The Urge to Purge and Other Meaningful Changes

After reading a recent post from fellow blogger Broadside, I felt compelled to share a similar event of my own. There was a time in my life when I too was purging for change, however mine was done unconsciously.

Several years ago after my dog passed, I moved into my very first apartment that afforded me a completely different lifestyle compared to a house. After I finished settling and had all my essentials up and running I realized, for the first time in my life, the large pile of items I’d collected over a short amount of years.

I had heaps of extra belongings that, to be honest, were nothing less than themes of completely unnecessary kitchen, bed, bath, office and travel possessions. I had boxes of accumulated items that I simply didn’t need, and worse yet, did not even use; yet I hung onto them fiercely and paid a costly amount to have these boxes moved with me. Although unable, or more truthfully, not wanting to part with my things, these boxes ended up in a storage locker where they remained, rarely touched for more than two years.

I eventually painted my apartment walls a dark olive green, furnished it with dark wood and carried my dark theme into the other rooms. At the time, I found it comforting. One day, into my third apartment year, I had an overwhelming urge to purge. I entered my storage and decided that half must go…and so it did. Some items I sold but most were given away to friends, neighbours or local places in need. A few months later another urge to purge came about and then another, until by year’s end, I found myself contently furnished with very little excess. It most certainly was about time.

At the beginning of 2008 the recession finally hit me. This was when my office job became unnecessary. Instead of sticking around to try my luck at finding another job in my city, I decided to sell everything, keeping only a few boxes of clothes and personal travel items, and head south. Six months later my entire life consisted of several boxes and a one-way ticket.

That was more than three years ago. I often look back on that time in my life and see now how everything happens for a reason. I had no idea why I suddenly began downsizing. Owning too much stuff most certainly never concerned me before. By the time I’d lost my job, I had a manageable pile left that I was able to quickly sell off, making my move that much easier.

To this day I remain unweighted by extra non-necessities. Even though I am, once again, in a house with two dogs this time and I have more room than my old apartment, I no longer have that urge to stockpile as a form of self-preservation. Instead I enjoy my comfortably furnished, yet uncluttered home.

I have moved away from the heavy dark colours of my past and left all my new walls and floors stark white. I have ceiling to floor windows at each end of my tiny main floor, which makes for an incredible air and lightness throughout my entire home. Although my furnishings remain dark, they contrast nicely against their clean, bright backdrop. My house is accented with tall greenery set in colourful pots, special travel items, books I adore and minimal wall art that I appreciate.

There is something extremely freeing about being clutter free. It is a feeling that resembles a type of weightlessness. Perhaps I finally reached a point in my life where owning a pile of extra possessions stopped representing success. Having more than one needs in the form of stuff can be a comfort in many ways, but for the most part, it is a hindrance. I enjoy the lightness of my current life. No stored boxes, no heavily painted walls and no hiding behind material success.

Ponche Navideño: Mexican Christmas Punch

There is nothing repetative about the taste and aroma of Mexican food with each recipe having as many variations as the country does cultures. It is for this reason I can never see myself getting bored of the traditional cuisine. I think I will require another lifetime combined with this one to get through all the variations of amazing food creations.

I cook Mexican food at home on a daily basis, but rarely share my great finds. I am hoping that the upcoming year will afford me more time to share some of these simple and amazing recipes. To start, here is an exciting traditional punch.  A few of the ingredients may be hard to find year round but substitutes can be made when in need.

Ponche Navideño
8 cups of water
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
1 cup tajocotes
6 guavas
1 or 2 apples
1 whole orange, juice and pulp
1 whole piloncillo cone*
2 sugar canes
1/2 cup prunes or raisins

To begin, combine water,  cinnamon, cloves and orange and allow to boil. Add tejocotes and simmer for about 5 minutes until they’re soft. Remove from pot, half, remove pits and skins. Add back into pot. Add all remaining ingredients, stir everything together and simmer for about 30 minutes. The aroma that fills your home is worth a thousand words and is definitely worth the effort it takes to make this punch – which really is not that much.

*Instead of grating the piloncillo I cheat and use granulated pearls that can be purchased in a bag- see first photo. They are the exact same product as the cone, just minus the effort and sticky hands.

Tips:

I don’t skin my fruit. I wash thoroughly, slice or half and add to the pot.

To cut back on the sugar, use half a bag of piloncillo instead of an entire cone. The fruit, piloncillo and sugar cane are heaps of sweetness.

After the punch cooled, I strained fruit from liquid and cooled over night. I then reintroduced the fruit back into the pot with a fresh 8 cups of water, fresh cinnamon sticks, half a bag of piloncillo, 5 new cloves and one new orange. I let the entire batch simmer for 30 minutes. The second batch is 99% as good as the original. It makes a great way to use the fruit again.

The fruit can be eaten with the punch in a mug and topped with cream or it can be eaten separately…also with a dollop of heavy cream. Regardless of which way you choose, enjoy this magnificent holiday punch!

Not Uptight. Only Above Average

By Marlo Heresco

Oh where does the time go? I just realized it has been more than one month since I last visited my beloved blog. Not one note, message or post whatsoever during the month of October. What does that tell ya? Okay, I agree. It tells you nothing.

In reality I just finished floating through two of the slowest writing months of the year, and oddly enough managed to earn more money during those two months than any other. Go figure. Being the squeaky wheel does pay off…literally.

These slow months had my mouse searching in all sorts of nooks and crannies that I otherwise would not have ventured into. From all this rummaging and clicking I stumbled upon a new client. How good was that find! Well, it turned out to be wonderful…so far, anyway. They weren’t hiring, nor was there even an ad encouraging such a thing, but I introduced myself all the same – a little pushy perhaps, but hey – and got a great response from, what has turned out to be, an amazing lady.

After a month of e-mail exchanges in between summer holidays and other forms of personal activity, I was eventually asked, quite out of the blue, ‘can you do this – I need it in three days’. I took that to mean I was officially part of the team. The clients and topics are quite diverse, some of which had me jumping for joy. One company in particular was a law firm I wanted to write for.

I did a bang-up job on an article meant for their international clients. The law firm’s immediate response was “this is generally quite good”…which trust me, is a compliment coming from an uptight English law firm. Even though I was awarded the job, I ended up turning it down. There is such a thing as too tightly wound.

My time yesterday was spent writing a set of articles for an affluent travel client who caters to the ‘above average income’ – as they vehemently made a point of stating. In turn, they wanted (expected?) above average material to match. Personally, I think I did a fine job. With articles submitted I am officially at the wait-and-see stage.

This week, aside from my regular clients, I will keep an eye out for a response from a marketing firm based out of New York. They have sent a brief and stated they need material to be written for their upscale clients. What is it lately with all these upscale, uptight and above average clients? This one I’m not so sure about. It has time-consuming written all over it – pay rate not to match – and we’re still trying to agree on the ever-so-important dollar figure.

One thing I’ve learned from freelance writing, especially internationally, is that more times than not the smallest clients are the best. Instead of setting goals for a high-end marketing company or international law firm – which you will inevitably provide ghostwritten material for anyway, so don’t wait around for a marquee with your name on it – your small, ever-so-faithful, consistent clients always know what they want. They are not indecisive, formal or stuffy and they always pay on time. They are clear and precise in their needs, and at the end of the day, that is where I’ve learned my time is often better invested, literally.

Desperate for English

By Marlo Heresco

Several years ago when I was a diehard Oprah fan I made my way to a local used bookstore to find One Hundred Years of Solitude. It was part of her book club suggestion back in 2004.

You may be wondering why I’m writing now about a book that was a suggested reading seven years ago. Well, I didn’t exactly rush out to buy the book back in 2004. I love books but dislike the price, at least the price of new books. By the time I got around to getting it used, it was more like 2007.

I bought it. I read it. I didn’t get it. On many occasions I’ve since seen other books by that author, Gabriel Garcia Márquez. I’ve taken notice, but that was about all. At a recent fundraising book sale, I jumped at the opportunity to buy my beloved used books in English – it’s amazing the little things you take for granted and miss once you don’t have access to them, such as a book in your native language.

For this reason I bought almost everything that was written in English. In my pile was Love in the Time of Cholera by, you guessed it, Gabriel Garcia Márquez. I bought it. I read it. I loved it! I was completely enthralled. I couldn’t put it down.

The book was fantastic. His writing is something to be aspired to. His narrative is a brilliant combination of illusion and reality that I must admit I did not appreciate the first time around. His descriptive and carefully chosen words were beyond accurate. At times I needed a dictionary. What better way to learn new words?

The sentences were structured. The paragraphs flowed. It was never too much or not enough. It was creative, captivating and spellbinding and a definite re-read…one of only two books on that list.

Perhaps it was the time in my life when I read the first book (wasn’t interested) or maybe I’ve just matured in a literature sense since One Hundred Years of Solitude. Either way I am pleased that I gave his literature another try. It would have been me who missed out had I not been desperate for an English written book.

Born in 1927, Gabriel García Márquez is a Colombian journalist turned author. He has written a multitude of books including One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. Aside from his fiction books, he has written screenplays. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1982.