THINGS
I own things - a lot of things. If you are not a practicing minimalist, the same shoe probably fits you although the size may differ. I was reminded of my status by a visiting house guest in early December. The house was already decked for Christmas because the guests were coming. Shortly after arriving, one guest looking around remarked, “You have a lot of stuff – how do keep up with the cleaning?” I smiled – I laughed and replied, “Yes, I have a lot of stuff but what you are seeing is more than normal because it’s Christmas.” In hindsight, I did not answer his question and more than validated his statement. I have the stuff he saw and more.
True – I own a lot of stuff. However, I am not deeply attached to most of it. If something is broken, so be it. My husband and I hold things lightly.
My stuff includes forty plus houseplants. I feel obligated to care for them properly because they add to the happiness quotient of our home. Some stuff, less than it used to be, does not. After the conversation with the houseguest, I have decided to be more intentional about divesting our home of things that I might feel obligated to care for that do not contribute positively to my happiness or the atmosphere of the home. They need to be given the opportunity to live out their potential at another location.
Now what is true of material possessions is even more true of my physical, spiritual, and emotional life. And “yes, I understand that is difficult and seemingly impossible to discard or release habits and people that diminish the potential for happiness.” I also recognize that actions prompted by obligation alone are on the slippery slope of becoming distasteful and resented.
In 2024, I stopped telling myself “NO, I can’t break this habit or relieve myself of that person.” I have adopted the language of “re-storying” them.
Unhealthy relationships and habits may continue to exist, but the narrative of them can change. I can choose not to answer when I see who is calling and return the call when I am better equipped to handle. Habits may not be broken but I can choose control over them rather than being controlled by them … think handheld devices, leave it to have alone time. Re-story the relationship. Look at it through a different lens.
The photo accompanying these words is two photos taken of the same wall taken just a minute apart – one with the flash and the other without.
I am proposing that you take inventory of your obligations – things that you should do. Do they reward you with a sense of completion, joy, or happiness? If the answer is “No,” do what is necessary to make them work for, rather than against you. Sometimes that means walking away (release) and sometimes it means changing how you interact with it (re-storying).
Jeremiah 29:11
PONDER THIS THOUGHT--- Obligations should be the means to an end. They are not the end.
Comentarios