What’s holding ME back?
Buddhist
parable of the raft: A man builds
a raft to cross a river to safety and on the other side he is reluctant to
leave his fine raft , straps it on his back and carries that burden on land.
Having heard this in Thailand, I now purge my house of all
the Rafts I have been storing
for years. Rafts are the things which we have used successfully in the past but no longer use or need. so they become burdens.
The garage sale is April 6th!
I identify other categories of things to which I cling
fervently.
S.I.N. “The wages of SIN are death” But S.I.N. is not our Social Insurance
Number....S.I.N. stands for “Stuck in Nostalgia” I think about my great aunt’s nick knacks, my Mother’s dishes, boxes of slides of trips
she took, letters from her to her sister.
More boxes join the stack in the carport, waiting for April 6th.
C.R.A.P. stands for “Carefully Retained Articles
of Potential”.
These are the
things kept because someday I intend to use them in a project: the bag of knitting
wool...and patterns which are out of date;
a stack of t-shirt fronts cut in
perfect squares for a queen-sized quilt; an old microwave oven containing components which Poul planned to use for a tree destroyer to enhance our view. Some to the dump and some to the carport.
S.T.U.F.F. We all have “Stupid Things Under Foot Forever”. We are tiling and
hardwood flooring our entire house. I am
conscious of my new relationship with the “swiffer”. Under my bed I keep, not
only a pullout container for the wrapping paper and bows, but also pictures for
which I don’t have wall space , jig saw puzzles which have been made, then
replaced in their boxes. Behind the
electronics are jumbles of wires which will be difficult to keep clean. Several plants rest on the floor because my
daughter’s small apartment couldn't hold them.
Stuff!!!
P.P. Some of us worry more than others and
we have collected items and behaviors which clutter as a result of “Potential Problems” In this category are the fire
extinguishers which can be found in every room of our house. When a storm raged and I asked for a
flashlight in case of a power outage, Poul brought in five different styles
including one which would have a flashing red light on top. My roommate, during last week’s trip to San
Antonio left a soggy bathmat IN the tub....you never know if it might be
slippery.
Some things
are easy to let go. Others not so
much. I agree that there is a place for
sentimental treasures: photos of loved ones, high school year books, art
supplies used only occasionally, my book of poems, etc.
But the harder it is for me to let the other
things go, the more free and unburdened I will feel after April 6th. When the Garage Sale is over....nothing comes
back in the house. It will go to the
Goodwill or to the Dump.
What’s
holding YOU back????
