Burn Baby Burn

I tend to start my posts off with a question. I want to not only reach readers but, engage them as well. I'm not trying to sit here and tell everyone what I'm doing all the time. Just as I do things I get curious to know if I'm the only one that thinks that way or if others out there think like me. Which leads me to my question.....

Have you ever gone through a break up, divorce, lost job, essentially any 'life changing' event and started spring cleaning? I typically "spring clean" twice a year, everyone once in a while I'll get a third round in there, not often. My kids birthdays are in the summer so I tend to 'spring clean' sometime after the Christmas holidays and again just before their birthdays. Neither time of year is ever actually 'spring'. The last couple of years though I haven't. I haven't felt like it and I haven't wanted to deal with it.

All of that is irrelevant I suppose. My real question is that in your spring cleaning do you ever start a 'burn' pile? Some of you may not live in an area where this is possible, which is completely understandable but, if you do, have you? I don't know what it is but, cleaning out and throwing it on the burn pile seems really therapeutic to me. I am by no means suggesting that you light something on fire. I'm definitely not saying that it's a good idea or you should try it. This is more of a 'don't try this at home' scenario.

So, that's what I've been doing. Being married (twice) you accumulate stuff. Having kids, you accumulate stuff. Having storage buildings onsite, you accumulate stuff. Well, me being me. Now that I've left that MISERABLE job and found myself basically rewriting my story I started cleaning out. "In with the new, Out with the old". Reminds me of college professor I had who would start class with a few moments of meditation and he would say "Breathe in the good, hold it, hold it, out slowly, breathe out with the bad" and repeat "in with the good, out with the bad". You were supposed to hold the good in, and then breathe the bad out slowly and deeply and push as much air out as you could in that one breath. It works. It's really oddly calming.

So was my burn barrel the last few days. I'm finding I have that same type of mantra. Out with the old, make room for the new. It's more than that though. Like I haven't burned anything I shouldn't just trash mostly but when you're spring cleaning and packing things up you have a lot of trash. It's crazy really how quickly it adds up. In that process of getting rid of things. Packing things up. Moving things out. Sorting through it all. The 'trash' goes to the burn barrel. When you stand there and stoke that fire and watch it disappear something washes over you. It's a stress relief. Whatever was tied to that stress is now gone. Again DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

What you could do would be find a way that works for where you are, your situation, and your lifestyle and cleanse. If you're feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders pick a project, don't set a timeline, don't add rules, put your OCD on hold, and just get started. Maybe it's cleaning out the closet of the clothes you haven't worn in the last 2 years because you're remote now and you no longer need as many dress suits for work. Maybe it's going through the bathroom drawers and cleaning out your makeup, and other cosmetics. Maybe it's changing your style or starting to work out (next on my list).

Whatever it is that nags at you pick that. Oh, I have a list and if you ask my kids they will tell you ' I work harder now than I did when I had a job '. I thought about how horrible that sounds cause you're supposed to work hard, and I did, but, it was on my rear in front of a computer from 8-4 with little other movement. This, now, what I'm doing, this is 6am to 11pm, with the a couple hours on my rear in the morning and a few at night after dinner before bed. That's it. I am on the go. I am getting things done. I have more energy. I have for fire for life. I have a desire to do things. I don't feel overwhelmed. I'm stressed and worried but no where near like I was. This. This is blessed. This is God working all around me. This is him reminding me that I need to 'clean' things up a bit before I can move on to the next chapter.

This life that I'm living, it's confusing. I'm working really hard to get back on track for Gods will in my life because for too long I've been detoured for my agenda and it hasn't worked out. So, now the best prayer I can pray and the only prayer I've prayed for the last several days. "Heavenly father bring change and breathe healing into this house. Father I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, but I know I'm not supposed to stop so I'm holding onto faith that you will take care of us, and I'm asking you Lord, Your will be done. I can't do this without you, lead me, guide me, and show me your will for our lives. Amen"

I pray for each of you for healing, guidance, and perspective in your lives.