Happy New Year
This year is off to a banging good start with a bit of drama yesterday having to do with dogs and their bad behavior, and today I am already rather grouchy and it's only the afternoon! I'm determined to turn it around, though. On New Year's Eve I managed to collage a new journal-the kind I reserve for readings, homework and journeys from the medicine circle I sit in and that sort of thing. In other words, not the burning kind. Since it's a baby year as well, I like to write letters to my newbie and this journal serves as a reminder that birth is inevitably on the way. Just in case my gigantic basketball stomach wasn't enough of a clue! I'm clutching the empty thing as if it symbolizes a place for me to retreat to when the gong of demand isn't ringing off the hook, which it generally does.
A bit ago, the ever-thoughtful and inspiring Keri Smith wrote about becoming intimate for one year with a book of one's choosing and I have selected A Gift From the Sea to carry around with me everywhere. It is full, and I mean bursting, with simple no-brainer reminders of woman's need to retreat and return in order to stay filled up and ready for the giving, which we all do even if we are not mothers of small children. I carried it to the doctor's office a couple of days ago and was pleasantly reminded of how easy it is to want to stand up and shout, "Yes! That's how I feel!" but kept it down for the sake of the company. She speaks of simplifying ones life, and I suppose that is why I have always loved this book. For a woman surrounded by all of the shining "modern conveniences" 1955 had to offer, she had the reflection to notice that all of the stuff was disruptive to her soul work and her creativity. Here is a quote for any of us simplifying our closets this new year...
"One learns first of all in beach living the art of shedding;how little one can get along with, not how much. Physical shedding to begin with, which then mysteriously spreads into other fields. Clothes, first. Of course, one needs less in the sun. But one needs less anyway, one finds suddenly. One does not need a closet-full, only a small suitcase full. And what a relief it is! Less taking up and down of hems, less mending, and-best of all-less worry about what to wear. One finds one is shedding not only clothes-but vanity."
Travel always calls my attention to packing lightly. On the rest of my journey, I intend to keep my belongings meaningful and few. Every closet, cupboard, craft bin, hanging rod and corner is being purged in our home right now, as the holidays have seriously gotten in the way of my nesting. With it, I let go of fear, holding-on tendencies, sentimentality for "things", and the gross build up that comes from a life lacking in elimination when called for. This is also a great time to weed through tiresome relationships, weak financial habits, and things that don't serve my well-being. It always feels so good to clear the way for new energy and adventures to come in, doesn't it?
What are you shedding this new year?
