It’s the first blog of the month again, so you know the drill. We’re trying to incorporate a little change from my book, Finding Your Inner Moose, into our life each month, hoping it becomes habit. Our aim? Livin’ the good life, of course!
July just flew by, didn’t it? We’re already on Chapter Eight, “I Can’t Die Today (Because If Anyone Saw the State of My House, I’d Die)”. In other words, we’re talkin’ declutterin’ folks: declutterin’ your house and your mind.
The moose sheds its antlers every fall, and grows new ones in the spring. So all winter long, the moose doesn’t have any antlers. This makes it easier for him to forage for food. You know, come February, when the pickins are slim, those antlers could get stuck on things, and that could be downright dangerous. So losin’ them is a real advantage. Still, after months of wearin’ that massive tiara on his head, it must feel kind of vulnerable. The thing is, the new antlers grow back bigger and better. How cool is that? And fast, too: up to an inch a day. All they have to do is make it through the winter, and come spring, things turn around for ‘em in a major way.
We can certainly learn a lot from the moose on this one. I love this idea, and know it to be true. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, unable to see the forest for the trees, decluttering will put things on an even keel again. Clean your house, a room, a drawer. How about a mental house cleaning? Get it out of your head and onto a list, then you can nick things off it. Look at the folks you’re hanging around with. Do they support you, energize you? If not, let ‘em go. Look at any area of your life that’s feelin’ logy. If you want something new, you gotta make room for it.
That said, the period between letting go and receiving can be a little uncomfortable, at best, or a real bitch if the change you’re tryin’ to make is a big one. Hang in there. The right thing isn’t always the easy thing. And things may not move along on your timeline. But trust me on this, declutterin’ will get the energy movin’.
Hindsight’s 20/20. Lookin’ back at your life, were you ever faced with a major declutterin’ dilemma? How’d it turn out? Have you ever said, What did I see in that guy? How come I stuck with him as long as I did? Have you ever had your heart set on a new house that didn’t work out? Finally, you realize it just wasn’t mean to be, so you let it go and bam, find the perfect place. You and your spouse are still sayin’ to each other, “Thank God we didn’t buy that house!”
I remember takin’ a couple of bags of clothes to Goodwill a few years back. I even got rid of some favorites I’d been hangin’ onto, hoping I’d fit into ‘em again. This is a nice lookin’ dress, I thought, still in good shape. It deserves to be worn. To be honest, I felt a little queasy when I dropped the bags off. But a few weeks later, I went shoppin’ at Macy’s and found amazin’ deals on a few great outfits. And when I see these new clothes hangin’ in my closet, I feel happy. Not like a failure, which is how seeing the old ones made me feel. By declutterin’, I changed how I feel when I open my closet door.
Is there something in your life that’s served its purpose, but you’re still holding onto it? Could be a thing, a person, a group, a way of doin’ something, a way of looking at something. Shed those antlers, baby! And trust that something bigger and better is on its way, ‘cause it is!
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
IDA’S PODCAST: Declutterin’
Comin’ Up This Summer
August 16: I Married an Alien!, Deertrees Theatre, 7:30pm, Harrison, ME
August 17: Islandport Authorfest, Book Signing with John Ford and Mark Ricketts, Kittery Trading Post, 11:00am-2:00pm, Kittery, ME
August 22: Ida: Woman Who Runs With the Moose!, ACT ONE Festival 2013, 2:00pm & 8:00pm, Portsmouth, NH
August 29: I Married an Alien!, ACT ONE Festival 2013, 2:00pm & 8:00pm, Portsmouth, NH
For details, please check out the schedule page on my website: http://www.idaswebsite.com/schedule