So, I figure that I am a really lucky person, and, if you have time to spare reading this, you probably are too! That is, I can afford the occasional fancy latte and lunch or dinner out with friends. There is no immediate threat to my or my family’s physical safety, I have food in the refrigerator, and a doctor I can drive to if I have a problem. Educational opportunities are accessible and plentiful. Clean water comes from the taps and I have the freedom to pursue happiness however I define it and any or no faith.But since this isn’t true throughout the world, the topic today is giving back.One of the organizations I’d like to highlight is Dining for Women.

Dining for Women is a charitable giving circle devoted to helping women and girls in the most impoverished countries in the world. We meet monthly for a pot luck dinner and contribute whatever we can afford, suggested at what you’d otherwise spend on a night out with the girls. Each month, a different charity supporting women & girls around the globe is featured. We talk, share, eat, drink, learn and give. It is a lovely thing.

If you want to attend one of our dinners, let me know at ellen@elevatedlifestyle.com. Meetings will be posted on this blog. To learn more about Dining for Women, find a chapter near you or start one, go to www.diningforwomen.org.

Our chapter is also interested in supporting local organizations – perhaps some Dining for Detroit. Stay tuned.

Thanks.

Labor day weekend we spent clearing out a lot of invasive species and brush from our property. As a result, we opened up vistas, gave desirable plants more room to grow and breathe, and got a refreshing dose of outdoor exercise. It was time well spent. We all agreed we should have done it ten years ago, but I guess we weren’t ready and were focused on other things. It was a perfect end-of-summer day to be working outdoors. There was no humidity, temps in the high 60′s and dappled sunlight – one of those magical days heralding the close of summer and the advent of autumn.

So what does this have to do with organizing? After a discussion with a friend who was musing about the transitional nature of Fall, I realized that our clearing and cleaning of our land is similar to the clearing out and cleaning of our other environments.  If there is too much stuff in your space, whatever space that may be, or the semi-important and not at all important are jumbled together with the very important, it can be really difficult to function well. Just like the trees and plants outside, if there isn’t enough space around them and they are competing too much for sun and nutrients, nothing thrives. It seems that can be true for our interior environments as well.  Not only do living organisms outside get stressed, so too do those who live indoors amid the clutter of unwanted things.

Maybe you can think of the things in your home that do not help you and your family thrive as the inside invasive species. Whatever they may be, and however they got in the house, we’re talking things like junk mail, kids’ party favors, presents or inheritances you don’t particularly adore, stuff you no longer use, wear, or projects you will never do, they can rob the sunlight (energy) from the important things. They steal resources/nutrients – you have to house them, move them around, clean them, worry about what to do with them, feel guilty you’re are not using, liking, or finishing them, make decisions, or not, (it’s stressful either way) about them. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Make a date with yourself to get rid of some of these space invaders. You will feel so glad you did, and everything that you really want and need to stay will breathe better too.

Back outside, things look so different now, like a whole new and much larger world. We are suddenly noticing many beautiful trees whose forms were being crowded out and blocked by the clutter of the invaders. We still need to do a ton of work out there, but already the prospect of what this new landscape can become has brought us great joy and anticipation. A landscape guru, Deborah Silver, says Fall is a wonderful time to plant.  So clear out some debris, take a deep breath, and make room for new and wonderful things to come.

Welcome to elevate your life, llc. I’m Ellen Letourneau and I am delighted to enter into a conversation with you.  We will always strive to live up to the promise and spirit of the company’s name.

el·e·vate defined

to move or raise to a higher place or position; lift up.

to raise to a higher intellectual or spiritual level.

to raise the spirits; put in high spirits.

This forum’s mission is to help you simplify & bring order to your life, lift your spirits, and engage in an on-going conversation about what it means to elevate our lives.  We will explore the practical, like taming an unruly closet, and the philosophical, such as the impact  simplifying our lives has on our own personal environment and the world at large. We hope to learn from each other while having a bit of fun along the way.

Here will be a place to share our thoughts & advice, as well as favorite people, places & things. It will also be a place to communicate up coming events. So stay tuned. We’d love to hear from you.

Best to you and yours,

Ellen