When we're emotionally stuck in one area of our home and life, it has a way of shutting down the rest of our living space. But if we take the time and honestly consider whether this thing is truly a part of our life or not, we give ourselves the opportunity to take back our space.
Last week I worked with a client whose basement made her so uncomfortable she didn't even want to go down there. So down in the basement we went!
There was a massive desk with papers, office supplies and boxes piled on top of it. Books were jammed in a bookcase. And there were amplifiers, guitars in cases, wires, and mic stands, in a pile on a square rug.
I noticed that she seemed intimidated by the bookcase. So I asked about the books. She said she wrote a lot of them, and the rest were research books she used to write her books. But she didn't want to write that particular kind of book anymore. Plus, writing them took up all her time and she had nothing left over for her music.
So I invited her to go through the books with me. Initially, it was painful for her to consider. But once we started with the first book, she was able to think clearly enough to know that she didn't want that book anymore. Then we went on to the next one. She thought about it and saw that her heart wasn't into that book either.
Thirty books gone later, she told me about a new book idea that would require much less time, and excited her. She showed me a notebook full of notes for that book. I had her put this in the space where the old books used to live. Then she told me she had some pictures and symbolic stuff that inspired her for writing this new book. I had her get them. She put these things in the space. She was practically dancing now.
Because she was now more open to seeing what didn't fit, she said she wanted to let the desk go. She bought it thinking she would use it. But she hadn't, and stuff was gathering on it. She said she would have someone pick it up later that week.
Then she started eyeing her musical equipment. So I suggested we set up her music area. We took the guitars out of their cases and plugged them into the amps. This way, they were ready for her. All she had to do was flick the switch on the amp. We also set up and plugged in the mics. She was beaming.
I got an email from her today that said, "I'm really enjoy the lack of of my old books on those shelves! It is very freeing. And am loving the music space. I'm down there every day now for some musical R&R!"