The Universe provides... and decluttering

Last week I went to do some poking around at a favourite resale shop.   My intention was to find a bathing suit (or two) for my eldest daughter - - summer sees us spending a lot of time at the Beach and at the Pool, so having an extra suit is a good thing.   While I'm *so* not a shopper, I do love the treasure-finding nature of consignment shopping.  I love to see if there's anything on my Cosmic wish list that jumps out at me.

I wasn't going to browse through the books at first - if the gently sagging bookshelves in our living room are any testament, this family isn't really in need of more books.  I'm more of a library booster myself, but that day I felt drawn to take a quick look.   Literally 1 minute after mentally musing "I'd love a good feng shui book",  I spotted the spine of "Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui" on one of the top shelves.  (I know, I chuckle a bit at the irony of finding a book titled "clear your clutter" in a second-hand store - - obviously, this book spoke to it's previous owner!  ;) )   I flipped through it quickly, found it to look highly readable and concise, and popped it into my cart.   Totally not feng shui related, but another HUGE cosmic score from the day?   A pair of  J-41 Vegan shoes in excellent condition, for only $10!!  Ok, so I digress, but these are *very* squee-worthy.   I'd been restraining myself from buying a pair only a month ago, cringing a bit at the $80 price tag.  The Universe takes care of me. :)

Back to the book.

I'm now nearly finished, with only another 20 pages to go.   I felt completely inspired as I went through even the earliest chapters, and my first efforts were directed to the vanity in the main bathroom of our house.   Good GRACIOUS, did that ever have come kind of clutter-attracting magical  powers!   In less than an hour, though, I had a bag of trash ready to take out - - with old cosmetics, 1/8 full bottles of shampoo - - you know, the ones we keep "just in case" (in case of what??) - - dull razors, scads of band-aid wrappers (are my children the only ones who seem to forget where wrappers go?), old toothbrushes, etc, etc, etc.   In less than an hour I had a neat, organized bathroom vanity AND, behold, the bottom drawer now closes!   Ahhhhhhh....

Over the course of the next few days, I worked my way through the kitchen cupboards and drawers.   I tossed more than a dozen empty jars (WHY did I accumulate these, and how is it that you end up with 40 zillion lids that have no matching jar?)  , random tofutti/yogurt/margarine containers,  mugs with broken handles - - all of them, GONE.    Seriously?  It's like you can actually breathe easier - like there is more air available to your lungs - when you get rid of crap you don't love, need or use.    I then turned my focus to the living room.  Here, I enlisted the help (bribed/threatened/cajoled) of my daughters to sort through their craft corner and prune it down to things they actually love and use.    I'm not sure they started out enjoying it, but there is a certain lightness that undeniably grows on you as you shed excess.   I dare say they were rather pleased with their efforts by the end of it!  My own  desk got thoroughly decluttered and wiped down.  It's amazing how much dust accumulates around a computer monitor!   There is still some work to be done in the shelves that line our wall, but it's come a long, long way.

I am seriously riding a high from all of this decluttering.   Admittedly, I'm a person that gets downright itchy when a space is cluttery, but still I think this is the first time I've set a very focused intention on getting rid of ALL that we don't love, need or use.   It feels absolutely fantastic.  It is liberating;  it is like wiping clear a dirty window (yes, I did that too)... it's soul-enriching.

Amazing how much stuff can find it's way into our homes.  Amazing how often, when we're *really* honest with ourselves, we're keeping things out of a sense of guilt or obligation.   Letting go - - I think there is a huge link between letting go on a physical level and letting go on a mental level.  It is healthful to let go, to make room for new, wonderful experiences and lay full trust in the Universe to provide for our highest good.


To quote Karen Kingston,  Happy Clutter Clearing!


~K