This past weekend Nate and I did what I call Phase One of a major purge in our space. We have been blessed with a rather large apartment but the walls were starting to feel awfully closed in. Both him and I are notorious for hanging on to sentimental items- anything with a memory attached is hard to part ways with. I went through about a decade of accumulating way too many clothes/shoes/accessories and as we are transforming ourselves from the materialistic versions of ourselves the things around us just start resembling stuff.
It can really be a cathartic exercise to release the objects around us. To let go of the past to make room for the future. High School mementos that I have long forgotten the meaning of, the books from college I thought I might use again one day (ha!), the hand-me-down kitchen items that were given out of love but never used. I may have a slight case of hoarding and am just good at hiding it behind closet doors and cabinets!
As we were going through closets, drawers, bookcases, and everything in between I felt lighter. Seeing the pile for donations growing wasn't just objects but also the guilt of not using the items, the hassle of shuffling them around, the reminders of some bittersweet memories that needed released. I was recently listening to Deepak Chopra's Magical Mind, Magical Body, which, so good. Mr. Chopra touched on how we can never grasp the highest value of ourselves if we base our value on the objects around us. Things do not define us. We define us.
To see the floor of the closet was like opening a whole new space in my life for something new, a space for just being. I am excited to go through even more in the coming weekends- sometimes letting go is a little painful, but ultimately it is liberating! To see the donation center worker clearing out my car I didn't even remember each item that was boxed up and that was exhilarating!
I challenge you to try clearing a closet, a shelf, a drawer. I challenge you to banish the baggage that weighs you down! What is holding you back? Release the emotions with the items and feel that sense of freedom. Freedom is the ultimate gift and you have the power to make it happen!
Bet you will never think of Spring Cleaning the same way ;) ♥
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