Simplifying

Bootblacking has taught me a lot. Some practical things, some just related to personal growth.

On top of the list would be that I have a greater appreciation for the things I have. Owning good quality boots, shoes, leather...and taking care of them. Ever notice at shoe stores, the shoe care shelf is in the back corner, if they even have one? Most shoes today are synthetic and don't need much care, but plenty of leather gets sold too. They just don't want you to take care of it. A few scuffs? Throw 'em away and buy new! 

Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but lately I've felt a real need to simplify my life. Not just the physical stuff around me, but my life choices, as well.

It's as if the first 50 years of my life I've been in brownian motion, snowflakes in a snow globe after it's been shaken, and the flakes are starting to settle.

This morning I skipped my gym workout yet again, because of my work schedule. And I realized my work schedule is never going to settle down enough for me to fit in the drive to and from the gym, plus the workout. Wouldn't it be better, I started thinking, to simplify my routine so I can save that $60 a month? Buy a set of weights and get my cardio through walking rather than a treadmill? 

I've also started thinking about my life goals. What do I really want to do with my life? 

I want to write, and publish, continue my freelance work, take care of my family, read a lot, be fit and healthy, and continue my bootblacking work wherever I can. 

Just like those rocket boosters that fly off the spaceship after it reaches space...anything that does not further my goals must be jettisoned from my life.