Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The freedom of letting go

Not long ago I read about a woman whose house burned to the ground, reducing everything she owned to ashes. At the time, of course, she was devastated. Later, however, she realized how freeing it was to have fewer possessions. Now ten years later, she decided it was time to experience that feeling of freedom again since her house has become cluttered with possessions.

Her solution? Each day for a year she's committed to letting go of at least 10 things. She's giving them away or throwing them, depending on the condition of the item. Her comment at this point? "I honestly get a little rush from getting rid of stuff," she says, adding that "it's energizing."

This made me take another look at my own possessions. Slowly, I have been decreasing the clutter, giving items to Goodwill or my church's rummage sale—or just tossing what really isn't worth even giving away. But there's still plenty here.

It's also made me think about the inner clutter. What old baggage am I holding onto? What anger and resentments need letting go? There really is a freedom in decluttering both our inner and our outer lives. And any time is a good time to do so.

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