Good Karma Housekeeping
Less is more . . .
Monthly Archives: May 2009
May 31 2009

Spinnin’ Spree

by Holly

It has only been two weeks, but I think I’m ready to announce that I am in love–with my salad spinner. I know, two weeks might seem a bit premature, but I’ve made enough salads in my life to know a quality gadget when I see it. The generously sized basket, the sturdy construction, its no-slip base. And oh, lest not I forget the ergonomic pump. This baby has more giddy-up than my boyfriend’s GTI. My greens are squeaky clean, even fluffy.

Sure, I’ve waxed poetic over other kitchen gadgets before. The bread machine. The rice steamer. The popcorn popper. The ice cream maker. I’ve long since given those space hogs away (well, not the ice cream maker). But this one’s different. Salads have never tasted so good. Not to mention, perfectly dried greens don’t require as much dressing. And did I mention just how much fun it is to get the greens spinning really, really, really fast?

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Although less really is more, I do enjoy a new kitchen gadget every now and then.

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May 26 2009

And Then There Was One

by Holly

I leased my car–a 2006 Honda Civic–just days before my Grandpa Bill passed away. The car I was driving previously–a ’97 Civic–was quickly begining to show its age and each time I’d turn my key in the ignition, I’d sigh in relief. Honestly, I didn’t know how much more the old dame had in her, yet she always surprised me with one more trip, one more day. 

Still, I felt guilty making plans to lease a new car when, technically, the old one was still running–and the body wasn’t in such bad shape either. Had I given up too easily? As my grandfather lay in a hospital bed struggling to breathe on this, his last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thanksgiving Thursday–my grandmother by his side–neither one of them was ready to call it quits.

I remember driving to work that Tuesday morning before trading in my car, holding the steering wheel a bit more lovingly, offering gratitude for our safe travels into thin air. On Thanksgiving Day, with my fingertips resting on the back of my grandfather’s papery hand, I hoped that my touch expressed my appreciation for all the games of chase around the dining room table, Happy Meals, trips to Jennings Beach, soft-serve cones from Carvel, and spending money slipped into just because greeting cards.

My grandfather passed away early on Friday morning with my grandmother still by his side, exhausted from recounting the last 50+ years of their life together. In my garage sat a shiny new car, just 15 miles on the odometer. Out with the old, in with the new. I named the new car Bill, knowing he would have appreciated the pun.

So last week, when the lease on that ’06 Civic came to an end and I turned in Bill to the dealer, I couldn’t help but feel another twinge of sadness over letting go. This time, however, I wasn’t bringing home a shiny new toy. Instead, we are going to have a run at beign a one-car family, saving us money and reducing our carbon footbrint for sure. It hasn’t been very long, but Bill’s absence is starkly apparent. I’m sure my grandmother agrees.

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more–except if you’re talking about grandpas.

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May 25 2009

Putting Good Fortune into Perspective

by Holly

freshwater_pearl_necklace

I received this pretty little freshwater pearl necklace from some distant relatives when I was in–I’m guessing here–the eighth grade. Birthday? Christmas? The details are fuzzy. This branch of the family tree was sporadic in its gift giving. Not that gifts should ever be expected, but we just weren’t that close with one another, bloodlines or not. Perhaps that explains why I never developed a sentimental attachment to this necklace. Most of the jewelry I wear has a little story behind it, like Gramma Rita’s peridot ring or her lovebirds necklace. This necklace did not. After nearly 20 years of it sitting in my dresser drawer, I decided it was time to give it a new lease and connect it with someone who would feel a sense of attachment to it.

I posted it on Craigslist in the free section and explained my desire to give this piece of jewelry a story and meaning and a sense of value. My one request was to know why they were interested in my old piece of jewelry–something beyond it street value. I figured the right person would present him or herself in time.

In fact–quite a few people would have given this necklace the sense of value I was looking for. People opened up to me. It was overwhelming and heartwarming and more than a bit humbling. Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to receive a number of beautiful pieces of jewelry–both heirlooms and new pieces. I know that I’m lucky for all that I have, but this quest of connecting my old necklace with a new owner helped me see that luck and good fortune are not all about an accumulation of things.

I gave the necklace to a woman named Michelle who, quite simply, wanted it for herself. Her story was honest and personal and full of promise, hope, and goodwill. She was a hard worker with a big heart–strong on the outside, sensitive on the inside–and had been a giver her whole life. However, her interest in this necklace was not coming from a place of “it’s time for me to receive a little something.” Rather, she was on the cusp of making some healthy, positive changes in her own life–all the while dedicating herself to giving her daughter a life of abundance. This pretty piece of jewelry was a way to comemorate the woman she is–both where she has come from and where she is headed.

Being well off has little to do with money and everything to do with perspective. That’s the lesson she taught me. Finally, that little necklace has a sense of meaning. I need not have it around my neck to remember its story.

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more.

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May 18 2009

My Happy Birthday Mantra

by Holly

My happy birthday mantra, scribbled onto my tea cup so I wouldn't forget it.

Today is my birthday–my 35th birthday. And while I so easily could have fallen into the this is the year I’ll lose those 10 pounds, or drink my greens, or query the editor of this or that magazine, or dabble with retinols game of cat-and-mouse that I like to play with myself, I decided not to go that route. At least not decidedly so. I kept it simple. Instead, I took the day off from work and hit up a morning yoga class at Exhale with one of my new favorite teachers, Taryn Toomey. Breathing seemed like the right thing to aspire to.

And breathe we did.

In order to help us harness our focus this chilly and gray Monday morning, she had us incorporate a mantra into our flow–a sequence of phrases repeated over and over in our head, with each inhale and each exhale. A meditation in motion. The point being that, with repetition, our thoughts will become our reality and we can create our own positive state of happiness and well-being. A pretty good gift to myself, if I do say so.

Taryn started us out with her mantra, and then encouraged us to let it morph into whatever shape naturally occurred. Over the next 75 minutes, I fell in love with these words. So much so that I jotted them down on the only paper I had–my cup of tea–and brought it home with me.

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Making the space–both mentally and physically–to live happily ever after.

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May 12 2009

My Manifesto

by Holly

coppertone

As I was putting on my SPF 15 tinted moisturizer the other day, I was reminded of that song from a decade or so ago. You know the one I’m talking about, right? It was on the radio nonstop. The sunscreen song.

Anyway–it got me thinking: what would I include in my manifesto? Here’s what I came up with . . .

  • Read product labels–but don’t obsess.
  • Give yourself time-outs, as well as a bedtime.
  • Say thank you.
  • Use people’s names when addressing them.
  • Make eye contact.
  • Banish multitasking from your to-do list.
  • Make a gratitude list–particularly when you’re feeling blue.
  • Don’t be afraid to get in the game.
  • Be comfortable enough to sit back and watch.
  • Watch a tree on its metamorphosis through the seasons.
  • Write a personalized note in every greeting card you send.
  • Buy a refillable pen and refill it when the ink runs out.
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle. Always.
  • Visit the library.
  • Proofread your own work.
  • Know where your food comes from.
  • Smile at babies.
  • Eat mindfully.
  • Make time for an afternoon cup of tea.
  • Master a few great recipes.
  • Keep your e-mail inbox clean.
  • Make soup from scratch.
  • Set the alarm clock for the real time you want to get up. Say no to the snooze button.
  • Do yoga because it feels good–not because everybody else is doing it.
  • Shoes stay downstairs.
  • Savor every last bit.
  • Smile more often.
  • Take the time before bed to simplify your morning routine.
  • Don’t waste time envying others.
  • Declutter.
  • Take more photographs.
  • Listen to the lyrics.
  • Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.
  • Make a shopping list and stick to it.
  • Wear heirloom jewelry.
  • Burn that candle and use that soap you’ve been hanging on to.
  • Stop second-guessing–but never stop questioning.
  • Eat a rainbow of colors.
  • Build your own food pyramid.
  • Be nice to yourself.
  • Try not to eat foods your great-grandma wouldn’t recognize.
  • Say a silent farewell to the roadkill squirrels.
  • Be informed.
  • Don’t get sucked into the sensationalism of the news.
  • Don’t forward e-mail chain letters promising good luck if you pass this along to 10 friends in the next 6 minutes.
  • Google yourself every now and then.
  • Face your finances.
  • Set up a bird feeder outside a window.
  • Cook with fresh herbs.
  • Send a card just because.
  • Make your own hot chocolate mix.
  • Listen closely to your grandparents’ stories.
  • Be confident enough to go it alone.
  • Be open to companionship.
  • Take deep breaths.
  • Avoid artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors.
  • Hug someone every day. Pets count.
  • Watch the sun set.
  • Experience more sunrises.
  • Reconnect.
  • Give yourself a break.
  • Write neatly.
  • Shred your own cheese.
  • Consider the packaging when making a purchase.
  • Be open to a wide genre of music, books, and films. You never know . . .
  • Take a staycation.
  • And yes–always wear sunscreen.

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© 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Making the space–mentally and physically–to live happily ever after.

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