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

Saturday, August 31, 2013

72: Styrofoam Coffee Cup

My boyfriend and I spent most of the first year of our relationship sitting outside in a park or on the steps of the abandoned church near my house. When the weather was bad, we'd walk to Dunkin' Donuts to buy coffees. We'd sit across from each other, sipping the steaming liquid, holding hands across the table, and gazing into each others' eyes. When he went away to basic training and later was stationed in Germany, I avoided the store we'd frequented together because being there would remind me how much I missed him.

While he was away, Dunkin' Donuts started offering more than just Hazelnut and French Vanilla flavored coffee. They had a dozen different syrups to add to any beverage. I'd treat myself sometimes to a blueberry flavored coffee and when he was home on leave, my boyfriend ordered caramel.

To advertise the new flavors, they started printing mystical messages on the sides of the Styrofoam cups. The design included information about what personality traits you had if you liked a certain flavor and who your best matches were. Blueberry was the "mystic match" for caramel. In a long-distance relationship, I took silly signs like this as indication that we were meant to be together, that things would work out and we'd be happy when we could finally live together. As the years went by, the less I listened to and looked for these "signs," the more I noticed we weren't inseparable soul mates who never worried about argument or discord.
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