By: Lalaphiliac
The year is almost over and as part of my end-of- the year tradition , I did a general cleaning of my room. As I looked around and gather the things that I have accumulated over the the years I felt a stinging pang of sweet nostalgia. Some of these things are gifts, mementos, awards ; others are just object of wants; suddenly I felt suffocated as I'm surrounded by my possessions. Cleaning my room is not just something physical, its also an act of liberating myself from unhealthy attachments and negative vibes. I have made three categories which helped me organize my stuff and my relationship in general.
First are the things to keep. These are my books, travel souvenirs, school materials and necessary dresses. These are really important for me because I use them at work and/or source of fond memories so I have to take good care of them. When it comes to people, we should also cherish and take good care of our positive relationships with them.Its always better to invest effort, time and love on people whom we truly care and who sincerely love us like family and real friends.
Next are the things that I have to recycle, like my paint jars which I have repainted and turned into pencil and brush jars. Although they might not look new and trendy, I was able to give life to them again. Doing this reminded me of the people that I have to reconcile with. I have the tendency to push people away mostly because I am afraid of getting hurt. I have dumped and been dumped in the past and these regretful events greatly affect how i handle my current relationships. I know I can never go back in time to undo whatever happened nor erase the indelible scar it left, but by accepting myself and the other people's flaws I was able to forgive them and myself.
And finally, the things that I have to let go which I think is the hardest part. Some, like old stuffed toys, favorite clothes and shoes that I have outgrown will go to my younger cousins or friends and others to the trash bin. It was hard for me to discard some items specially those that are really costly. But then I realized two things: the worth of something is not measured by its price nor by its brand name, but by the sentimental value we associate with it , and keeping these useless things don’t really make me productive but become a burden instead . Sometimes holding on hurts more than letting go so its better to take the leap, release grip and be free.
In general, I realized that the clutter in my life is not just caused by the overwhelming objects around me, they are also products of toxic relationships, detrimental habits and negative thoughts which cause me stress and frustrations. Some things are meant to come in my life but not to stay, just like how people come and go. We have to close some chapters in our life in order to move forward but always keep the lessons we acquired. Memories shared with loved ones last longer than any material so better treasure these special people. In the end its the quality over quantity that really matters and this rule not only applies to organizing our things but also in building good relationships.