12:20 p.m. - 2008-03-08
A hope chest, a toy box and taking the plunge
The past few lessons from Simple Abundance have been similar. It's all about creating a place for yourself. A place for your spirit to get strong. A place for loving thoughts and feelings of peace to surround you....at least for a few minutes each day. It's more ways to find your serenity.
One of the essays talked about your hope chest. Did you grow up during the time period when all little girls dreamed about their hope chest? You looked through the magazines, especially Seventeen looking for the Lane ad... Ah, yes, there it is.....and wondered if you would ever receive a wonderful gift like that?
You probably dreamed about what you would put inside, lovely linens, beautiful quilts, special accessories and the lingerie...oh my yes...
Most of the time, it was expected that the parents would give the hope chest to their young daughter. It would be filled with embroidered pillowcases, specially created quilts, table linens, and all the dreams of domestic bliss.
I didn't get a hope chest. Our family couldn't afford one. But I still dreamed about it and wondered what I would have put inside....if I had any family heirlooms or quilts or special pieces to treasure.
Simple Abundances suggests that it is not too late. You can still prepare "a symbolic" place for your hopes and dreams. You could even get a plastic bin or a wicker hamper and put items inside that you treasure. And....you could also prepare a special "hope chest" for your children now. It doesn't matter what the container may be; but it can be filled with all kinds of dreams and expectations.
"FAITH is the very first thing you should pack inside."
"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Another suggestion by Simple Abundance is to create a toy box for yourself! Remember the fun of selecting toys for your children when they were small? Did you play board games with your children and color or dress up dolls or race cars? Why not make up a toy box for yourself?
Find a special container. It can be made of cardboard, wicker or plastic. Make sure it has a lid. "What is inside is yours.... You can share but you don't have to."
Take $10 or $20. Go to a Dollar Store or an old fashioned five and dime store, or a craft or stationery store. " Buy stickers and pretty cards and papers, colored paper clips, pencils...whatever strikes your fancy." If there is something that attracts you, buy it. it might be a magnet or a postcard or just a funny string of lights that are on discount. Buy them all and put them inside your toy box. Or put some of them around your home. It might make you smile to have a string of chili pepper lights around your kitchen window on a dark and gloomy night. You might have fun putting cute stickers on your bills as you seal the envelopes. Maybe you will be inspired to write a story or a letter to someone special using these items.
Now, even better. "Think about toys you yearned for when you were a child. Maybe you always wanted a stuffed teddy bear or a collector doll, a dollhouse that you could decorate with wallpaper and furniture, or a beautiful piece of glass" Next time a gift-giving occasion comes up, put those items on your list. You don't need to ask for another sweater or a Dustbuster or pots and pans. Maybe having your own Beanie baby or Cabbage Patch doll would make you smile every day.
It's time to go play like a big girl!
And another essay was to create a Comfort drawer. Find a drawer somewhere in your bedroom and line it with scented paper and other sources of comfort. Remember the times you have had such a terrible day that all you wanted to do was get into bed and pull the covers over your head and just disappear?
This drawer should be the source of comfort. Put in your favorite nightwear, some candles, maybe some chocolate or other special treats, a good book (like Simple Abundance), a CD or two or even a DVD that you can watch over and over and never tire of it.
"Notice the simply abundant pattern? Here is all you need to pamper and treat yourself." Put on clean sheets, get into a fragrant tub, light those candles, smooth on some specially scented lotion, climb into that clean bed and read or listen to music or watch a great DVD. It's all about you, baby....
The next essay is entitled...
TAKE THE PLUNGE!
"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have"....Doris Mortman.
"This involves an enormous leap of faith exploring the way we express ourselves to the outside world through our personal appearance. It's more than how we dress or style our hair. It's about acknowledging and accepting the woman within. It's becoming comfortable about who you are."
"We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body, first, and the spirit later."...Mary Antin.
"One is not born a woman, one becomes one."....Simone de Beauvior.
"Becoming who we really are takes time. We have to consider, reflect, create, emerge and clear away all the stuff inside. Some of us remain dormant for years--obvious to our inner beauty--drugged by our own disapproval, doubts, or neglect. Coping skills that used to bring relief, now offer only regret. To undo all this negativity that we have lived with, we need to take the plunge." We need to hold ourselves gently, kindly and with patience.
Don't be afraid to jump into life. You might find out that you really like it.
