Lightening Up

I just held a garage sale.  The idea for this event came to me through a number of happenings in my life.  First, I attended a presentation by a feng shui practitioner who encourages people to rid themselves of 90% of their possessions.  Her question behind this suggestion is, do you own your things or do your things own you?  Upkeep and storage of items caused me to use my energy on things I didn't necessarily want to be doing.

I did not hit the 90% goal with my sale.  I aimed for 50% and hit about 20%.  But even at the 20% mark my husband and I notice a new calmness in the house.  We now have space to breathe.  Things I seldom or never used no longer take up space.  Did I really need 6 pie plates when I never bake pies?  I saved my favorite pie plate for quiche baking, but a rectangular pan would work just as well, especially with a crustless quiche.

The second catalyst for my garage sale came from reading and mulling over the book, "Life is a Verb" by Patti Digh. The book is based on the time that Digh cared for her step-father during his 37 day end-of-life experience.  It was a mere 37 days from his diagnosis to his death.  She urges people to ask themselves about the important things in their lives - what they are and how to bring them front and center.

My goal this year is to simplify.  I'm also being more thoughtful with the use of my time and energy, allocating them to the people in my life and to those things that I always meant to get around to.  Spring sunshine and 20% less things to take care of seem to be a good start for me.