I have now officially lived in my house longer than I have ever lived any one place. Going on nine years.
And the corollary of that is--we have accumulated TOO MUCH STUFF.
There was an old saying in the Army, when we were moving our family around the wold..."Three moves equals a fire." That meant that there would be damage, theft, loss, and things that just plain disappeared. Very little of my early life survives the multiple "fires" of moving.
But just like a brush fire clears undergrowth and allows new things to germinate, a move also clears junk.
And I haven't moved in a long time. I'm not a hoarder, but whoa, Nelly, I have too much stuff. The temptation is to get a place to store it.
No.
I am also conscious that with stuff, comes the noise of the mind. And that clutter needs to go away, too. My friend Maggie teaches Transcendental Meditation, which helps with the clutter of the mind--but you have to allow it to sort your internal closets for a while to release the noise.
Today I will spend some time in silence, and allow the stress to sort itself out. And I will actively clean one more cabinet, closet or shelf. Daily, until I have cleaned out some of the clutter on both levels.
What's the smallest thing you will do today to declutter?
Monday, August 5, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
What's The Smallest Thing You Will Do Today To Be Part Of The Dance?
I used to hate going to school dances. I never had the confidence I needed to really get out there and dance, and I waited for a boy to ask me. Every time.
Until I realized that I could dance by myself, and love it.
Somewhere along the line, I got self-conscious again, and stopped dancing. I bought into my father telling me that I was awkward and clumsy. I bought into people telling me I had no sense of rhythm and might as well sit on the sidelines.
What a shame. I spent a good part of my life afraid to even exercise in a group because I thought I couldn't move with any kind of grace or timing.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
My sense of rhythm may not be perfect. My dancing might look awkward, and my body may not move like a dancer's should.
But it's what I have and I am learning that the Dance is much more than just what happens on a dance floor.
The Dance (with a big D) is our party with the Universe. It is the way we are with each other, our willingness to engage or not, our extension of a hand when we ask someone to come out and play.
It is a Dance in so many ways, and the music is individual. When we can get into a line, and make it look good...hooray.
But hooray for those of us who can dance and Dance our own ways, without fear of judgment.
What's the smallest thing you will do today to Join The Dance?
Until I realized that I could dance by myself, and love it.
Somewhere along the line, I got self-conscious again, and stopped dancing. I bought into my father telling me that I was awkward and clumsy. I bought into people telling me I had no sense of rhythm and might as well sit on the sidelines.
What a shame. I spent a good part of my life afraid to even exercise in a group because I thought I couldn't move with any kind of grace or timing.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
My sense of rhythm may not be perfect. My dancing might look awkward, and my body may not move like a dancer's should.
But it's what I have and I am learning that the Dance is much more than just what happens on a dance floor.
The Dance (with a big D) is our party with the Universe. It is the way we are with each other, our willingness to engage or not, our extension of a hand when we ask someone to come out and play.
It is a Dance in so many ways, and the music is individual. When we can get into a line, and make it look good...hooray.
But hooray for those of us who can dance and Dance our own ways, without fear of judgment.
What's the smallest thing you will do today to Join The Dance?
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