My husband and I had a yard sale this weekend. I insisted that we had to have a yard sale, and he requested on more than one occasion that we “just give it away”. I had been collecting clutter and cleaning out closets for weeks. I truly don’t understand how I managed to collect all of this stuff. I’m not really a shopper, but somehow I managed to cram all of my closets and a good bit of my attic full of unnecessary things. This idea of holding on to things is a bit out of line with my philosophy of trusting the Great Maker to take care of my needs, so the yard sale was a symbolic cleansing and an acknowledgement of the unconscious accumulation of things.
I am now reading a book called Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. It is a refreshing look at parenting, because Payne counters the common belief that more toys, books and activities are good for our children. He provides ways to simplify your children’s lives so they have time and space to experience life in the moment. This simplification applys to adult lives as well. Consumerism is a vortex, pulling us out of the here and now, and sucking us into its powerful condition.
Why do we do this? Why do we continue to work harder for things we don’t really need? I am sure that there are many reasons we consume more than we need, but I truly believe it is time to simplify our lives. I just saw the Titanic this past week, and I loved it when Leonardo DiCaprio said “I have everything I need. The air in my lungs…” Really! What else is there? The Universe will provide. All of our needs are met in each moment. And when the breath is gone, then we won’t need that anymore either.
My closets are cleaned out, and my attic is empty. There is now room for movement and for the natural flow of life, time to create and energy to enjoy this moment. What a breath of fresh air.
I’m glad to star in another post.