Month: September 2018

Purging your personal quarters is crucial to your existence.  I know, this sounds dramatic but it is just as true.  Letting go of things that take up space for no other reason than they happen to belong to you can be harmful and can hinder your ability to grow as a person or move on toward the future.

Hanging onto items often facilitates hanging onto memories and the emotions attached to them.  Some emotions may be good; and others, not so much.  Every now and again we must sift through the accumulated contents in our environment and release some of these “vibes” in order to make room for new ones.

It may sound symbolic at face value, but it is much more than that.  Just as a song can bring you back to the moment you first heard it, or a fragrance can summon memories of a person, place or thing,..  The accumulation of items in your environment can keep you stagnant emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Give it away, give it away, give it away,… NOW!

We tend to hang onto clothing for years at a time – even when it has not fit us in years.  Clothes can be sentimental but tend to be the easiest of items to purge.  There are people out there who have no clothing, who are less fortunate, and who would appreciate the clothing you are storing for the potentially hungry moths.  If you have not worn it in a year – chances are you will not wear it any time soon, if it all.  Why not free up the space and invite the good vibes and blessings brought on by charitable contributions?

 

A few of your favorite things….

Items that were once your favorite can sometimes be upcycled or revamped.  A stud earring that lost its mate could become a pendant.  The storage trunk could double as a nice furniture piece in your den.  If  you cannot let it go, polish it up and work it into your environment.  If there is absolutely no place for it,… perhaps its place is on eBay.

Things that make you go “Boo Hoo”…

We all have an item or two that provoke tears even after all these years.  Purging these items are hardest of all.  If these items are the proverbial salt in a perpetually gaping wound, and you feel you cannot purge.  Going through these items may take time.  You may have to do it in increments.  You may also have to arrange for back up with some loved ones as you sift through these items.  Go at your own pace.  Just because you get rid of tangible items, does not mean you get rid of the memory.  If its too much to bear, you can always prepare a special place for it.  Like storage.

As the old pun goes…. the when past, the present and the future meet, it’s pretty tense!  Tense is not the kind of vibe suitable for a dwelling space.  Tense is not good for health, creativity, or personal happiness..  When our bodies are tense we get a massage – which you could pay for with the profit you make from eBay after purging the clutter.

 

 

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11-13

The Fleetwood Mac ballad Landslide is a beautiful song with existential tones and ideas that were cryptic and abstract in my understanding as I was growing up.  If I were to make a movie about the wonder years of being 30 something, this song would definitely be in the soundtrack.  It’s an illustration of the cycle of life; we should all take heed to it.

When you climb a mountain and you turn around…

If we are fortunate to have our parents with us throughout our adult life, they get to witness us come into our own.  They witness us develop into adults striving to achieve our goals caring for us, supporting us and guiding us all the way.  Somewhere amidst all that, we reach a pivotal moment where we reckon our roles become reversed.  We find that we must care for the ones who cared for us our whole lives.  We must protect them, support them and sometimes provide for them.

Can you sail through the changing ocean tides…

Often times this pivotal moment is not so obvious.  It can be gradual and inconspicuous.  Other times it can be instantaneous.  It can be brought on by a death or sudden affliction of illness like a stroke or dementia.

Can you handle the seasons of your life…

As much as we do not like to think about these situations coming to pass, they are likely and inevitable. When situations like these come to pass, it is usually without warning and without relief from the mundane duties of professional and personal life.  Finding a balance while managing time and stress can be challenging which is why it is important to think about being prepared.

Time makes you bolder, even children get older…

If you have siblings, start a dialogue of how you would manage in these scenarios so that everyone can gauge their ability to help if need be.  Talk to your significant other and extended family.  Develop a plan and an understanding among you.

The landslide will bring it down…

If you find yourself in this situation, frustrated and scared, remember that you are not the only one.  Your parent maybe feeling the same way while trying to grapple with the reality that he or she has to be dependent (or a burden) upon you, the person whose diaper he or she used to change.  It is a difficult circumstance when your mind is sharp as a tack but your body can no longer keep up and you need help to complete the simplest tasks.  Patience and understanding can go a long way to get through together.

If you feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.  There are many resources available – even if it is just to talk to someone and process your feelings.

 

REFERENCES:

Nicks, S. (1975). Landslide.
On Fleetwood Mac [record]. California: Reprise.

I took another really long break from writing.  I thought perhaps I would live a little more in real time and spend less time staring at a computer screen.  On the contrary, I became a monotonous drone living vicariously through the social media feeds of others on a variety of screens – hand held included.

By the time I realized I was in the sand trap, a year had passed and here I am, dusting the lackluster off my passion and jumping back in the saddle.  Let’s do this, shall we?