Sometime last week, I came across a challenge. There were four big ideas but the first ‘had me at hello’.
Get rid of 27 things in your home, every day for 9 days.
When I read this I was feeling overwhelmed and burdened by the year behind me and this challenge really made sense. (If you do the maths, you may feel the magnitude of it, be warned.)
My feeling though is that the big challenges from these last two years may need some serious shedding of some unnecessary weight.
Practically speaking, I am wanting a simpler living space that I can enjoy, and more importantly, one that is easier to sweep and tidy up. Then this line,
Don’t hold on when it is time to let go.
Without much more thinking, I decided to leap at this challenge. I started it this morning and have a pile of fourteen items I am happy to part with. With thirteen more to go, I stopped to write. It feels like this is going to be much bigger than guessed at. (I did the maths.) But more importantly, it is going to be a little more life-changing than expected. (I’m not even going to mention the spin-off of donating items you may not need to families who may very much need them.)
I few years back I did the writing exercise where you list things you have done in your life. After about fifteen things come to mind you run out of steam, but when you press on you get another fifteen and another until you get to the huge epiphany that your life has meaning and is packed with adventure and friends and good times and hard times and it is a full life.
Accumulation, it turns out, is the natural order of life as it unfolds. But sometimes, in order to make room for the next chapter, we have to learn to let go of precious heirlooms and chipped mugs and old beliefs or expired friendships.
The challenge is this, before your children go back to school, shed 27 items in your home every 9 days. Donate, share or toss old stationery, tupperware, books, clothes, broken things, almost finished things, back of the cupboard things, expired things.
Let go if it’s time to let go.
Oh, and happy new year, everyone. I hope that the space you make gets filled with new joy and love and success.
Please say hi and leave your thoughts on these ideas below in the comments. I would love to hear from you.
