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

Sunday, October 13, 2013

75: Pamphlets

After we were married, my husband and I went to the Coast Guard base in Boston so that I could register officially as his wife and receive health benefits. My father insisted on driving us over and he parked at the gate while we went inside to the second floor office. As we waited for the woman working in the ID office to set up her computer to take my picture, my husband scanned over the rack of pamphlets on her desk. He began pulling them out one-by-one saying, "I need this and this" under his breath. When I glanced over at the titles on the pamphlets and saw stress, drinking alcohol, and quit smoking I had to hold back a laugh. The woman at the desk was completely unfazed by his behavior and hardly glanced up at him as he reached for more booklets. When the computer was ready she asked me my height and weight. After, when I saw both printed clearly on the back of my ID card that I would use for the next two years to get on post and buy groceries, I regretted telling the truth about my weight. I weighed five pounds more than I would have liked to. I remember thinking then that I looked muscular and strong, but when I look back at my wedding pictures I look thin and frail.

After we left the coast guard base I made fun of him for taking all the pamphlets. I said something about him having a lot of problems. He left them behind in my bedroom before going back to Germany. I kept them because they brought a smile to my face when I recalled the day he took them. I wish he'd taken them more seriously or cared more for his health. He might have saved himself from suffering so much if he had.
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