Health and Harmony

In some ways my quest to simplify has really been beneficial and has continued forward despite my health concerns. In others it has stalled. I suppose all of my attempts, whether they have been followed through to fruition or not have been beneficial in some way. For example, Project 333 helped me really cull through my clothes and make my closet more useful. It not only holds my clothes, but serves as a changing area. I scoffed when we moved in and someone said it was a walk in closet, but if used properly, it is in fact a tiny walk in closet. I haven't measured it, but I would guesstimate it is about 3 by 2.5 feet which allows one to hang plenty of clothes, so by simplifying my wardrobe I actually had room to move my 2 small dressers in there, and by putting a cushion on one I created a nice place to sit and change clothes without small animals underfoot. Much safer. If one were claustrophobic maybe it would be a problem, but it has worked out nicely for me.

Since I haven't been going out much other than to doctor's offices I haven't had many occasions to wear my dressier clothes. But yesterday I went ahead and wore some nice slacks with a shirt that used to be too tight to button closed, and which now apparently I fit in quite nicely. Sadly, I could only find one of my slip on shoes that matched the outfit and didn't feel up to putting on shoes I would need to bend over to tie, so I ended up wearing slip on vans which totally did not match the outfit. I only went to the lab for allergy blood tests and to pick up "homework" from the G.I. doc to make sure we got rid of the bacteria I'd been fighting off. And no one seemed to notice the garish toon covered vans next to the dress slacks LOL. Sort of a fun wardrobe mishap that made me chuckle but apparently slipped by anyone else's notice. I only mention it now because I'm thinking about project 333 and how I have or have not followed through and been enriched by trying it. I have not yet gotten a full length mirror in my tiny walk in closet, so I haven't managed to take pictures of the various outfits I come up with from the 33 clothing items, and I think a few pieces of clothing that I had put in the donation pile somehow snuck back into my closet. I have 2 people who help me wash and put away clothing, so sometimes that happens. I also chose too many warm clothes for this time of year. I started the project when it was still cool sometimes, and now it is 97 degrees at night. So I probably should have started the project when it was warmer. That way I would have chosen more shorts. As it is, I don't wear a large portion of my clothing (suits, dress slacks, dress shirts, a few long sleeved pull overs) and don't think my 3 pairs of shorts would be enough if I were going out of the house more often, but since I'm not it's working just fine.

My bedroom still needs work, but it is coming along as well. The large empty dresser which was collecting stuff has now been moved into Nick's room where he is making use of it. Really looks a bit empty right now as the only furniture is my alter, a phone/printer stand, and my hammock, but Patch asked what I wanted for my birthday and I said help finishing the organizing and setting up of my room. Hopefully she will go for that. I would like to build and set up shelves and a fold away desk along the wall which used to have the large dresser, and I plan to make some sort of decoration incorporating some shallow shelves and hiding a stable grab bar or two next to the hammock to help me safely get up and out.

So a bit of cleaning and organizing needed in the bedroom that I haven't been feeling up to doing, but hopefully as we figure out what is going on with my health I will get back to a place where I can do some tidying up on my own, and hopefully people will take me seriously when I say I want help finishing my bedroom mods for my birthday. Looks like I'll have to postpone the trip to California for my birthday tho. It's just over a week away and I'm definitely not in a place to be getting on an airplane. Plus my mom is rightfully worried that she would feed me something wrong and put me in the hospital or worse. Since I don't even know yet what I can safely eat or be around, how is she supposed to know?  Maybe in August I can escape some of the heat here and get time at a beach.

I had my upper endoscopy and spent a few days dragging and sore afterwards. My throat is still sore, but my gut was feeling a bit better. He said that he saw no signs of EoE but my stomach and the bit after my stomach were inflamed and he took biopsies of some particularly angry looking areas. He noted that there seemed to be an overproduction of acid in my stomach, and prescribed Prilosec. This means in the morning I take my thyroid medicine, then wait an hour, take Prilosec, then wait a half hour, take my allegra and I can eat. I've been eating mostly rice. Rice porridge in the morning and rice with a bit of pork butt or pork ribs later in the day.

I watched a beautiful. french movie called Romantics Anonymous which I recommend if you like subtitles and romantic awkwardness. I think there was something missing in the translation, literally. I suspect some of the English words used in the subtitles were not quite what it would have been had I been watching in it's native French, but the visuals were beautiful. Down side, it made me crave chocolate and I decided to eat some of the lovely dark chocolate I had in the cupboard. My stomach did not like that. I am not sure if it was an allergic reaction or just an upset stomach reaction, but lots of bloating, belching, and nausea ensued. I'm still paying for it today. So no chocolate for at least a month. I think I will give the rest of the dark chocolate to Patch, and find some gluten free friends who want some of my gluten free chocolate chips and other things I have in the house that I shouldn't be eating. I think chocolate is one of the most difficult things for me to give up.

Overall it has been easier than expected to avoid foods. The first couple weeks were a real challenge, but I have gotten used to mostly eating rice and pork with the occasional other thing thrown in to test it out. It's a very slow process, and I'm not even going as slow as I would be if waiting for the allergist to tell me specifically what to try. She would have me trying one thing a month. But since she told me it was OK to eat things I don't THINK trigger me, those are the things I am testing about once a week with time in between to recover. So far the only thing I think I've found which doesn't cause a reaction is olive oil. And I"m not 100% sure about that because I do notice some symptoms on days I use olive oil which it may be causing but they're things like acidic taste/feeling in my mouth which may not be allergies but could simply be acid re-flux for all I know. So for now, I've been avoiding olive oil while I recover from the upper endoscopy. I may try it again when my stomach settles down.

The new medicine schedule is a bit annoying and so far means I end up not eating breakfast till around noon since I get up at 9:30 and forget to take the prilosec an hour after the thyroid meds. By the time I've remembered and taken all the meds in the right order and apart from each other my stomach is sore and rumbling but all I can tolerate is some mild rice porridge. Luckily I have created a fast an easy way to make some by blending rice milk and rice from the fridge and then adding some salt and sometimes a bit of sugar after heating it in the microwave (we prepare a cup of rice or more in the rice cooker daily so there is some left over in the morning) I know it's not the healthiest thing to eat, but it's all my stomach seems able to handle in the morning and the only thing i can tolerate without allergies right now. Hopefully soon we will sort something more nutritious out. It turns out the nutrient replacement drink my allergist usually prescribes has coconut in it, which I'm mildly allergic to. She said I could try it, but I'm not so sure that is a good idea. Her office said there is no alternative which I know is not true. I definitely need to talk to a nutritionist because my current set of doctors seems to think it's perfectly fine to subsist on rice and pork forever. How this doesn't concern them is beyond us. I know people who have gotten scurvy from not enough vitamin C, so at the very least I know that I need to find a way to take Vitamin C that doesn't trigger my citrus allergies and I'm not even a doctor. How this isn't worrisome to them is beyond me and makes me question whether they actually have any interest in making their patients healthy. It has been very frustrating to say the least. Hopefully we will find some solutions soon.

Project 333 and Me

Sean-Michael Experiencing the Joy of Organizing

The last few weeks have been emotionally rough (see previous 3 posts) but many good things have been happening during this challenging time. For one thing, it has forced me to really be certain to take care of myself by and make time for cleaning, organizing, reading, relaxing, time with loved ones, time with friends, and times away from the computer/meetings/etc. A major part of that has been about cleaning, organizing, and slimming down the wardrobe for Project 333 which I started on April first.  If you don't know about project 333, check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/Project333 and if you're interested in trying it out yourself, check this out: http://theproject333.com/capsule/ but in the mean time I hope this brief write up of my last 2 weeks experiences around 333 will help.

2 Small Dressers, one with a pillow on top as a changing seat

After starting Project 333, I noticed that my wardrobe seemed to multiply on it's own. Almost as if by magic, clothes would show up in drawers I had intended to no longer use. People were giving me clothing, or moving clothes that I had put in the goodwill pile back into my dresser thinking that they were helping me out. I was starting to really stress out about it when a dear friend contacted me and offered to come over and help me clean and organize my bedroom. IT WAS WONDERFUL! Together we tackled a room with many piles that had just been dumped somewhere when arriving home tired, and had become overwhelming. We also tackled a closet that was littered with plastic bags full of yarn, art projects, clothes that needed to be donated, etc. He vacuumed my closet for me after helping me pick up the floor. We emptied my large dresser, moved 2 smaller dressers into my closet which were previously tucked away in a part of my room, got rid of any pajamas, underwear, socks, work out clothes, and swim trunks I no longer wear, and put the rest in the newly cleaned closet. They are now organized by type and color.  He said that he enjoyed doing it so much, he hoped I would invite him back again the next week, so I did with gratitude. And all day after he left I kept going in for a few minutes here and there and further organizing things.  Each time someone new came home, I told them all about it and took them for a tour of my small but organized closet which suddenly felt huge, beautiful, welcoming, peaceful and wonderful! Now maybe it sounds odd to wax on about a closet. It's where we store things, not a place to relax and unwind after all. But I found the whole process freeing.

Hanging Shirts 

Also, I have found that my original clothing choices for the 3 months was unrealistic. I wasn't thinking ahead for the summer, and it is already getting hot here in Phoenix. I had chosen to keep some clothes that really didn't match anything I owned, so I chose to give those and some overly warm clothes to goodwill, and bought a couple of light weight polos. I am normally not a big polo kind of guy, but there are some meetings I'm attending these days which are casual but professional and I really felt inappropriately dressed at some.

Previously I only had one pair of slacks, 2 pairs of jeans, and one pair of shorts. But I can only wear jeans on a rare occasion here, and slacks and shorts are appropriate many more times. Two of those pairs of jeans were size 44, so I passed that on to someone else and kept the one pair I really liked anyway, which are size 42. The one pair of slacks was old and starting to look raggedy, but I wasn't feeling like paying for new ones when I am losing weight so consistently and would probably not fit in them soon. Then I accidentally sat in paint. Yes, turpentine MIGHT have fixed the problem, but it also would probably have eaten holes in the already thread bare slacks. And when there are only 33 items of clothing in my closet, I find myself wanting them to be 33 items of clothing that I can wear and feel I present myself in a manner that is pleasing to me. I don't want to look "tore up" just because I'm living simply.

Hanging cloth shelves with shorts and work out clothes

So we headed to the Men's Warehouse in Ahwatukee where I had bought my 2 suits which were now about 10 sizes too large. They said that they could not completely fix the suits without breaking them down and basically recutting them, but they could do a quick and dirty altering for me since I am still losing so much weight, and that's what we went with. While there, Carlie found me a pair of slacks on sale for only 20 dollars, and the store manager gave me another pair for free! Plus we found 2 polos for each of us which were on the clearance rack, and I took my slacks that were too large in to be altered as well since once you have paid to have something  altered at the Men's Warehouse future alterations are free. I came home with a really nice new pair of shorts, another on order (buy one get one 1/2 off) and the polos, and the rest of the clothing we left there to be hemmed or altered. So soon I will have two suit coats and matching pants that at least do not look like clown clothes, 2 dress pants, 3 dress shirts, 3 pairs of slacks, 2 polos, several button down shirts, 3 belts, and 2 pairs of suspenders hanging in my closet. I also now have 2 pairs of military pants, 3 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of jeans, 8 tshirts, 3 hats, and 6 pairs of shoes and boots. This does not count my pajamas, underwear, socks, work out clothes, or the uniform I sometimes wear as a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. I think that's everything, but we will see for sure when the clothes are finished washing and then I will post a final picture and count.

Squeakers claims the military pants

I hope you enjoyed these pictures, and this account of my Project 333 adventures so far. I will start to take a photo a day of my outfits which will be posted @GettysPhoto on Instagram with #Project333, and once a week I will create a photo which shows a week of outfits which I will post to Facebook every Sunday when I'm working on my blog.  I encourage you to do the same if you are simplifying your wardrobe, I've found it inspiring to look at others pictures and see what they went about doing.

Since this is my first time doing the project I have been lenient with myself about the "rules" after all, this is about simplifying, not about creating more random rules to follow. I also have allowed myself to shift and change what the 33 items of clothing are as I live in them and realize what i am needing more of or less of min my life. It has helped me to clarify how I am presenting myself, and honestly makes picking out an outfit a much simpler and more enjoyable process! I have been getting compliments about my clothes, and that makes me feel that I am at least slightly fashionable in the clothes that I chose to keep. Being the fabulous man I am on the inside, it is nice to know others think I look good on the outside. And more importantly, I enjoy feeling dressed sharply and not having to dig through piles of clothes I don't really get much use out of, but which now, someone else can!

Do you have a method of simplifying your clothing? What is it and how does it work out for you? 
Stay tuned for that final #Project333 update picture which I will post later today.

The Simplicity of THIS Moment

ILY Photo for Carlie

Lately I have been dealing with anxiety. Worries about the future, pain from the past, fear of what MIGHT happen. I don't want to live my life based on those. I had planned to write about this yesterday but then became distracted while spending time with Patch. There must be a balance between focusing on the moment, and being able to make plans, schedule things, dream dreams, etc. Maybe this week is about finding that balance. Maybe I have been focusing too far into the future and need to refocus on the present moment. It certainly is simpler to live in the moment and usually less stressful or at least something doable. I can't change the past or future, but I can do something about right now.

Today I can send Carlie a message that I love her and a photo of me in the hat she left at home by mistake to make her smile. I can stretch and work out, make good decisions about what I eat, and clean my room. Tomorrow will have to take care of itself for now. Maybe a week of taking things one step at a time, one decision at a time will help me feel more focused and get things done. Not that I will stop dreaming and making plans, but simply that I will savor the moments I am having now. I believe it will help me focus on what is most important to me. I'll let you know how it goes in my next entry.

One in, Two Out (and other simplifying decisions)

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." -- Buddha

If you have read my blog before, you know that I am reading and enjoying a book by Tammy Strobel, "You Can Buy Happiness, And It's Cheap" Previous to reading this book I got involved with my local community through volunteering and helping to run facebook groups specific to Laveen, AZ. I also got myself an electric push motor and a recumbent trike in an effort to improve my health and independent mobility, got solar panels on our home, and moved into a smaller room to do a test run  for eventual tiny home living. I also have started learning aquaponics, built my first aquaponics system, and started eating healthier and learning where to get affordable healthy food in my area. More recently I started loom knitting, making green smoothies which I love, and working out to continue towards my goals of health, simplicity and peace full living.

I often think that the next step is tiny living, but really, there are still so many things I can do to improve my life and the way I interact with the world around me right now, in this place, in this moment. As I continue to read Tammy Strobel's book, I am inspired to take further steps in my current situation to make small, or sometimes more sweeping larger steps to change my current situation, and not just dream of living more sustainably some day. What are you doing today to live simply?

So I wrote down a list of commitments to myself. Some of these are new things I have already started, and some are brand new. Most are due to suggestions of "micro actions" in Tammy's book, which I am reading bit by bit, because I am applying the things that I take away from it, and sometimes need more time to work on something before I can move on in the book.

The list of commitments to myself boils down to this:
Make time in my schedule for things that bring me health, peace and joy
Eat healthy, whole foods
Use the one in, two out rule
Organize, Organize, Organize!
Change Consumption Practices

On that last one, I listed several questions to ask myself, which I feel will help me become less consumption oriented, and happier with my life. Here are the questions I plan to ask myself when I am wanting to buy something, and hopefully my loved ones will help me stick to my desire to simplify:
Is this a need, or a want? (sometimes fulfilling a desire is just as important as needs, but not usually)
Do I already have one that works? If so, do we really need to replace it?
Is buying this thing worth getting rid of 2 other things?
Is there another, cheaper, better, more sustainable way to fulfill this need or want?
Can I wait/put off buying this and add it to a gift list instead?
When people ask what I want for a gift, tell them useful things and/or experiential things such as concerts, shows I want to see, classes I want or need to take, gift subscriptions to food delivery clubs, and the like.

There are also things I am considering committing to such as giving myself a certain amount of time from the first impulse to buy something until I make a decision. (like 30 days, 2 weeks, or whatever) This would help me eliminate impulse buying, which I believe is a bit of a problem in my life. I have taken steps in the past to move away from impulse buying, but I still find it happening. For now, the above list of commitments is my definite plan, and as time moves on I am sure I will refine it.

Have you made similar commitments to yourself? If so, I would love to hear which ones have worked for you.

Organizing and Reducing Clutter

Today I attended a meeting online about tiny home organization. I got some great ideas about how to get my life simplified by organizing and reducing my stuff. Others also found it helpful to reduce clothing first. I did this already, but need to reduce even further. Somehow some of the clothes I gave to someone else in the house crept back into my room. They look the same, they're just several sizes too big for me. Plus I have noticed there are clothes I almost never wear, so I think I am going to use the hanger method. This means I will turn all the hangers around facing one way, then when I wear clothes, they will go back onto the hangers facing the other way. At the end of February I will have an idea of the clothes I don't wear. I will still keep some of the dress clothes I only wear for certain occasions, but I suspect there are shoes, hats, and other shirts I can get rid of. Plus I obviously have too many shorts so I'll be going through that drawer.

Another thought that was shared which I really liked was that there are lots of reasons we hang onto stuff. Sometimes it is because of an emotional attachment we give to that item, other times it is because of something we do not want to let go of which that stuff is somehow tied to. I do tend to associate memories and emotions with things. It made me realize that there are some things which I have no use for but have not gotten rid of. I have been working on being present and focusing on the moment, but some of the stuff I've held onto has memories attached to it. Maybe some of it has emotions which I have avoided facing by holding onto the stuff. So letting the things go, may help me deal with things I've avoided. We will see, but I thought it was a thought worth looking into. As people talked, I recommitted to my goal to do a practice run on tiny living by using my 10 x 13 room as a dry run for my tiny home of the future.

Carlie and I talked about how my hammock could be used as a hammock chair during the day. Great idea! Might try creating something similar in my room in the mean time. Definitely will have to plan the build correctly for my hammock to have supports to hang from. We also discussed the feasibility of building a tiny home with storage below it and a guest bed under a trap door in the floor. Looks like I'll need to find someone with know how to talk to about this build before it's done.

I will be sure to post the event page before the next time there is a Tiny House Chat instead of just writing my thoughts up afterwards, as it is definitely an event I'd recommend you "attend" by listening in and/or watching the chat room.