Mmmmmmmm chocolate

Today I have seriously pigged out on chocolate and now I have a chocolate overload headache. Lol totally my own fault but it was a good idea at the time.

We are just coming into peak engraving time as expected. It appears in Christchurch winter sports are far more popular than summer when it comes to participants. and the clubs are well organised in the sense that they have been in and chosen their trophies. If only they would come and give me the names to go on them all then I would relax a little. I have boxes lined up everywhere with trophies ready to go - all they need is my part of the job done but I cannot do it until I have the names. On the positive side I am managing to keep on top of all the jobs I have names for which is good. I am wondering however what next week will bring in terms of stress. This week chocolate is really working to help me chill out, wonder how long that works? Might have to plan a bit more exercise to combat the effects of all this consumption.

And on another form of consumption I picked up a new book from the library today. It's called Voluntary Simplicity and my understanding is that it is a book about voluntarily simplifying your life especially by reducing consumption and consumerism. Interestingly the librarian looked at the title when I picked it up and commented that it was something she just couldn't understand. I tried to explain that it's something I am really interested in, reducing the clutter and the need for stuff that keeps us tied to debt in any way shape or form. She commented that she had done simplicity once and never again.

Further discussion revealed that her simplicity was "involuntary" and I guess there in lies the difference. She was referring to living with four young children on a single income and said she would never chose to do simplicity again. It got me to thinking how much easier it is to give things up voluntarily - surely wanting to make life different is nicer and easier than being forced to make sacrifices. And for me it's about the bigger picture - I want a simple debt free lifestyle and mortgage free is in my mind the best way for me to achieve that. By ridding myself of the mortgage a huge stress will be lifted from my day to day life so to me sacrifice and voluntary simplicity is worthwhile. And that's before you take into account any environmental factors as a result of less consumerism.