The more you have, the more occupied you are. The less you have, the more free you are.  – Mother Theresa

I’ve been on this paring down journey. It started with cleaning out my closet and turned into emptying out my storage unit. There is an undeniable  feeling of freedom, of lightness, and an interior spaciousness that allows more clarity. This paring down of things has absolutely led to the shedding of inner stuff, the baggage we don’t even realize we are carrying around. There are only so many old wounds, grudges, and bad feelings we can continue to hold onto and still be happy. Often we don’t realize they are there until we start cleaning house. This physical cleaning out of all the accumulated stuff that fills our lives leads to letting go of old issues we inadvertently hold onto that hinder us.

Cleaning house requires evaluating the things we own, deciding whether we’re still in love with it, or if it serves a meaningful purpose in our life. The things we own match up to our memories. Attached to each item is the story of where we got it, who gave it to us, and how it makes us feel. It’s easy to forget we live in the mix of all those feelings everyday, our possessions acting as a constant reminder. Getting rid of the things that no longer matter to us in the same way they once did has its parallel to our feelings about ourselves and the parts of our lives that may or may not resonate with who we are now. Being more conscious of this relationship helps us make thoughtful choices as to what we keep or toss. The more we let go of the things that no longer sustain or nourish us the freer we are to be authentically ourselves.

This conscious picking and choosing of what stays or goes in our lives also tells the story of how we treat our self and others, are we cluttered up with confusion or open to all possibilities. Getting rid of all the inner and outer junk creates more space to think about our priorities and what we want filling our lives. What holds deeper meaning for us often goes overlooked when we are accumulating more stuff in order to keep up with everyone else. That’s when we get lost in the façade of what’s outside instead of recognizing the startling truths that rest inside. It’s easy for the subtle meanings and connections to get lost in a culture and economy built on buying. But the idea that something external is going to make us whole is a lie. What creates wholeness are the deeper necessities of life the soul craves, ideas, love, silence, and nature. When we can work from these foundations we build a clear open space to be who we are instead of endlessly crowding our lives with things that don’t matter.

Accumulating less is absolutely a secret of life. Having less stuff frees us to be instead of endlessly do, and from the meaningless amassing that leaves us constantly chained to the feeling nothing is ever enough. When we stop the flow of stuff into our homes, we can appreciate what is already there, and also what is already inside of us. Then we can see who we are instead of being clouded by manufactured desire, artfully arranging what we already possess, our unique gifts, talents, inclinations, and our deepest desires. It’s easy to miss all of these delicate connections in the enormous diversion of buying more stuff. That’s the second part of the secret, opening our eyes and our heart to what already exists.

The most important things don’t exist outside of us, they rest within waiting to be sought. If we give back to ourselves the time we put into shopping and the work of acquiring, we’ll find the inner resources to cultivate what we love and this will change our lives. Whether it’s painting or poetry, volunteering or family, we will get back to the focal point instead of the periphery. We learn to appreciate everything more the less we have.

Here’s to spending our time and energy on what matters most.

kb