Stop Making Space for New

I donated two big bags of clothes to ThredUP, and now I find myself torn. What happens when you stop making space for new things? I guess that is one way hoarders get into the problems they find themselves in. Because they stop getting rid of things but keep buying and collecting.

I have two closets, lucky me! I live in an old house that was built in 1916 (or so) and the closets aren’t as fancy or stylish as modern ones are. They are just regular closets which jet out from the house. On the back of my home you can see an area that sticks out, and that is where the closets are. Nearly all the homes on my block have them.

Both closets are pretty jammed with stuff. In my bedroom closet, I store bags of blankets, hats and lingerie bags in the bottom of the closet. And then there are the clothes. Lots of them! In the sewing room closet, clothes are crammed in. And the bottom is filled with nearly all the art I have made in the last ten years, along with sewing supplies and other miscellaneous stuff.

So I ponder this…what happens when you stop making space for new? Can you live with the things you have right now, or alter them and mend them to make them last for years to come?

Joseph Goldstein teaches something the Buddha taught. Stop craving sense pleasure, stop craving to be somebody special, stop chasing desire. Then you will know the joy of the present moment as it really is. I’ve been thinking about those things a lot lately!

Coming up in January I am beginning a personal challenge! I tried it a couple of times before, and failed. But this time I feel prepared to go the distance! And it starts with not chasing desire. It starts with stopping craving new things. And really tuning in to the abundance I already have!