Let go.

(alternately titled – “Spring Cleaning”)

Since it is still (technically) spring, let’s devote today’s entry to cleaning out “stuff” – tangible things you hold on to, or negative habits or thoughts you might have. I mentioned last week that I love a clean home, and it really is true. If we haven’t used an object in a year (or more!), we get rid of it. The youth at our church have a garage sale every year (it’s today and tomorrow, actually) and we get rid of at least a few boxes’ worth of stuff. Last year we moved houses and we filled an entire trailer worth of stuff to donate from our attic. That’s not even counting the stuff that we sold at a garage sale (and pocketed $1000). What were we keeping that was so important? And oh my goodness, our kids would not have wanted to clean out all this junk in our attic.

Some people think they would love to show their things from when they were little to their children or grandchildren. I love that idea, but now with digital pictures, we can take a picture of a baby romper. (The romper might get dusty or fade in color but the pictures will last.)  We can make a quilt out of those old t-shirts or a pillow out of those old baby blankets.

Why do I want to keep a bunch of things that don’t really matter in the end? Sometimes in my quest to put things away in the house (which is never-ending), I will pick up an object with the intent to carry it to the other room. What ends up happening is my arms overflow with stuff that I haven’t put away yet. I’ll walk into a room and either forget what I’m putting away or decide a new spot for the object. My mind becomes as cluttered as my attic is, with all this Stuff!

And truthfully, it feels good to get rid of clutter, junk, Stuff – tangible or not. It’s a freeing feeling that only “letting go” can give you. What can I let go of in my mind that is keeping me angry? How can I change my negative thought patterns so that I think about good things? Where are my habits dwelling?

It’s time to clean out the junk.

jenna blogs at [kevin and jenna [dot] com] and would love for you to re-read this blog post with the song “Final Countdown” stuck in your head. “dee-dee-deee-deeeee; dee-dee-de-de-deeee!!!”