The 50% Challenge
Husband has challenged me to get rid of approximately 50% of my belongings over the next year. I have A LOT of stuff. A boatload. A shit ton. I’m not an actual hoarder but I’d say I have tendencies… Like having trouble getting rid of things for fear of needing them one day. Not garbage or old food or cats. Nothing like that, mind you. But art supplies… Or things that could be made into art. I also have too many clothes and shoes… Yeah, I’m pretty bad. So. 50%.
#simplify #minimalism #50%challenge
Well damn, I feel like shit. When you find out you’re a peripheral things are slammed into perspective for you. I’m tired. I’ve got more age on me than most of my friends, if you can call them that. I just want to escape and start somewhere fresh. Just drive away in the night as I close all of my social media channels. Then disappear. No forwarding address. Radio silence. I’m probably feeling sorry for myself. But that’s okay, I’m allowed because I never allow it. I heard a thud this morning and I went outside and there was a fledgling cardinal laying on the sidewalk. Should hit our window in the front, and was breathing hard but still alive. I picked her up and held her soft warm body cupped gently in my hand. She was breathing hard, I tried to offer her water case that would help somehow. She eventually righted herself and sort of nestled into my hand and I just left her there and sort of had her very delicately and waited and her little I looked up at me and I felt my connection to her, to all of life. I even took a picture of her because I was so hopeful. But after about 3 or 4 minutes her breathing started to get harder and she thrashed around a little bit in my hand, in pain, I held her and loved her. And then she tucked her head into my hand and died. Just like that she died. I held her for another 10 minutes probably as I felt the warmth go out of her body. So, I gathered some beautiful twigs and flowers from my yard and I placed her gently between two large leaves and I buried her under our fig tree. But I carry a profound sadness for her unlived life, and probably always will.
