24 Things: April 2013

Finding Freedom From Fixtures

After recently taking a workshop with Marylee Fairbanks (http://maryleefairbanks.com/) I have decided to begin my own "24 Things" challenge (http://maryleefairbanks.com/24-things/). The rules are simple: each day for 24 days you let go of something that has been cluttering up your house, something that no longer serves you, objects that will be better suited at a yard sale, donation box, or in a trash barrel. During the 24 day release, one should only purchase necessities-- food, medical care, etc. All other material desires should be added to an ongoing list. If you are able to remember the items on your list at the end of the 24 days, then you are free to purchase them, otherwise they are likely to have been unimportant. According to Marylee, "The clutter in our house reflects the clutter in our hearts." Are we clinging to mementos of past relationships? Unwanted gifts that we were too polite to turn away? Clothes that haven't fit for years? Objects that no longer reflect who we are currently in this ever-changing body and mind of ours? Are the things we surround ourselves with keeping us rooted in the past, preventing us from blossoming into the future? In order to invite abundance into our lives, we must eliminate the unnecessary clutter that surrounds us.

Although Marylee recommends four cycles, corresponding to the four seasons, of 24 Things each year, the timing of her most recent workshop and the significance of this period in my own life could not have been better. I will be beginning my solitary 24 Things today, April 29th exactly one year after my (ex) husband told me he was moving out. In exactly 24 days I will turn 28 years old. I cannot think of a better way to mark the end of a year of transformation and to usher in another year of abundance, love, and gratitude for this life that constantly challenges and inspires me.

"One good thing to remember when clearing out is this: If you have an object that makes the past feel more important than the future then you should let it go. The past is gone. Your present is all that need be nourished." ~Marylee Fairbanks

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Day 1: Dried Roses

These seemingly innocuous roses have been hanging on the wall in my kitchen for years. Immediately opposite both the entry door to my apartment and the seat at my kitchen table that I use most often, they greet me as I enter my home and serve as the idle, eyes-glazed-over gazing point of early morning or late afternoon meals. Initially, I hung these three roses against the wall to break up the monotonous prison-like wallpaper pattern (perhaps a summer project for my next foray with 24 Things.)

When I first heard of 24 Things, I immediately thought of the spare room of gym equipment that my ex left behind when he made his final exit. I have come to realize that although the gym is the largest, most conspicuous reminder of the past, there are smaller, more meaningful reminders scattered all over my apartment. Things that I just couldn't bring myself to box up or discard when he first left.

After removing the roses from the wall, my initial reaction was to fill the void with something else. I did a quick inventory of picture frames and other wall-worthy paraphernalia in less obvious places. It occurred to me that the whole point of 24 Things is the letting go-- not the immediate replacement of unnecessary possessions. With this realization, I felt a sense of relief gazing at the empty wall space left after the soon-to-be-forgotten flowers found their way to the trash barrel to be buried beneath dinner scraps.