SIMPLICITY

This is my new top thing that I would like to achieve in my life.  I am not really sure if this a measurable goal or if it is a goal that has a definite point of accomplishment.  However, it is something that I can work on little by little, step by step.  

While packing my suitcase for Spain in January of 2012, I had a major panic attack, like I always do every single time I am packing a suit case.  I had no idea how to pack two suitcases for five months abroad.  I really had to prioritize and to pack light.  While in Spain, I got in the habit of wearing the same running clothes for days, because I never knew when my Senora would be doing laundry.  

When I arrived back in the U.S. I had another panic attack.  This time my anxiety was about the amount of clothes, shoes, and other random items that I owned.  "Why in the world do I own this much stuff?!" I asked myself.  Although it was nice to once again have a selection of clothes to choose from, I couldn't help but feel a slight longing for a more simplistic and less materialistic lifestyle, like the one that I had experience while living in Spain.  

Sadly, I am the type of person that can't sit back and enjoy downtime.  If I am not working on schoolwork, I am trying to get ahead on homework, readings, or papers that are due in the future.  On the rare occasion that I am so far ahead that I have absolutely nothing to work on, I don't know what to do with myself.  The first step that I will have to take in simplifying my life is to accept the fact that I don't have to constantly be working on school stuff.  It is OKAY to take a night off, relax, and watch How I Met Your Mother on Netflix.  

I need to be okay with not having everything perfectly planned out all of the time.
I need to be okay with a little disorganization now and then.
I need to stop and take time to enjoy the little things in life.