Packing Light for The New Year

I have a recurring dream in which I’ve been on a long journey and it’s time to return home. I cannot fit all my clothes, souvenirs, toiletries and trinkets into my luggage and feel utterly weighed down by my possessions. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and I’m going to miss my plane or train. I shouldn’t have brought all this stuff, I think. I’ve got seven sweaters where I only needed one!

In a recent variation of this dream terrorists were about to bomb my hotel, and while people evacuated the building I struggled to pack. As usual I’d brought too much. Not only couldn’t my stuff save me, it was holding me back, weighing me down, and in this case, jeopardizing not only my journey and my return home, but my life.

This is the kind of dream that can launch me into major spring-cleaning any time of year. I ask, What do I have that I don’t use or need? What can I clear? What’s junk and what’s treasure? How do I create space around me so I can move freely? Do I really need those old Easter baskets I used ten years ago when my daughter was little and haven’t used since? How about those moving boxes from fourteen years ago? Or, as a friend asked recently, “Do I really need ten black T-shirts?”

I tell my daughter, “When you let go of the old, you make room for the new—not only that but someone might actually use your old stuff.”

But deeper opportunities abound in space clearing, which facilitates light travel through life. Clutter busting can be done mentally and spiritually as well as physically. As you move into the New Year, try asking, What’s holding me back? Is there something I could let go of that would help me travel lighter through my life? A tangible object? A person? A habit? A fear? A behavior pattern or belief? What have I been thinking? Are limiting thoughts lurking beneath the surface? Have I been eating heavy food ? Have I removed every thread of that old I’m-not-good-enough garment from my back? Where and how can I clear, sweep, or tidy my inner, as well as outer, landscapes?

As you take down your Christmas tree and/or put away holiday decorations, consider what else you can clear, what you must store, and what you can give away. Why not begin your journey into the New Year with one light, easy-to-pack bag so you can glide through 2012 and experience all the thrills your life’s journey has to offer!
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Comments? Thoughts? Questions? Leave them here. I’d love to hear from you.

Need more motivation, information, inspiration? Check out: Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What’s Holding You Back, by Brooks Palmer