What to do with old computers?
Posted by Joanna on Apr 6, 2007
I just discovered this resource! Hurrah! You may, like so many of us, have a large collection of unwanted computers and computer equipment taking up space in your garage,basement,attic or your office. Would you like to get rid of them in a earth friendly and people friendly way?
In case you don’t get my weekly tips- here’s the scoop. (Go to www.dell.com/recycle to get the full story.)
” Donate
Dell provides consumers a donation option for old computers. When you are ready for a new system there are neighbors in your community who could make use of your old one. Through Dell Recycling,consumers can donate their computers to the National Cristina Foundation to help disabled and economically disadvantaged children and adults in your own community. The foundation will pick up your computer at your door and put it to good use in your community.
Recycle
If recycling your computer is your preference, Dell offers an environmentally friendly method to dispose of outdated computer equipment that no longer has useful life.
Dell is happy to accept any brand of computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor or printer. And Dell will pick it up at your home. ”
WOW! That’s what they are promising. Give it a try during your spring decluttering! And please let us know what happens!
The Clutter of Causes…Guantanamo
Posted by Joanna on Apr 5, 2007
No- not the other way around.
I am not writing about the causes of clutter though I could and should at some time.
But rather – once again a major concern has crossed my desk. In some ways causes do feel like clutter. There are endless numbers of causes; you can only think about so many before your mind and heart become overwhelmed.
At the same time- there are some things that each of us decides to let in. And today for me it is the issue of Guantanamo prison. Here is what avaaz is saying about it. Seems like a pretty timely cause for this week — what with Passover and Easter. It’s something that CAN be changed!
Here is the info from the Avaaz email:
Adel Hamad grew up in a small village in Sudan. Through hard work, he became a schoolteacher and hospital assistant. To support his family he took a better job at a community hospital in Afghanistan. Then late one night he was torn from his bed and sent to hell, as Guantanamo Bay Detainee #940.
Adel Hamad has had no trial. He has seen no family members for four years. Even US military officers reviewing his situation have called his detention “unconscionable.” But he and nearly 400 other prisoners are still trapped at Guantanamo. Last week US Defense Secretary Robert Gates finally said Guantanamo should be closed. President Bush’s advisors are split down the middle on this issue — a massive global outcry could tip the balance, and push Bush to close Guantanamo forever. Click below to sign the Close Guantanamo petition, and we’ll run ads next week in major US papers announcing the number of signatures:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo
It’s now clear that many of the detainees are simply innocent people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Guantanamo’s former commander General Jay Hood has admitted, “Sometimes we just didn’t get the right folks.” This is what happens when people are held without charge or trial.
After being held for five years, last week Australian David Hicks was finally charged — and sentenced to just 9 months in an Australian prison. This hardly looks like the “worst of the worst” – words the Bush Administration used to justify ignoring basic standards of justice. Meanwhile, as regimes around the world use Guantanamo to excuse their own human rights abuses, international law keeps taking a beating.
Sign the petition calling on the US government to close Guantanamo , and for its inmates to be tried in a legitimate court or set free. Let’s run ads in Washington DC and show that citizens from every country on earth want this injustice to end:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/close_guantanamo
In hope,
Ricken, Milena, Tom, Graziela and the Avaaz Team
Take time to dream…
Posted by Joanna on Mar 30, 2007
I advise clients, who are trying to take new steps with color in their homes, but have no sense yet of what they want, to go to the library; look through a bunch of home beautiful books, put paper strip markers by the spaces that appeal to them …and dream. It costs nothing!
My heart of business tele-class partner from Alberta, Pam Klappstein, has a wonderful business called Your Inner Artist . Her free newsletter this week was, in it’s simplest, about how it is necessary to deliberately schedule time in your life for your dreams… ahhh- yes Pam.
So last night I went to have a look at the Spanish immersion school in El Sal – a site I had bookmarked months ago- take a look if you like. I’ve emailed a question to the school. That doesn’t cost anything. True, an email doesn’t make the trip happen. But it’s a start.
It’s time to turn off the computer. I have a lovely client at ten this morning – we are working on sorting through all the STUFF in her kitchen before she has it redone- so that she will know what really fits in her life now and then build in accordance with that.
Yes- I DO love my Breathing Space work and am very glad it’s what I do. The Spanish is about allowing myself to imagine another dream becoming reality. And, because of doing that, having more energy for everything.
I’m wishing you the same!
Joanna
* * * * *
p.s. To Dylan Emrys of whatyourbabyknows.com , classmate and friend, who just taught me by phone how to LINK successfully- many thanks.
A poem in response…
Posted by Joanna on Mar 29, 2007
In February I sent out a tip about “Doing a Joanna” – which can also be called the scoop method. It’s what works best for me.
Anyway — I received back an email and poem which I have been planning to post here for weeks. But I haven’t been able to figure out how as it came to me in PDF format.
Finally – at 6:15p.m. March 29 my husband Bob gets “Super Geek” status – in my eyes for sure! He showed me (oh so simple- to him) how to copy and paste a PDF! Yahooo! If you like beautiful furniture take a look at what Bob really loves to do by going to www.rueterwoodworking.com .
Here with her go ahead are Connie’s email and poem:
“After I read your message, I decided to send you a poem I wrote after decluttering an important space. I had already decluttered it when I got your message, but it was just what your message described and it was recent. This is a small space, about two forearms long and one forearm wide.
Writing Table
For years I’ve loved the hodgepodge
of rooftops, chimneys and windows
I see from here
a jumble of planes and angles.
No one could have planned it.
For years I haven’t sat here
to write. Two babies at once
is a lot, but the truth is,
I let myself diminish:
I had nothing to say.
Once upon a time my table
looked out on raspberry brakes;
there was a neighboring mule.
I dwindled to zero there.
If, God forbid, I live to a hundred,
will I learn? We get the same lessons
over and over until we see
yet not the self-same.
(We’re going in, Scotty.)
I’m heading for the language
behind the language:
table brake self-same
The winter’s first big snow, unstinting
(although our green blob map online
does show an end in sight),
is late this year,
filtering colors out of the view
from my writing table,
which is still divine.
© Connie Vial Green
February 2007
Why Boldness counts … from MONKATWORK
Posted by Joanna on Mar 28, 2007
Adam Kayce just sent out a fine article called : Why Boldness Counts
Below are the first lines -go read the article and come back and talk with me…. ok?
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
– Henry David Thoreau
We’ve all been there. Times when we’ve found ourselves squeaking along, trying to just get by and not ruffle any feathers, or have our own feathers ruffled….
(and the article continues- it is SO on the target with the blog I wrote this morning !
Hey folks– let’s get out of the box / and clear out the boxes that don’t fit our lives anymore – eh???
What if ?
Posted by Joanna on Mar 28, 2007
I’ve come to an odd place.
A year ago, I began studying with Mark Silver about marketing with heart! What a fantastic experience! I learned SO MUCH from Mark and my classmates; over the months my new website and this blog were created …
In 1982, having worked as a Day Care teacher and Director for 6 years, I went back to college to get my degree in Early Childhood Education. I got my degree and worked a few more years in education but the classes I found MOST compelling were in Women’s Studies.
It used to be that a thesis was written by scholars at the END of their careers! After they had learned tons they then wrote down what they had learned for others. Hmmmmmm interesting.
In my work with Breathing Space clients I so often hear myself saying that declutttering is about REALITY… about REALLY looking at what is going on in one’s life …what is is that you REALLY want to be doing…where do you really want to put your energy? At that point you can begin to make space for your life as it really is. The STUFF in your life CAN reflect and support you.
So why talk about this now?
Well, I am beginning to see that I have come to another crossroads. Having learned from Mark what is needed to do an excellent job of making Breathing Space available to folks, I realize that although I want to be able to continue to help people who contact me … I also want to discover what comes NEXT. I am ready to collect all my Spanish books and put them on the the shelf nearest my desk; I’m ready to see what happens if I allow myself to do everything in my power to learn Spanish.
What will happen? I don’t know.
I continue to love the actual hands-on work and doing virtual consultations. If you read this and want to have a space that feeds your soul … call me. AND … once again I am going to go out on a limb. That’s what I did in 1996 when I began Breathing Space. I had always wanted to help people with their spaces. Going from a REAL paid job as a therapist to starting a new business – what foolishness. But how wonderful it has been…
And starting today- I am going to discover what comes next. Does it make your heart sing??? Does it GIVE you energy? What if you knew you only had a year to live? All those questions demand a level of daring – faith- courage – chutzpah too…
What IF you and I take that leap? Hope you’ll let me know!
p.s. I suggest ,if you have any tendrils of ” WHAT IF”, that you take a look at www.thedisquiet.com by Dave Schoof. Although I haven’t read much of his website yet I know that he is working with folks (men in particular) on WHAT IF issues …
You can still add your voice – about Iraq.
Posted by Joanna on Feb 6, 2007
I really do want to talk about clutter and space …and shall. I’ve just finished a write up of the largest space I’ve worked on yet – the process was very familiar- just bigger! I was asked to go through our church and make note of ALL the nooks and crannies/ closets and hallways and compile a sort of inventory of the varieties of stuff that have collected over the years. We are going to have a “Mission Organize” day on March 17th and this is preparation for that.
But before I stop talking about the world I want to share this follow up from Avaaz.org, the group I wrote about last posting. This is what they are saying now:
“…George Bush is asking the US Congress for funds to ESCALATE his war. On 17 February Congress will sit in judgment: it’s the first concrete chance for a change of course. Congress can demand a real plan to end this conflict, they have the power. Opposition is rising in the USA and round the world. 45000 of us published our ad in a Capitol Hill paper. 90,000 of us from 198 countries joined a virtual Global Peace March: hundreds of thousands of US citizens marched for peace, we carried flags from dozens of countries and banners saying citizens around the world marched with them.”
You can still sign the petition. They have 92,168 signatures from 198 countries and are hoping to have 100,000 before Feb 17th.
Go to http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php to add your voice.
Jan 27 Protest in D.C. (or from home)
Posted by Joanna on Jan 25, 2007
Hello ~ I haven’t written here in a while. Part of me has been focussed more on war and peace than on STUFF.
I won’t go so far as to send this as an email to the folks who have signed up for Breathing Space Tips. I have only sent it to friends and family members who I KNOW are concerned about our actions in Iraq.
But since this blog is paid for by me – and my company is only me, I am going to post here the notice that I received about the “virtual” peace march which is taking place alongside the live one in DC this Saturday.
There are two actions you can take that I want to tell you about:
ONE: Join Saturday’s Global Peace March From Your Home
This Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Americans will march on Washington DC to demand peace and justice in Iraq and the Middle East. We can be there too, raising a global voice of solidarity — through our own worldwide virtual march. Time is short, so add your voice and join the march today!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php
Avaaz supporters in Washington have offered to carry real banners and placards at the US demonstration – showing how many internet marchers from all round the world are joining in. We will carry the flag of each country that generates more than 500 internet marchers, so tell your friends!
With American opposition to this war mounting, 45,000 of us from over 100 countries have already joined the call to oppose Bush’s military escalation and demand a real plan to end this war.
Can we get 75,000 – even 100,000 people from round the world to join the march before Saturday? Click here to join the march:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/global_peace_march/act.php
Join the global peace march and tell your friends today!
With hope,
Ricken, Paul, Tom, Rachel, Galit, Lee-Sean and the rest of the Ceasefire Campaign (now Avaaz.org! ) Team
PS – In an online poll last year, nearly a thousand of you helped choose a compelling new name for our global campaigning effort – www.Avaaz.org. Avaaz means “voice” or “song” in many Asian languages. The new site is up, so check it out!
________
TWO: Read the article linked below by George McGovern which gives a carefully thought out plan for leaving Iraq and then talk to others about it! It takes a bit of effort to read it but it’s worth it!
http://www.harpers.org/TheWayOutOfWar.html
Wishing you more peace — in your space and in our world. Aren’t they in reality connected – no matter what??? Joanna
On Humility from Lynn Jericho
Posted by Joanna on Dec 28, 2006
I found this article particularly helpful in regards to my own weaknesses/difficulties and wanted to share it with you. It definitely applies to difficulties with space and clutter. As Lynn says, self-judgment just adds to the difficulty. Visit www.lynnjericho.com for more of her perspective.
HUMILITY by Lynn Jericho
Humility is tonight’s contemplation.
Tonight’s quality is often misunderstood. It is humility.
Each of us is made up of a myriad of strengths and weaknesses. Each strength and each weakness creates a self-perception and a self-judgment. And these perceptions and judgments tend to distort our sense of our self-worth and self-esteem. Our thinking, feeling and willing get entangled with our strengths and weaknesses. Often our soul life ends up in a mess. Humility is the quality that begins to clear the mess.
We create the mess to hide the weaknesses. Humility allows us to honor our weaknesses. Through humility, we can be generous to ourselves and shine a good light into the dark corners of our individual humanity. We see the totality of our being and see ourselves as a whole far greater than the sum of our parts.
Humility allows us to stand strong in our own earthly (humus) being. It teaches us about our particular temperamental constitution. (The Greeks referred to the temperaments as the four humours).
Humility leads us to the core of our humanity. Sadly, so many of us think humility leads us to hate our humanity. It is only the lack of humility that makes us vulnerable to humiliation.
When something is planted in rich humus, it grows! The gift of humility is the capacity to strive towards our ideals. Our so-called weaknesses contain the greatest potential for self-esteem and inner growth.
Can you lovingly and with blessed humility make a list of your “weaknesses?” What What aspects of you are hidden with shame, guilt or neglect? Where in your complexity are you “less than?” Can you write down ten weaknesses?
Counting tonight, we have ten Holy Nights remaining. If each night in the”good light” of your own self-compassion, you innocently “wonder at” one weakness from your list you will begin to see new directions and possibilities open up. Humility is the way to both self-acceptance and self-development.
Have a meditative conversation with your weakness. Ask it questions. What are you teaching me? Why are you here? What would happen to you if I embraced your presence in my life?
Who’s in charge? You or your stuff?
Posted by Joanna on Dec 2, 2006
Looking at decluttering from another perspective.
The other day I was consulting in a beautiful old home. The room
that is used as an office for volunteer work was jam packed with stuff
from the past including a bureau filled with a grown up daughter’s
childhood items. The daughter has not lived in this home for 20 years.
I had been called in to help make that room manageable.
I found myself thinking in a sort of odd way about STUFF and it’s power to rule. So often the stuff of the past control a household despite the reality of the current needs It seems to me that at this point STUFF is in charge- perhaps even the dictator. I am not immune to this phenomenon.
So who’s in charge??? The other night for me it was the Wheat Thins.
I wasn’t the least bit hungry, had just come in from a wonderful movie “AKEELA and the Bee”, and was full of a sense of I CAN! I was focused on my goal of getting strong and healthy as I nearly skipped home from the movie.
When Bob and I decided to hang out on the sofa to read for a while, he brought along a box of Wheat Thins. I thought to myself, I’m not hungry, I won’t have any. I heard him munching but I was going to keep my promise to my future self.
It was my turn to read. Then it was Bob’s and suddenly I was munching away.
YOIKS! …when I think about it, those little crackers were now in charge.
They were telling me what action to take. I bet they felt quite victorious.
And how does this work with STUFF?
Well it’s not exactly the same but I think there is more similarity than one expects. Let’s go back to the room in discussion. Here’s a bureau with drawers that open and close nicely, filled with stuff from 20 years ago. No one uses the items in those drawers but they sit there very contentedly using space that could well be used for current supplies.
They are in charge so to speak.
Now-I’m not questioning keeping the stuff. For sure the daughter should be given the opportunity to have her say BUT- my client needs space for the work she does every day. She is dealing with all kinds of materials that need a place. I imagine the stuff saying, “Hah- I am here no matter what you need! I don’t really care about what you are trying to do. This is MY space! I’ve been here for a long time.”
Imagine your entire house. How much does the stuff in it have the final word?
Yes- truly, decluttering is about becoming the boss – about granting your work and your current priorities due importance. As in, “Hey- I believe in the work I am doing and it makes sense for me to be efficient. I have lots going on, so hey, I deserve this space. I will put this old stuff in a safe storage container. We will figure out what should happen with it soon but for now- my current work will have a good space!”
Try it out. Think about who’s in charge – you or the stuff, and see what happens.
For an excellent article on the command of stuff and it’s meaning in people’s lives see
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/conquer_clutter.html
From AARP Magazine Jan-Feb 2007.
