I’m cheap. I mean, I will use the last drop of everything before I throw it away. In fact, decluttering and throwing things away has sometimes caused physical illness for me. Anxiety and nervousness are just a few of the ways that I have felt during “clean-out” days. On Mondays, they pick up our trash. This means that on Sunday afternoon, I empty my refrigerator. It used to be a painful process as I regretted how much is wasted.
Recently, however, I have been taking a different approach. I am somewhere between thanking every single item for its service and lighting a match to the entire house. I kind of do both. Last weekend, I cleaned out my drawers. I threw away anything that had holes. My best blue jean shorts were in there. I went to grab them this week and then I remembered I threw them away. Dang-it. But, they had holes all in the inner thigh area and really needed to go away. I was irritated for about two seconds, then I realized that I now had room for new shorts. Yay!
This morning, I had another epiphany. I colored my hair using Garnier Nutrisse #100. It always comes with a bottle of conditioner. Usually, I use half the conditioner and then save the other for the next wash. Or, I save the whole thing for “later.” Only, then I forget and I end up throwing the conditioner bottles away. Today, I used the entire bottle of conditioner in the shower. Then, I tossed the bottle away and said, “Thank you for your service!” I used it as directed. My hair smells terrific (no after color fragrance) and is super soft. Plus, I have no trash for “later.”
So, the lesson is that YES! We should absolutely use things as directed and let them go afterwards! Use the lotion. Use the conditioner. Use the whatever it is- and then let it go! I’m not Marie Kondo, but I am a busy mom learning to “catch and release” clutter. I’m learning to give myself permission to acknowledge, accept, and appreciate the limited value of material things. I’m choosing to let-go so that I can attract more- more of the “stuff” that matters: joy, happiness, love, etc… Because YES!
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