
My stepson, Anders, drives me home and as he swings into the driveway I see my garage door is wide open its space filled by junk and collections of things, old toys, tools, bits of lumber, tires, bicycles, etc. I feel like I am about to enter the dragon's lair and be devoured by the chaos and junk. Perhaps I will never make it back to sanity and order.
It is nearly two years since we have moved here and my desires to get the garage cleaned out and organized have not yet born fruit. It is the biggest bottleneck in our home. We keep adding things to it and periodically remove some things. But the input is exceeding the output and the chaos slowly gets bigger and bigger. And the weight on my mind increases.
Why is this? One thing is that the garage has been a convenient place to put things while waiting for something to happen in life that would provide some meaningful purpose and liberate the garage to its rightful purpose in life. The garage has lost its designed purpose and become a half-way house for warm thoughts and maybes.
Maybe I can find a good use for that as it is still useful. Maybe Marianne will ride that bicycle again. Maybe I will find a use for those old electrical parts, screws, nails, hinges and paint cans. Imagine the grandchildren playing with all those old toys. And there is the possibility that all those boxes of old mouldy notes, photographs, school memories, brilliant thoughts and reflections may once again be used.
What is that old English expression, "If wishes were horses then beggars would ride."
Sometimes it is necessary to just say goodbye to old things. Nobody wants them and they really don't have a true value to us, but others can value them. So there are several practical solutions in our area. You can take them to the waste processing plant and leave them for people to sort through and take what they will. You can place a free announcement in an online sales service for "give away" items. On Saturday we placed an announcement in Finn.no and 3 hours later someone had come to the door to collect a set of used dishes, gratis, for their own use. We felt lighter afterwards and helped someone else in the process.
So there were two things we did here that got us results. The first was to decide to let go of some things that were clutter. Second, we decided to take action. These two potent elements gave us good results.
The same thing happens when we want to spring clean our thinking. You all know by now that if you change your thinking you will change your life. And the same steps apply here when you decide to let go of some thoughts and behaviours and take action to do so. The how will look after itself and is accelerated by experienced life coaching. Have you ever paid somebody to clean up for you, to paint, to repair your car etc.? Well, get some help to change your thinking and habits, and you can repair and change those old rusty habits and beliefs.
Anyway, have a wonderful Easter time and think about your personal spring cleaning, decide and take action.®
Reflect on the renewal you can do and spring into action, Bob and Marianne.