A Travel Photo Essay or De-cluttering The Stress Out Of Life

It’s day 4 of my vacation. The travel adventures with my friend have done much to de-clutter any stress I may have inadvertently packed in my carry-on.

I found a really sweet place to run.
This trail near my friend's home reminded me of running in France.

Farm machinery inspired new ideas and thoughts of my Dad,
a farmer who liked to fix things.

My friend is one of the best laughers I know and I cannot count the times my belly ached from laughing in the short 3 days we spent together. She introduced me to Zumba PIC which I thoroughly enjoyed and think is very sexy even though I felt like I had 3 left feet. It was hot and sunny, the music was loud. We danced with wild abandon. Then wolfed down a satisfying Mexican lunch in the park.

I grew up with outhouses on our farm but it's been awhile. This one looked so quaint.

I love to swing. Taking a photo while swinging is tricky.

Then I asked some Mennonite farmers who were fishing which way to the running path. One  asked “Is there a problem?” I think he thought I was running from panic or emergency, not for fun. I bet you everyone there now knows about the lost Mennonite from Vancouver. The mutual novelty society? Was I as odd to them as they to me? 

Elmira is the city of garage sales. Everyone is having one. I decided to go to one, just to see what was clutter in Elmira. Would you believe I found this 1950’s New York plate for $1. Oh the irony. I figured why not support Canadian farmers with my New York souvenir shopping. That was yesterday. Here it is on the train with me, traveling through the plate's territory.

The sun was shining, so I took my friend's convertible
 for a drive to the Mennonite bakery.

TROUBLE, but cheap trouble.

We were foodies. For the birthday dinner, I methodically and carefully made the appies,  showing off my organizing talent with lettuce leaves and sliced olives. I thought the xox message for my friend was my piece de resistance.

Then my friend and I went for a photo shoot. What a pair. The picture doesn’t show all the laughter. Let’s just say we laughed so hard there were almost accidents. I love Margy. She is one of the most beautiful souls I know. I so admire her. It’s so easy to relax and be myself, to live without guards going up. Maybe I need to de-clutter stress via vacations more often.

My tagline is “Goodbye Clutter: Making room for what matters.” This week what matters is friends.

On Mennonites and Organizing

I’m currently on a trip to New York (actually writing this on board an Amtrak train) for the annual Trustee meeting of Women Welcome Women World Wide  but first I stopped to see a best friend Margy, in Elmira, Ontario. Elmira is as small as New York is big. My friend and her family live on 9 quiet acres surrounded by Mennonite farmers. Not Mennonites like the ones in my hometown of Grunthal, Manitoba (way smaller than small Elmira) but the Old Order of Mennonites kind.

In Elmira, the Old Order Mennonites live on farms that are often off the grid, they speak a different dialect of German that I mostly understand but cannot speak, they wear black kerchiefs and plain long dresses, drive (ride?) around in black buggies, and keep themselves quite apart from the larger community. They appear to have an intensely close-knit bond within their own religious community.

Through my friend and around town, I’ve had the pleasure to meet several of the Mennonites. I love the way they talk, both their accent and the words they use, simple, slow, endearing. It fascinates me, as does their lifestyle. They seem to be industrious, hard-working, relaxed, and gracious.

With my friend, I visited the neighbours farm and was invited in to see one of the women’s workshop, where she built miniature replica tractors. Everything seemed to have a quiet sense of order. It wasn’t pristine or perfectly organized, but so much of their lifestyle seemed well-planned and thought out.

Our walk took us out past the barns, past farm machinery that felt like home, through the fields to a conservatory, with a great running path. During my run I wondered about my organizing skills and Mennonite upbringing. Have I come by my skills honestly? How much is hard work a part of my organizing? Is my cultural background a reason I am happy with simple things and believe that less is more?

On my last run, I came across Mennonite men fishing, a ‘parking lot’ of horses and buggies, stopped and spoke with a Mennonite woman named Selindra for a most rewarding chat, and then kept on running, happy with life, grateful for travel adventures, and fitting together my world of organizing with my cultural heritage.

What part of the world do you need organized? I’m happy to combine organizing and travel. Find me at www.goodbyeclutter.ca to book your home visit!