Easy

With an impending blogiversary coming up here at MAO (yes, that's a real word), I get to thinking about the direction of my blog. I'm sure I'll get into that more when the time comes (April 22nd!), but for the time being, I can't help but think: What the heck AM I writing?

I enjoy blogging, of course, but when I've asked in the past what my readers would like me to do, I get one of those crickets chirping, glazed-eyed-students responses (believe me, I'm quite used to THOSE responses at school *winky wink*). Then, I ask, "No, really!" Finally, a few kind-hearted souls pat me on the back and tell me to just keep doing what I'm doing, that it's fun to read, blah-dee-blah-dee-blah. And, believe me, I do GREATLY appreciate that feedback. It's helpful in its own confidence-building way. Really! (And a low self-esteem girl like myself needs all the help she can get.)

But, when I sit back and look objectively at the whole thing, it makes me scratch my head. Mind you, the general lack of organization and all-over-the-placeness of MAO reflects the person writing it to a tee. I'm pretty hard to pin down, and my interests hop all over the place (and often change in a second...a little ADD when it comes to some stuff). It's a curse that often bums me out. Heck, 9 times out of 10 Dave and I experience a challenge trying to figure out where to go out for dinner.

And, yet, a big goal in our household is the oh so easier-said-than-done concept of "simplification." It's a noble challenge. We're actually getting closer and closer to this in the physical sense, although we've still got a way to go yet. But, mentally (ie what I'm thinking for my little chunk of the blogosphere), I'm still cluttered to the hilt.

So, surrounded by my mental pea soup, a quite simple thought presented itself, as if by internal dialogue: Easy.

Hmm. Easy, huh? Isn't that the thing that I've grown up to see as "evil"? Isn't nothing in life ever truly easy? Doesn't easy equal lazy? Yes, perhaps, maybe.

For example, growing up, we (meaning my siblings and I - but for the most part, my sister and I) performed a lot of chores on a weekly basis. Let's just say that pretty much every week, the house was newly clean. I admire my mother that her standards were/are so high. I also love the concept that "It doesn't matter how much or little money you have; your belongings can always be taken care of and clean." So, the guilt sinks in when I realize that my house hasn't been vacuumed in weeks, or that I'd never be ready for a surprise visitor at any given moment. I just can't keep up with it - so, am I being lazy? Perhaps. Can I find an easier way to clean everything (and with a more realistic timeline) so that I'm happy with the state of array AND the little time I need to spend doing it? There MUST be! Yes! There's nothing wrong with finding an "easier" way.

So, linking simplification with my new-found admiration of "easy," I'm able to at least look at the direction of the blog with a tad more clarity. Sure, I'm sure I'll still be writing all over the place (what the heck do I use for a label? Personal blog? Green living? Family life? DIY? It's none of those things...and a little piece of each of them, too), but a philosophy of not letting life whack us over the head with the HARDEST solution time after time while attempting to live a simpler life sounds like a nice starting point.

After all, one of the biggest challenges is coming down the road...and who wants to make it harder than it HAS to be? (Yes, I'm still planning on cloth diapering...why do you ask? ;-))