"Out of clutter, find simplicity." Albert Einstein
I received an email from a friend who was basking in her acts of de-cluttering. Over the past few days, I too, have been making plans to clean out little spots that have collected more than they need, more than they can hold. Yesterday our youngest son cleaned and organized a kitchen cabinet that had been neglected for far too long. This morning as I opened it to take down the coffee for my morning cup, I could almost feel the fresh, opening breeze blow out and over me.
There is something about these days that create a certain urgency for de-cluttering. Our house, like many, has taken on the extra 'stuff' of Christmas decorating making for a 'fuller' household than usual. With all the regular furniture, books, photos and artwork, we have added a large tree, wreaths, extra candles, garlands and much more. At some point after the Christmas celebration, this all begins to make me feel a little claustrophobic. I begin to count the days when it can all be put back in the boxes for storage until next year when I will once again long to deck our halls.
De-cluttering is most often associated with material objects, things that can be discarded into the trash or given away to someone who has need of them. But there is also the non-material de-cluttering that calls to me in these days, at the eve of a new year. There are those attitudes and opinions I have carried that have cluttered my mind with breed negativity. There are angers I have harbored allowing them to dig a deep trench in my spirit. There are habits that I have adopted that are no longer helpful, even harmful, that need to be shed to make room for better practices. Perhaps I am the only person thinking in this way today but somehow I don't think so. De-cluttering is called for not only in the stuff that has accumulated in my living space but also in my heart and my spirit. And the turning of the year is the perfect time to give them attention.
Today, on this eve of New Year's Eve, I want to sit awhile and reflect on what clutter has taken up space in my life. I want to ask myself questions like: What needs to be boxed up and discarded? What is best forgotten without a glance backward? What room can I make for what really needs to be a part of my life right now? These are my questions. I am sure you have your own.
Whatever the clutter in your life, I pray you will have the will and the courage to sort through it, making room for whatever brings you life and propels you with joy into these new days which are pure gift. So be it. Amen.