The balloon has gone up. The starting gun has fired. We're in labor, and FINALLY the baby is going to be born. For everyone who hasn't heard yet.........the house is sold (99% sure the deal is going to 'make'), and we will be packing up and leaving Hurst the last week of March. I've been joking with my friends who I've told about the hosue sale that this is like being pregnant. You wish for it; you work for it; you're chomping at the bit for it, BUT when it happens, it's such a shock.
That's how I'm feeling. I can't believe something we've talked about, decided to do, and planned for is finally here and it's going to happen. First, let me say that I can't believe how much 'stuff' I still have! l'm writing the blog today to avoid tearing into my office/craft/embroidery/sewing room. I really dread this room. I know that I'm going to be disgusted to find all my good intentions carefully wrapped up in plastic bags. All those clothes I planned to make. All those embroidery projects that I BROUGHT HOME FROM ENGLAND IN 2000. All that thread. All that material. What to take. What to store. What to sell or give away. I'll just have to apply my rule: How would I feel about this object if I didn't see it for five years?
My friend, Martha, is a recipent of the rule. I wanted her to have a piece of my own personally created embroidery, so I brought out all the pieces I've finished that are stacked in a drawer. (Yes, there are lots of them that most people have never even seen.) We smoothed each piece out on the dining room table, and she liked a couple. However, I knew in my heart of hearts which piece she would really love. I love it too. I loved it enough to frame it, and there are only two pieces of my own work that I've ever framed. I was struggling with selfishness. I hadn't even put the piece out for her to consider.
Then I thought of the RULE........ The piece I knew she would love would most likely wind up in storage - closed away for years. Because I thought of this piece with love, it would be so sad for it not to be enjoyed and treasured since it would be locked away in a dark storage locker. Then it was easy to let go of. Now it lives in the light. My reward will be that my dear friend, Martha, will think of me every time she passes it hanging on her wall. And knowing her, she will say a little prayer for my well-being. I learned a valuable lesson that's going to help me with the divestment of my stuff.
Everyone has possessions - sometimes they take on such magnitude in our minds that the sheer volume of them is overwhelming, or the thought of doing without them causes panic. They become a huge burden that we either hoard away, or cart around, or flaunt. Our stuff rules our lives. It's troubling to realize how much my life is ruled by the stuff I own. When the 'we're selling our big house and leaving' entered the realm of RIGHT NOW, I have rediscovered the struggle of letting go of stuff. I can feel that panic rising: "What if I need that?" "What if I might need that?" "It will cost me money to replace it, and I'll have to sell it for pennies on the dollar." Oh, lots of those kinds of thoughts start swirling around your head.
So, I've just decided to apply the RULE over the next two months. It helps put into perspective how little possessions really mean when you apply the five year rule.
Stay tuned. This is going to be an adventure!
