I woke up this morning excited about the opportunity to sit with my journal and my cup of coffee.  After writing only a few sentences in my journal, I was reminded that things just don’t always work out according to my plans.  I have spent a lot of time alone with my thoughts over the last month or so which has given me control over my schedule and the things I choose to do in my free time.

I have been constantly changing my priority list and talking to friends and family about the things that I own.  More specifically, we have been talking about why I still own some of the things and what it will take for me to decide to get rid of other things.  As difficult as it has been for me to separate from things that remind me of special people and special moments in my life, I have spent most of the day tossing things in one of a few piles: trash, the YoungLife yard sale donations, children of people at work, and the things that I plan to keep and use.

I found that it helps to have someone unattached to my stuff help my sift through it and just take things from me that I couldn’t justify keeping.  Maybe my people were just tougher than the average crowd because I kept hearing them say “just throw it away” and “do you really need that?”  If I gave an eye shift or a deep sigh, they would shake their heads and shame me into relinquishing my tight grip on the thing or they would just take the thing and pitch it into one of the piles of things not to remain with me.  I began to think that the people I call friends and family enjoyed seeing me suffer.

Although I did complain a lot, I enjoyed looking through all of the boxes.  Each box or plastic container was associated with a story.  Most of the stories made me laugh.  The laugher made me search for a platform that would welcome the story behind the things.  After a day of taking pictures of things that I found entertaining and sending them to family and friends for review, I literally did some heavy lifting.  We moved furniture,  packed and unpacked my car several times, and found a sitter for Swaggy.  Now, I am exhausted, and determined.  I am exhausted because my life has been tiring.  Yet, I am determined to work through this stuff in order to remove the clutter from my life and create a quiet space for me to enjoy.  Hopefully, next weekend when I wake up early and sit down to write I will be inspired by the fresh, well-organized space that this sifting enabled me to create.

As fast as life moves for most of us, there is a need to slow down, breathe, and de-clutter.  I hope that my audience will find time to slow down and do a little purging too.  Cleaning and purging is not limited to spring so I hope that you will examine the things that box you out of having the ability to enjoy your space.  I have embraced a new perspective about my stuff and how much and what kinds of stuff I really need.    It hasn’t been easy, but I am thankful for the process.  Paring down means getting down to the basics.   We all need to remember that simplicity is a cousin of peace.  Simplicity means less drama and confusion and therefore, more peace.  I wish simplicity and peace to you.