active mind I look around, focus on what I find, Stop and take a break from stress Breathe deep, don’t think about life's mess. You may already know, from personal experience, spendi