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

Thursday, August 15, 2013

59: Place Cards

When planning our wedding, my fiance and I were most concerned about preventing a fight between the guests. We wanted to just go to city hall, sign the papers, and call it official to avoid an inevitable fight. We settled on having the smallest wedding possible. With only our immediate family and two of my husband's best friends we had eleven guests at the wedding. The room where we held the reception was tiny with three round tables, room for a set of longer tables where the food was set out, and a small empty space not large enough to dance near the entrance. Despite the small number of guests, I created a seating plan to prevent discord.

I bought place cards at Target and Celtic knot stamps from Barnes and Noble. It took a while to find a font I liked and to adjust the placement of the words on the place cards. I ran test pages on regular computer paper and held the sheets up to a light against the cards. Each card received two knot stamps on either side of the name, table, and seat number. I added the date of our wedding on the back.

I went to the reception hall the morning of the wedding to set up. I'd made center pieces of glass vases with purple irises and white roses to match my bouquet.  The larger table, for my husband's family, was closest to the windows, we sat in the center of the room with the two best men, and my family's table was behind ours in a corner. Trying to determine an order that would create accord at my husband's family table was like solving a Calculus problem. I reviewed it with him over the phone while he was reintegrating in Germany to make sure I hadn't overlooked any potential problems.

My husband and I entered the reception room first after the wedding. The photographer made us pose in front of the curtained entrance. It is one of these shots that is still hanging on the wall in my parents' living room. Everyone stood by the door, hesitant to sit down. They came in and silently found their place cards after encouragement from my husband. Everyone got up after putting down their jackets to go downstairs to get a drink.

The reception was tense, silent, awkward. A fight did happen, but not at the tables. We left the reception room two hours before our allotted time was finished. I helped box up the food and center pieces while we waited for the town car to pick us up and bring us to the hotel we spent the night in. Since our guest list was so small, I had dozens of left over place cards. I saved them thinking I'd use them for our five-year anniversary second wedding or celebration. Instead, the found their way into the bottom of a box of donated goods six years after the wedding.
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