My friend Jo is married to my friend Gene, who happens to be (among other things) a Lutheran pastor. Jo was recently telling me about these boxes the church Gene pastors has that hold letters for their message board. There’s a box of good letters; a box of worn, yet (note I didn’t say BUT) usable letters; and a box of really bad letters (which, I’m guessing, are no longer usable).
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that ’08 and ’09 were my years to get organized. This is my year to notice what it feels like to BE (quasi) organized.
So my conversation with Jo about these boxes of letters got me thinking about how I’m compartmentalizing these days. And not just my clothing, art supplies and canned goods, but life events. I file them away, too – the good, the bad and the ugly. Starting today I’m going to make more conscious choices about not only where I file away the stuff of my life – I’m going to change the boxes I use to store them.
Let’s take that REALLY BAD box, for example. I say if it’s REALLY BAD and NOT USABLE (i.e. – holding onto it as a reminder to not repeat it) I’m going to trash it. What good is it? Why am I holding onto it? Does revisiting the REALLY BAD and NO LONGER USEFUL help me in any way?
So my question for ya’ll is – why do we NEED a REALLY BAD box?
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I’m not sure I can get rid of my REALLY BAD box altogether. Some things just need a place to sit for a while till they get sorted out. However…..I’m going to be more diligent about emptying it.
Perhaps there’s something to learn from those really bad box. 🙂
I don’t know why we need that REALLY BAD box. I’d like to toss mine out, but it’s been my experience that even when I think I have, the stuff somehow eventually reappears. (Who keeps bringing it back? Moi?) So I gather it back up again, examine it for why it came back to me at that particular time (trying to learn, as Walter suggested). Then I stuff it back in another box, jam the lid down, and hope I can find an opportunity to try to throw it out again. Fortunately, the stuff is a little more compact each time, easier to handle. Maybe someday it will come to me light as a feather, or a handful of dust; so I can place it on my open palm, close my eyes, and blow it away with one great breath of relief…….
great plan, Jo.
i’m guessing you’re right, Walter.
i’m right there with ya, Mary Louise.
THANKS to you all for commenting!