Yesterday I completed a brand new painting named Shimmering Memory. I want to share her with you, and then, I promised earlier to tell you about one of my most memorable de-cluttering sessions, so that is below 😊
If you want to own Shimmering Memory but need hair colors adjusted,
don't hesitate to ask.
The ocean contains worlds, hides mysteries, shimmers with color. She grabs hold of and tethers our spirits to something much larger. Something fresh, salty, crisp, wet, heavy.
She gives life. She heals with her salty fingers and soothes with moist breath. But the sea also takes. In she comes to clean the earth, then out she goes, taking and leaving behind remnants. I do not turn my back on the ocean.
Every moment passes, whether we are aware or not, at the same pace.
Whether we are awake or asleep (actually or metaphorically), the moments slip by. I think of Shimmering Memory (and the other pieces in the Open Skies Collection), and I feel the loss & hope in them. A family, safely tucked & united, watching over the majestic force that gives and takes.
They watch for a spark of recognition, a sign, seeking peace in a simple yet profound experience, and letting the fleeting moments slip by in the best way: together.
And now…
Journal Entry, September 9, 2015:
I’ve been reading “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and it is like I’ve found someone who feels the way I do about having open space in a home. Marie Kondo asks you to hold each item and ask, “Does This Bring Me Joy?” I have decluttered like crazy over the last 15 years, but she had me decluttering to a deeper level.
It isn’t so much decluttering, it is asking deeper questions:
Does this bring me Joy? What is this doing for me?
Does this make me feel happier about the past?
Do I need it to bring back memories for me?
Is this a waste of space? How does this make me feel?
Do I want to haul this around?
Will my kids ever want this since I can’t take it with me when I die?
I went through my old School Days book that I had so carefully put together as a teenager… it held receipts and hair clippings and stuff that now I do not consider meaningful. I do not need old hair clippings. I do not need old receipts and love notes (except from my hubby). I recognize that putting together that book brought me tons of joy. Writing down memories and sticking things away. I thanked that book for giving me so much joy.
I know that the things I did/bought/experienced/accomplished all brought me to who I am today… and I am happy about that. But I’m ready to think about the future and focus on the present.
I purged and purged and felt lighter and lighter. In the end, I had a bag for recycling, a small bag of garbage and an overflowing bag of donations. Marie Kondo says that dealing with these past things helps us to deal with the past. I ended up keeping memories of dad, memories of Ben and I, and kid stuff. But not all of it. I just kept saying in my head “I don’t need this” “I don’t need that”. And I felt zero regrets.
I donated a couple of blankets and some pillows. Including the two beat-to-hell magenta pillows that I first bought for our Kalama home. I thanked them for the fun and the pillow fights, and I let them go. I even found myself thanking my sandals one night after taking them off :)
In the days that followed, I felt absolutely amazing. Clean, refreshed, emptied. Flowing energy. Invigorated. I was laughing and silly and couldn’t describe it as anything other than that my TRUE SELF was glowing through. I hope the feeling lasts. I have noticed that over the last few days I’ve felt happier, less mired in stuff, freer. And I have felt more present with my boys. Less stressed, more focused on the present, and I feel like it is because I know that I will not keep all the STUFF to remember the moments anymore, that I need to bathe in the moments, be truly there and feel them, so that I can store them in my heart ♥
A follow up to this journal entry is that I called my husband when I went for a walk after this experience and he was appalled to learn that I had recycled my decorative college diploma (in the moment I saw no reason to keep it!). He urged me to go dig it out of the recycle bin, but the truck had come by the time I got home from my walk. I’ve never missed it.
I didn’t initially realize I’d actually be sharing a journal entry with you, but I hope you found it inspiring. THANK YOU for being here!
Wishing you a fresh and energetic day,
Love & Sincerely,
Katie
