Go Through Old Shoes

You know that one pair of shoes that just fit your feet? The ones that are scuffed with signs of hard wear. The ones that the sole flaps a little when you walk. The ones that have a permanent knot in the shoe lace because it's been there since you can remember. Those are the ones. Those are your go to and possibly your favorite. Yeah, those. They need to go.

We tend to hold on to something that is beyond repair for the sake of holding on. For the sentiment of "they're my favorite" or "I've had them forever." Shoes aren't meant to last forever. Shoes happen to be a consumable item. We wear them and when their time is done, they have to be replaced. Runners know this. Avid runners know how many miles their running shoes should have and when it's time to retire a pair, they let go and purchase a new pair for the passion. They know that running in worn out shoes isn't good for their habit of running.

So let's talk about habits. They're hard to break. On the flip side they can be hard to start, especially good-for-you habits, like eating healthy and exercise. Bad habits are so easy to start and can turn themselves into an addiction quickly. How many of us are guilty of picking up our phone first thing after waking up? How many of us are guilty of mindless scrolling of social media during our morning habit of coffee? What about while driving? At work? At lunch? At family dinner? At church? Do you see where I'm going? What once started out as an innocent click to share something funny or a cute photo of our children has now become this habit that is consuming most, if not all, of our time. It's like the old pair of shoes..."just one quick check," "oh, that's too cute not to share," "quick, let's take a selfie and post how much fun we're having!" That one little click of the icon turns into minutes and then hours of clicking and scrolling, searching and browsing.

Recently, I upgraded my phone (was it a necessity, no...did it end up saving us money on our phone bill, yes) and switching over all the stuff from my old phone was supposed to be easy - log on, sync accounts, and voila - done! Yeah, not so much. With this upgrade, I found old contacts still in my phone and apps that I don't use or need. It also made me evaluate whether or not I needed those "old shoe" apps front and center on my home screen. So here's me...tossing the old shoes (no I'm not completely ditching social media), I'm just making it harder for myself to mindlessly "just check."

Measure Twice...Cut Once

Ahh, the smell of Home Depot...where does that smell transport you? I go back to my childhood when I'd go to the hardware store with my dad. I was taken back this weekend when Jason and I walked through the automatic doors; it was like they were ushering us in.

The project: bunk beds. I've been tucking the twins in mini cribs/mini beds for almost 3 years. And each night, I've been watching their feet slowly like through the end slats. I've searched Pinterest, page after page, and then angels started singing when I laid my eyes on a link for making crib mattress size bunk beds (ahhhh!).

I mentioned my idea to Jason and he took it from there. He drew up plans and figured out how much lumber we would need using the least amount of cuts. He wanted to get the most out of the purchase and...we did!

We did make some minor adjustments to the plans in Home Depot and after all was said and done, we had 3 small, extra boards. We were able to finish the assembly of the bunk beds in an afternoon and survived our first building project together.

This project shed some light on spending habits...have we gotten so far off track that we're not even measuring at all before making a purchase? I can't tell you the number of times I've carried around and item in the store just to leave it behind because I decided I didn't need it, or the number of times I've left a store without buying anything. Crossing their consumer driven threshold doesn't legally bind you to making a purchase befor exiting.

Measuring can be going through your closet again to make a second purge or it's asking a neighbor if you can borrow the tool you need. Maybe it's doing an inventory of your bills to make sure you're using the services you're paying for, but it's also about measuring our heart for what we really need to be happy. I don't need the excess to just lay around and take up space...I don't want to have to clean around more junk! I would rather take the time to measure again just in case than make a purchase that left me wanting more and feeling less. 

I'm of the mindset of cutting the excess. How about you?