Today's client was in a sad quiet state when I showed up. When people are buried under clutter it makes them smaller than they really are. Sometimes it seems like a plant that hasn't been watered in a long time. She had many papers stacked around and on her dining table. She told me she really likes to cook. Often people will stack up clutter around an area that really matters to them. Usually something has them feeling depressed and this is an attempt to not feel the pain.
She told me she wants to leave her job of 18 years and become a counselor. She's good at helping people through transitional states in their lives. She's been wanting to do this for five years. She was down on herself about not starting and for "procrastinating." I told her she's been incubating her idea for a while. We get ideas for things, but we often can't make them happen. They happen in their own time. She liked that idea and started feeling better.
We immediatly set to the table area. We went through piece by piece. A majority of the papers went into the recyclying bag, and also a bag for shredding. It took a good two hours. We filled up 7 bags of paper. She kept a small stack.
When we were done we stood in front of the now uncovered dining table. It shined as the afternoon sun hit it. She looked so happy and relieved. I said, "This is a good feeling you are having. That's what this is all about. You job is to make sure this stays open and clean. Again the reason is how good it's making you feel now...Letting the papers go opens up the opportunity to start in the direction of your new career. That will make you feel good too!"