It's been one month since I finished seminary and my internship at the hospital. Granted there has been a lot of holiday celebrations in there, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly a month can go by. I was hoping to have a job by now, and no job yet, but lots of applications out. We think we have an apartment, but we haven't signed the lease officially so I sit now surrounded by moving boxes (empty I might add). As soon as I pack the first box it becomes official, the moving process has begun.
... I have been busy though going through all the stuff I don't want to pack. The things that I must part with at this stage of my journey. Some things will be donated, and many papers have been recycled or shredded (8 garbage bags full). How did I get so much stuff? Most of the things I've kept "because I want to remember or have that resource." That equates to a lot of paper moving.
I find it easier to get rid of objects and clothing than words/notes/writings. I think this is because the notes from that training or this class represent an experience that cannot be replicated. ... but I am realizing that by holding on to the past and letting it fill my space I have no room for future opportunities (literally and figuratively). My arms and file drawers are already full. I need to create space for new things to grow. ...and these experiences are a part of who I am now, part of who I am today. They will never be more valuable than they were in their very creation.
My husband and are moving next weekend (we hope) so we've been eating our way out literally. Eating to empty our fridge, freezer and pantry. Strangest ingredient to work with has been coconut. Our solution? Oatmeal cookies (without eggs because we ate them Monday). It's been fun to get creative and lighten our load. And our fridge has never looked better, I am glad to look inside and see just the essentials.
So how to I get down to just the essentials in other areas before moving? I'll have to pray about that one, but separating need from want is something I want and need to be better about. With no income in sight and while we are living on savings, counting every dollar for what we need is important. In 2013, I changed my spending habits, only buying what I really needed for work, etc. and am proud to say I also had fewer impulse buys. Our consumer society markets everything at us and many at a "great deal." But I have learned the hard way that spending the money on what you did not need is actually a lose-lose situation. For you end up paying more for it, by paying for more storage in a bigger apartment etc. Thus, downsizing can be a good and healthy process.
I'm done buying what I don't need, and now I want to be free from the things I no longer need, which can be a harder process. But I trust it will lead to more freedom for our future. With that freedom, I want to enjoy the space to keep creating and encouraging others be the creative beings we were all designed to be from the start.
Want to join me? What are you going to make space for in 2014?
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