A Balanced Approach to Wellness!

Posts tagged ‘home’

Too much stuff

too much stuff

Stuff. Too much stuff. Yes, most of us have too much stuff.

The stuff seems necessary at first, but then it controls. The stuff controls our living because it requires the time spent thinking about each item and storage of each item for use or for keeping out of sight and the time spent deciding whether to keep each item or to dispose of it and cleaning each item and additional evaluation of each item’s stay in our possession.

The more stuff we have, the more space we need to display, organize, store, and control. Or if we can’t add more space, then the stuff fills in more and more of the empty space in our homes til we can no longer control the accumulating forest of stuff.

Emotional and sentimental feelings often cause us to keep things we don’t need or like. Societal pressure often causes us to accumulate things we don’t need or want. Feelings of deservedness often cause us to accumulate without need. Feelings of emptiness push towards buying too much to fill the unfulfilled need to belong. Each of these causes pushes towards a home that is too different from the true essence of each of the residents.

Filling our homes with things we cherish is the way to bring harmony into our living space. Even useful utensils can be cherished for their helpfulness. Keeping stuff that truly entertains or uplifts is the way to infuse our homes with balance and peacefulness. Removing the excess can bring joy!

Apartment/Flat living


(Before I start writing this post, I want to answer a question that many people ask me about the authorship of the posts. All of the information in this website, each and every word, is received from Spiritual Presence. I ask the questions that lead to the information, but the information is not from me nor from my intuition. People who know me will agree that the wisdom presented in this post is definitely not from me. I was raised to appreciate houses and not apartments. I am learning from this post just like other readers.)

In the past societies, people lived in separate homes. Depending upon population sizes, the homes were close enough for people to connect with one another when help was needed or to build communal relationships. Living was based in the homes, but environmental conditions and societal norms brought people together often. Neighbors knew one another and knew enough about each other’s lives to offer assistance. Modern living creates very different societal arrangements.

Because of air conditioning and heating, technological advances in storing and maintaining food and information (computers, TV, sound systems, etc.), and individualized and isolating transportation (private cars and vehicles), people are insulated from each other. Opportunities to connect with neighbors and nearby dwellers are few. The connections that once were easy to make are less likely to occur. Each family or individual or group of individuals is separated in a single dwelling. Connection requires special circumstances and effort. Many people never meet their neighbors and have no sense of a community. This situation is unbalancing.

Apartments/flats in a building that houses people with doorways facing each other present the opportunity to connect. Communal gardens, stairwells, halls, and other features create opportunities for meeting. Communal ownership of building resources forces communal communication. When the dwellers are the owners or are long-term renters, they tend to care more about their neighbors.

Apartment/flat dwelling is generally easier on the environment. Living alongside other people is less taxing on resources and upkeep. Combined efforts reduce time spent on decorative aspects of home ownership.

When children are raised in apartment/flat settings, there is “it takes a village to raise a child” mentality among the neighbors. If the adults are aware of their responsibility to oversee other children and the parents are aware of the great impact that interaction with other adults can have on their children, then the child-rearing can be easier on the parents, can add to the children’s sense of security, and can enrich the lives of the people not raising children themselves.

Communal interactions do not necessarily occur if the people living in apartments/flats are determined to separate themselves. The accoutrements of modern living enable people to live separately without building connections and without opening to the benefits of connected living. Awareness of the importance of involvement in the lives of neighbors can overcome the attraction of anonymous living.

Environmental conditions and societal norms no longer bring people together. Living in closer physical proximity does not bring people together; however, apartment/flat living can contribute to the sense of connected existence. For people who do not live apartmentally, extra effort must be made to connect to neighbors and community members.

People are meant to help one another and to receive from one another information, companionship, and entertainment. Interactions in person are the best forms of people-connecting. Modern living can deter in-person interactions, and determined efforts are needed to counter this effect. Living in grouped arrangements, like apartments/flats that face one another is one solution.

Things to beautify



(a picture of hair sent to Locks for Love)










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One’s countenance










Flower arrangements and other once-living lovely things

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Flowers have magical properties. They entrance us with their beauty. They captivate us with their smells. They take the focus from surrounding plants and they lure us to the green places to see them.

The magic of life is screened on flowers. Watching a flower grow is like watching a fascinating art movie. From the moment a bud starts to form til the moment the withered flower falls, interest never wanes. At each stage, the flower entrances, captivates, and holds power over us.

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So much so, that we must have them close at hand—in our homes, in our celebrations, in our personal expressions of love, and in our religious institutions.

But close at hand is not the same as being in a field. The magic begins to fade the moment the flower is cut from its stem because life is no longer flowing. The loss of magic is slow though, which is why we can enjoy them so much when they are close at hand. But their ”dying” in the vase is different from the dying on the vine. Not so captivating, not so enjoyed.

The flowers that grow in the wild provide their magical smells. The flowers grown for arrangements are grown for visual beauty, for extended life, and for more color variety. Natural flower smell is of lesser importance. Smelling flowers that have been grown for floral arrangements leaves the nose and the olfactory receptors in a state of confusion.

Dried flower arrangements are more desirable than artificial flower arrangements because the dried flowers were once alive and they maintain a sense of the live flower.

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Advice for flowers in the home

Flowers are a wonderful addition to the home. Here is the hierarchy for bringing “flower power” into your everyday life:

  1. Potted flowering plants
  2. Potted flowers
  3. Dried flower arrangements
  4. Cut flower arrangements

Enjoy the magic of flowers!

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