“There is nothing wrong with having a great enthusiasm for something other people don’t know or understand. Your joy is your own.” – Nanea Hoffman

Things that have made me inordinately happy as of late:

Pug mugs.

Sunrises.

Dried lilies.

Non-conformists.

Serious naps.

And cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning.

While most people wouldn’t find joy in spending a vacation cleaning the house, it’s made me really happy. For the past several days, I’ve worked on our house — I mean worked. Lots of pitching, purging, rearranging, cleansing. I have a long way to go, but it’s a really good start. I think for the first time on record, I got our Christmas tree down and it’s not even January. I feel the need to start the new year fresh. Lighter. Less stuff. I don’t really have a New Year’s resolution. I don’t feel like making one. But I am minimizing — getting rid of what we don’t need and scrutinizing new purchases. We simply have too much stuff. And we don’t need it. If it isn’t useful or if it doesn’t bring joy, it’s going.

Here’s to a lighter 2017.