Follow up on project 333 - simple dressing

I am now 1/3 done with my project 333...  lots has been happening since I started....  I did even more clean up of my wardrobe and changes a few pieces....  because I realized that some items were not "me" anymore...  I would either force myself to wear them or just not wear them...  and in a few occasions, they were not quite a proper fit for myself...  So I have put back my original list of 33 items.... and edited it....  I also listed the added items in a different color for ease of reading!

Here's my list:

2 black pants - one straight, one flare
2 1 velvet pants - one skinny, one wide legs - skinny ones I wore once in a year...  not worth it
1 grey corduroy - jean cut  - had already been sized down... cannot do it again...
1 red Cotton skinny pants
2 jeans - one skinny, one straight leg
1 black skirt
*1 black/electric blue/white skirt
1 burgundy pencil skirt  - loved it but does not suit my lifestyle anymore - someone can get a good use out of this one
1 tunic - wore once with the velvet skinnies... why keep it?
1 black dress with mustard flowy sleeves
2 sleeveless top (grey, mustard)
3 fancy t-shirts (beige, red, grey/navy/mustard)
1 electric blue short sleeve blouse
4 long sleeve t-shirt (2 beige, 1 black, 1 gray)
1 black long sleeve fancy top
1 green long sleeve fancy top
1 white blouse - no longer "white" enough and too short!
1 pink and purple blouse
3 2 jackets (corduroy- beige, brown, black) - just put away for the season, won't be wearing it under a winter coat
2 cardigans (grey, mustard)
1 electric blue turtleneck
so I was down to 27 items... 

* identifies the next item to go... if any... because I really do not wear this skirt so much... plus it needs dry cleaning... and it really only goes well with my electric blue blouse or turtleneck...  which I thinks look to much put together as an outfit... gotta think about this one! but I am still in the rules so I do not need to hurry up on my decision!
If you go to the Tristan website, and hit "au boulot signe Tristan" in the women collection you can find the skirt I am talking about (the girl is wearing it with an electric blue short sleeve blouse)... and on that very same page, the first top with the yellow front is my "black long sleeve fancy top" and the black dress with the mustard yellow sleeve is also there... 

I added 5 more items after getting rid of the above items:

1 LBD - a must very simple and very me!!!
1 purple dress (with fuchsia and grey imprints)
1 navy dress (with mustard yellow and beige polka dots)
1 velvet burgundy dress - b-day gift from husband - more flowy then previous burgundy dress
1 old pink fancy t-shirt

which bring my up to 32 items...  that I actually wear and feel great in....

I thought before starting Project 333 that I could not get to 33 items...  that it was not enough... well now I am down to 32.... and I actually really wear those items....  and sometimes quite frankly I still think this is too much...  I know!  Who would have taught I would say that!!!  The only thing is I really LOVE all my pieces left... and they suit me really well... and go absolutely fantastic with my lifestyle... and they mix and mathc so well!!!

Quite honestly I first thought I would do that for 3 months and that was it... I would then go back to my regular way of having too many items... the thing is, I know when next season comes up, I will keep doing it...  stick to 33 items...  or just around that!!!

Now the thing is, because I am in Montreal and winter here is really long, it is most likely that those 32 items will remain until end of Mars at least...if not April!  not end of January where my actual 3 months end... so I may not be able to follow exactly the 3 months schedule Courtney  follows but I still thing I can do this 33 items thing...

It is much easier then I anticipated...
very satisfying...
saves lots of time in the morning...
saves lots of $ not shopping...

what do you think?  will you be trying it eventually?  downsizing your wardrobe... perhaps with your own rules? 

love and peace,
nath

Thanks to the seagulls

A few weeks ago, right around the time of Sandy, Montreal got a few very very windy days... but nothing to complain about compared to how other people were hit by Sandy...

On my bus ride back home I was looking out the windows has I had just finished my book.  I love to look out the windows on any ride but on that day, it was quite something...  to see people walking in that wind...  some were pushed by it and others had to go against it...  you could see people taking this inclined forward facing position...  holding their hat or scarf so that it does not fly away...  Pretty much everyone was facing down... looking at the sidewalk... as if it could fly away!!! People at that time around public transit or walking outside are usually getting back home in a hurry to make supper or just chill out...  and they walk fast and do not seem very much relaxed but on that day it was even worse...  it seemed like they were running away from something instead of running to something!  It was very weird!

You could see the odd plastic bag or newspaper being pushed away and dance with the wind...

You could see the tree leaves flying off from the branches... this is normally when the leaves fall of the tree here in our northern country anyway...  but instead of a slow fall down on the grass (which is quite graceful), they were pushed away...  and you could see them flying up in the air, even higher then they could be found while attached to the trees.

Everything seemed to be disturbed by that wind... so powerful! The natural order of things seemed deranged... 

Everything but the seagulls!

As I looked up the sky to follow leaves that had escaped from a tree, I came across some seagulls that were letting themselves being carry by the wind...  Their wings were spread out, high in the air and they would just follow the wind...  go where it would carry them...  they looked free!!!
They were not battling against it and trying to go in any one direction...  and it was just wonderful to watch...  it looked as thus they were carried by the wind... and they did not seem to be afraid...

And it just struck me...  how they go with the flow...  they take advantage of the wind to experiment free flying.... they are free...  they have no worries... they have trust and faith.  Whereas we try to battle against everything that comes our way... even wind! How silly is that?  Why can we not be trusty like a seagull?  Why can we not just go with the flow?  And what good does it do that we go against the wind?  It is stronger than us anyway... and we can't control it... it is nature!  Why do most of us have to try and control everything?

Yoga and meditation have learned me to let go years ago...  have faith in life...  like a seagull...  but I do have moments of weaknesses...  it is not always easy...

So on that day, when I got out of the bus, I stopped...  stood still and took a deep breath looking up at the sky to look at the seagulls.... and I let the wind carry me...  it was an amazing feeling... this moment of quietness in all that business and in the middle of strong wind... my moment of peace... my own realization that life is good if you let it happen...

thanks to the seagulls for that important lesson they reminded me on that crazy Sandy day!

love and peace,
nath

Turning 40

I am turning 40 TODAY!

Now last year when I turned 39 I said that it was the last birthday I would celebrate... that no one was to wish me Happy Birthday when I would turn 40!!!  but stuff happened in between...  and honestly I am in a great place in my life.... I am happy to turn 40 now!!!

1) I have a lovely husband. We're been together for 10 years and we're clearly heading in the same direction
2) I have a lovely son! 12 years old is an amazing age... as any other age as a matter of fact... but I find he's growing into a fine young teenager...
3) My health is great - even thus 9 years ago I may have assumed the worse with the diagnosis I was faced with
4) I live the way I wanted to live - a minimalist life... in a small apartment, no car, no cluttering... 
5) I am vegetarian
6) I have great people around me
7) I just submitted my first book to be published.  One of my goal in life was to help people... this book will do just that...

Honestly I do not care so much for big accomplishment... and what other's think... but I needed to do all the changes I made over the last 5 years.... and to write this book.... I needed to do it for ME! It was very therapeutic for me...  It helped me move to another place in my life... helped me realize what is important in my current life and put aside was is not so much anymore.... as well as  be grateful for everything that happened to me... good or bad as this actually made me who I am today!

Every birthday I like to look over my shoulder and see how much further I made it in my life... not just in a matter of time...  after all it is always 365 days...  but in terms of where I stood, where I am... and where I wish to be...  and this year especially is a big step further!!!

I like to set my resolutions or goals at my birthday... not the new year...  this is how I am...

Now last year was writing my book... and I must admit it was not easy.. a roller coaster of emotions...  going over all those years where I was sick brought back much stuff...  but it helped me healed further...  Objective has been reached as I submitted it on November 11th to my publisher!

Now this year is actually launching the book... and selling it.... 

This year will be an amazing one I can feel it!!!
I deserve it!!!
and I will make it happen!!!

Holiday shopping

Hello!

the crazy, spend more than you can afford shopping season is just about to start.... it is believe that people spend roughly 700$ in Holiday shopping each year... 700$ they, most of the time, did not budget for...  700$ to impress people...  700$ more on their credit card....

I would like for us to spend that money, or much much less, on stuff that is worth it... so I have come up with rules over the last 2 Christmas seasons that I wish to share with you...  these are my own rules... you can pick and choose or just ignore them...  it's up to you!

1) Buy stuff that people will consume like food items ( home made jams or cookies for example), gift certificate to a restaurant, show tickets, gift certificate to a SPA...  this way you do not "create" more stuff that will end up in landfills... sometimes sooner than you may think or wish for!

2) Buy stuff that people need...  having something that you really need as a gift and won't have to save money to buy it is a really nice gift...  and for sure it will be used!

3) Buy local... now as I am in Canada, I like to try and buy stuff that is made in Canada... and if I cannot find, I go to the next best choice as proximity for us: made in the USA...  I try and avoid anything made in China...  for reasons I will not go over here... I have found this great website where you can by stuff made in Canada on line if you like to shop online.... http://www.buycanadianfirst.ca/  This way, you give a decent, well made quality gift and your money stays in our country!  Plus you save the environment by not having stuff shipped by airplane all around the world!  If you need an outfit for your parties and dinner, I know that Tristan and Jacob have lots of stuff made in Canada but they also have made in China so read labels...

4) Buy fair trade - often times I try and buy fair trade items....  my 2 best places to do so are Dix milles Village  or L'Heureux Boudha.  You can visit their website for more information but basically, all they sell is made in foreign country in an environmentally conscious manner and people are paid what they deserve...  no exploitation!  In the case of L'Heureux Boudha, the owner actually go to eastern country and select all the items one by one and get them shipped here in Montreal. By buying fair trade you give a gift to your love one, one to the environement and one to the poor people who hand made the item you bought. Plus it weill be unique!  OK another one might ressemble, but not 2 can be identical as they are made by hand!

Now I know those rules are not always easy to follow...  and I must admit that sometimes I don't follow all of them...  I also must admit that finding stuff not made in China is not very easy...  but I am working on it... and trying to find options whenever I can... important thing is not to beat you up over buying somtehing that does not follow your rules....  but work on them!  Improve yourself! Rembember that every little step count!

I also have a hard time following those rules with my son... he's 12 and he knows about fair trade and "China" and how buying locally makes much more senses environmentally...  but he's still 12!!!  He likes to have what his friends or kids his age have... but I am teaching him slowly and every Christmas he gets something fair trade... and he enjoys it... and quite frankly, he sometimes ask me to go to Dix milles villages because he loves the store!!! I also recently started teaching him the value of less... but appreciate what you have...  so over the last 3 Christmas he has been getting less and less  in monetary value and he understands that too...

So for children, it might not be as easy to follow the rules but if you do not wish to suddenly make them unhappy or look like the bad one who does not gives Christmas gifts (kids do compare between themselves), go slowly... introduce them to the idea and the concept...  explain.. they are quite smart and genuinely nice so they will get it eventually...

What are you doing for Christmas presents?  Any idea on how to make it different?

Amendement to my Project 333 list

I know it just started a few days ago but I need to make more changes to my list of items...  in order to get more versatility and really wear my stuff I had to put away 1 item and gave 2 items that I replace...

Gave:  skinny velvet pants and tunique - I only wore this outfit once in a year... and I do not see when I can next wear it...
Put away:  my burgundy pencil skirt... I love it but for the next 3 months I will do without... it is getting too cold anyway and I can't see myself wearing it in the bus with the upcoming weather...  we'll see at the end of January... and remember this was bought before the whole carless thing.. it may not fit my lifestyle anymore... I;ll have to see...

Replaced by:  1) a versatile LBD (little black dress) - can work for going out or work or going for coffee... 2) a mustard and white spots navy dress...  mostly for work and hanging out...  dress are fun cause it's really is just one piece to put on!!! 3) a fancy old pink t-shirt - works with my blank pants, black skirt, jeans and even over my LBD... 

so 2 pieces that were orphan and could really only go with each other, and one item that I could not see myself wearing over the next few months have given room to 3 more that I will find myself wearing over and over again!!!  That is a smart move!

love  and peace from Vancouver,
nathalie

Hello from Vancouver

Hi everyone...  I am in Vancouver writing this post... 

I left Montreal Sunday night and will be returning on Thursday... I can't wait...  This trip is for business...  not leisure...  and it was not something I was looking for... but as I always try to look at the bright side of things, I decided to take those few days out here to actually finish my book...  and I really think it's gonna happen... but I will get back to that once I return and let you know how it turned out. 

Vancouver Lion's gate bridge

 

I know most people say Vancouver is a really nice place...  and it seems really nice...  but I really do not feel like I want to venture into town...  I will spend most of my free time in my hotel room working on my book and this is just fine! I have this big project I am working on and this, to me, is more important than walking around Vancouver...  I will have other chances to do tat... hopefully with my husband! I will keep a few hours on Wednesday night to go out and walk around a little and perhaps try the sky train.

Being here made me realize a few things...  that I want to share with you guys...

1) I remember why I decided not to fly anymore years ago...  unfortunately, when I signed up for this job they forgot to tell me that I would have to go to Vancouver once... in which case I would not have taken the job but I would have missed out on a great opportunity... working for this amazing women...  and with a great team to develop soft skills (so in a way I am glad they forgot to mention it)!   So about the not flying thing, it messes up my chakras...  being so high in the air and going at such a fast speed really is not good for them!   It causes big time dehydration...  the energy in the place is really bad...  and I just really do not care much for it and do not see the point!!!  If we would have been made to withstand those conditions, we would have wings... like birds!

2) About my cie forgetting to tell me about this trip...  well everything happens for a reason... would they have not forgotten to tell, I would not have taken the job...  and developing soft skills is really in tune with my one's a Buddhist yoga teacher...  she "gets" me...  and she is making me move forward with my career as well as my spiritual life...  this is just perfect and quite honestly, I needed someone like that cause I was kind of stuck in my spiritual development not knowing how I could move it further... 

3) Being vegetarian is still not the norm!  I have been for 5 years and people around me know it and do not react to it all the time anymore... but when I am asked to go to a business dinner and asked if I have allergies or restriction to my diet and I mention that I am vegetarian I get the usual surprise look... and the habitual questions...  but do you eat fish?  is chicken OK? can you have pasta?  what exactly do you eat?  so it makes me smile... I no longer get upset by those questions... and i am happy to instruct people about vegetarianism and why I am doing that...  it's become a passion!!!

4) I am not like most people...  on top of having a plant based diet, I have many other differences with most people that when I am with my close friend of my husband I do not realize... because we talk about the same things...  I do not have a house or a car...  so anything that has to do with those 2 subject is pretty much out...  I do not do house repairs or renovations...  I do not need to pick up fallen leaves do my garden or mowed the lawn...  I do not change to winter tires... or bring my car to the garage... I do not watch much TV... so I basically have no idea what people are talking about when they discuss their TV shows...  unless they are talking about CSI... I do not shop more and I do not own much stuff...  especially nothing very expensive...  I do not have electronics or high tech stuff...
I do not listen to music very much...  unless it is for my yoga or to relax...  but it's not music you can hear on the radio...  and I do not watch the news...  especially not watch the news...  stopped doing that years ago!!!  Therefore, in a group setting, unless the discussion is about anything that has to do with vegetarian cooking, yoga, energy, health issues from a natural approach, public transit improvement, environment issues, walking or biking to places or minimalism I have got nothing to say...  I can listen...  it amuses me... I like people's compagny once in a while even thus I very much like my privacy! but I can't relate...  and I do not want to relate...  this would be going back to who I was...  I do not want to do that... I am happy with who I am...  and I don't care so much for not participating in conversation and mostly listening but some people find it odd!!! But unfortunately I cannot say something for the sake of saying something...  I am a minimalist... even when it comes to talking... I choose my words...

In summary, this escape into the "real world" made me realize that I am happy with my current life...  much more then I thought at first... that I do not want to go back... and that I do not want to pretend that I am someone I am not just to be part of a group...  people have to accept me for who I am... and I really think they do (most of them anyway)  Even thus I sometime get the feeling that I destabilize them, but that is actually good.  Every time I made a huge step forward in my life, it was because someone was there to kick me in the right place and destabilize me!!!

This trip, up to now, has been very enlightening and made me realize that the choices I made years or months ago are still valid for me...  it is very important to question yourself and sometimes you need "help" to provoke the questioning...

"Never look back unless you are planning to go that way" Henry David Thoreau

love and peace from Vancouver,
Nathalie