Carving

As I understand it, the essence of carving an object out of wood, marble, stone, etc. is to cut away the parts you don't need to create the object you want. I'm trying to do that with my life -- removing the things that are no longer necessary or representative of who I am or want to be.

It is much easier for me to say "goodbye" to something when I realize that it no longer reflects who I am. Many of the things I've held on to were valid parts of my life at one time. Now they need to be given away.

Some things are more easily removed than others -- shoes that always pinch when I wear them -- the itchy sweater -- the shirt that doesn't go with anything. Then there are the sentimental favorites -- a lovely nightgown -- red glitter sneakers -- an embroidered shirt.

This week I began selecting one item per day to remove from my house. When I look at things and ask myself if they reflect who I am or want to be, it makes it much easier to remove what doesn't belong.

Just as there is limited space in a box, there is limited space in my house. I once read of a person who limited themselves to a certain number of posessions. When something came in, something had to go out. That would be the ultimate way to prevent clutter, and while I'm not there yet, I'm headed in that direction.