Simplify

My younger son, Nathan, is, thankfully, an orderly boy. It took him a long time answering his Kumon sheets on his diagnostic entrance because he wanted to make sure the numbers were well-written. He insists that his pencils are sharpened before we do home-school, and cleans his table squeaky clean before and after working. It is really an easy task to teach and manage him. Recently, he piped in, "Mom! We have to 5S our home!" I had just heard about 5S from my husband who, explained to me that it is a system that puts order in an environment so that everything is in place and that there is a place for everything.

I have begun, at my younger son's cue, to simplify my home and, one by one, remove clutter. Moreover, I resolved to simplify my life on a bigger scale, and weed out the inessentials, if one could call it that. Sometimes, I tend to think that everything is important. When I review my day before I turn the final lights off, I realize that 40% could have been trashed.

I haven't figured out what 5S means in detail. But, it has helped me dramatically. Perhaps now, I will have the time to stop and smell the flowers on the way to the ice cream store.