I have to admit, I am a bit of a hoarder. My mother drummed the ‘appreciate everything’ message quite firmly into my brain, which is completely fine. But this, paired with my overly sentimental nature, means that I don’t really throw anything away. Because I might need it one day. Or, because such and such gave it to me 15 years ago, and even though I haven’t seen such and such for 14 years they would be totally offended if they knew I just gave it to the brotherhood. Basically, I had a whole heap of crap around. There was so much stuff that I was actually getting to the point where I was struggling to keep it all under control. And it was making my mind feel messy.
In a spontaneous attempt to improve my life, I began to remove every item from every shelf, wipe down every shelf, and put every item either back on the shelf, into a garbage bag, or straight in the bin. I ended up with 5 garbage bags and an enormous box. Plus 2 bins full. I ignored all guilty feelings about such and such being offended, and filled my car with, what felt like, garbage bags full of memories. I shoved the bags into a charity bin as quickly as I could. As challenging as it was, when I drove away, I realised that they were not bags full of keepsakes. It was all actually junk. And I was hanging onto so much junk that was no space in my life for anything new. Somehow I feel like this might be an analogy for something quite significant. Don’t be afraid to let go of the past, perhaps? I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but all of a sudden I feel like a brand new person. I have space to think and room to move. Plus, my house looks freaking awesome.
Basic Shakshuka with feta
serves 2
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 red capsicum, diced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 4 eggs
- 80g feta
- few coriander or parsley leaves
- pita bread, to serve
- Place oil, onion and capsicum in a heavy based skillet, and gently sauté until onion is translucent.
- Add the cumin seeds and paprika, and stir for a minute.
- Add the tin of tomatoes, and with it an enormous pinch of salt. Keep over a medium to low heat .
- When the tomatoes start to reduce down and melt into a thick sauce, make 4 little wells in the pan, and crack an egg into each.
- Place a lid on the pan, and cook the eggs for about 3 minutes (or until done to your liking).
- Crumble feta over the top, and scatter with herbs.
- Spoon eggs onto a plate with pita bread.
- Season with salt and pepper, if you like.
Hi Jade. Love this post about de-cluttering your life. I agree that it can be totally therapeutic and is necessary every now and then. I have a problem in that my mother-in-law gives me many things that I often don’t need/want, often second-hand things that she’s picked up somewhere. Yet her local op-shop is also my local op-shop, so I have to make a point to drop anything she gave me at some op-shop in another suburb, and even then, she’s such an op-shopper herself that what if she finds it?! I live in constant fear of this. My own mother is the opposite…purges all items from her life every week and ends up with bare walls, bare cupboards, and a totally un-cosy vibe to the house because it’s so sparse! Funny how different we all are in our attitude to ‘stuff’. Btw I just arrived home (in China) from Japan. It was AMAZING! Thanks for the kick in the pants I needed! x
Just discovered your blog and I love it so much! really beautiful photography and awesome sounding recipes. So glad I found your corner of the internet! xo
Hi Isabel, I am so excited that you went!! I hope you loved it as much as I did. I still miss it everyday..
Also, I think it is hilarious that you live in fear that your mother-in-law will find out you have donated her gifts haha. I would be exactly the same! X
Aw thank you for such a lovely comment! I’m super chuffed!!
X Jade
This is such a great post. I also grew up with a mother who would keep things ‘because one day I’ll need it’, however she was/is a massive tomboy and pretty much limited it to the extra screws that came in flat-pack furniture boxes/bits of pipe/elastic bands/pieces of wire/wood offcuts so it didn’t rub off on me (I HATE handyman tasks! My mum owns a chainsaw and it terrifies me whenever she uses it. She’s just over 5ft!). She also hates cooking, so we’re opposites in many ways. Good on you for ‘purging’ your collection of the excess. Maybe you can talk to my mother in law and teach her the beauty of your ways (she is an actual hoarder. She’s turned the three bedrooms once occupied by my partner and his brothers into ‘craft rooms’ within what I would refer to as the ‘craft house’. You can’t turn around without getting stuck with pins or covered in material offcuts). Oh, and this shakshuka? Drool-worthy (my love for feta is undying) xx