I have learned that there are some physical things that help inspire a peace by allowing me to manage what I have well. "What I have" may be limited time, limited money or limited energy but physical things that help manage these better, are things worth having.
I have spoken about a few of these things, calling them "Less Stressed Tools" ...a few of those are my Car Bucket, my Study Bag, and my Haan Steam Mop. These physical things help me decrease stress in different ways but all help me to order my world a bit better.
One of the others is my Large Utility Tote, by ThirtyOne. This tote helps relieve stress that is created when I take three busy boys to the grocery store. I place my Large Utility Tote in the top portion of my grocery cart, and fill it with groceries as I shop. When I get to the checkout, instead of juggling kids, groceries and coupons I simply pull out my tote and place it directly on the conveyer belt. As the cashier rings up my groceries, she empties the groceries. By the time its time to bag them up, the bagger can place them directly back into the tote. My Large Utility Totes makes for an easy transfer to the car and the house.
My laptop also is a physical thing that helps me manage my tasks, and thus my level of stress better. Being able to take my laptop wherever I need to write, check emails, look up homeschool resources, or follow an online recipe that I am too lazy to print. It also helps me manage my budget, my home business and keep in touch with my far away family on a regular basis.
Project Life is another physical thing that has much potential for peaceful inspiration. Project Life is a physical thing that represents things far from physical ..namely memories, family, friends and allows me to recount all the reasons I have to be thankful. Read about Project Life here.
Another ThirtyOne product that inspires peaceful management of my home is my Square Utility Tote. This little guy has 1000 uses, but the way I find myself using it the most is at the library! The library is an essential part of any homeschool and ours is no different. It is often a stressful chore, however with an 18month old trying to escape and his brothers piling books up like their candy! I have found that I can carry the max number of books our card will allow with ONE arm using this tote! It has made this chore MUCH less stressful for me :)
Oh, and I almost forgot ..my BINDERS ..these are some of my favorites. Read about them here! I love them!
Certainly physical things aren't the source peace. Peace can only be found with the Spirit indwelling in our hearts. I believe, though that God has blessed us with the ability to create and enjoy physical things that add to the joy we get to experience on a more spiritual level.
Thank you for letting me share some of mine ...I would LOVE to hear some of yours!
I mentioned my crock pot and Thirty One bags in an earlier comment. My big notebook and my planner are biggies, too. My notebook is where I basically write all my spiritual thoughts for the year. Writing is so helpful to me as a way to process what I'm thinking. And my planner is basically a second brain:).
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I just purchased a large storage box from Thirty One and put it in between the two front seats in my van. WOW! What a difference a little organization in the van will do for me!
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