I enjoyed my clutter busting trip to NYC. I have some good memories I want to share.
Someone brought a wine glass to the clutter busting workshop. It was part of a collection from a super bowl party she attended some years back. When I questioned her, a part of her seemed lost and forlorn in the remembering. I asked if she used the wine glasses anymore. There was a sadness in her no. So I mentioned it was obvious she had a good time at the party, but how she felt about the glass itself at this moment. She suddenly became present, got clarity and said, "Nothing." There was a strength and rootedness in her voice that had been missing up till then. I said all that matters is how we feel about the things in our life now. She decided to ditch the wine glasses.
One of my clients had a stack of self-help CDs on her kitchen counter. She said she hadn't touched them for two years. She wanted to leave them be. She said they weren't hurting anybody. I said we get used to things being as they are and don't notice their impact on us. I pointed out that she seemed agitated. Things that don't serve us make us restless and uncomfortable. If it's within our power to remove something that's hurting us, I recommend we take it. She reflected, and then put the CDs in the donation pile.
I had a pretty full schedule in New York and wanted to take in a play but time didn't permit it. So I let it go. Thursday night I was working with a client who had to cut the clutter busting early to take care of a family matter. So on a feeling, I hopped on a subway to Times Square. I got out and looked around at the theater marquees. The musical Hair jumped out at me. I'd liked the songs since I was a kid. There was five minutes till show time. I bought a ticket. I loved the show. At the end, audience members were allowed to come on stage and join the cast in the song, "Let the Sunshine In." I went up and sang, "Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in!"