Like me. Mentor Mary frequently compares our houses to our selves. Foundation as our basic beliefs, basement as stuff from the past, main floor as current events, upstairs as higher learning, attic as spiritual life and roof as the covering over it all - God. Bathroom is about cleaning up and out our stuff, bedroom about rest and sexual concerns, kitchen about nourishing ourselves, family room and study are self evident and garage is about our ability to move. I have been spending time in the basement and on the main floor of our new home. Every load of grime I hall out of the basement feels like soulish progress. We are doing a lot of fix up to my bathroom. We are doing not just cosmetic but structural changes all round. The house is basically sound, but it is old and neglected and in need of some loving maintenance. Like me.
I will be happy to get to the paint, the pretty part. But I am curiously fulfilled doing the strengthening work i.e. plumbing, patching, tiling, building, and cleaning. I needed this fixer upper.
Soon comes the scary task. Packing and getting rid of stuff. I DO NOT want to haul a bunch of worn out and/or unused junk into this new house. I am praying for guidance and strength in my downsizing. (Curious choice of word "downsizing" in relation to my house/body don't you think?) Must muse on this.
Back to home repairs.
Take care of your houses. Love Bea
4 comments:
Downsizing--it's also a word for being fired. Maybe you need to fire some of your things because it's just not working out.
My friend Cindy and I were talking about organizing (and you know I've been on a roll). She moved from a big house to a much smaller one. It was easier for her to get rid of things if she did not touch them -- her dad and stepmother would hold up things and she'd say, "Go or Stay" and it was much easier. I know I'd find it easier if someone else was there. (Some of it would be sheer embarrassment that I HAD such a thing or questioning why would I keep something.)
I have't gotten to the big room where it's overwhelming. I'm putting it off myself to concentrate on the areas I really see every day. It was hard for me to throw away magazines and stupid things like that but I did it and I don't miss it. I know I can find recipes online and check out books. But I definitely need to fire a lot of things around my house. Just think, when we do this, we're kind of jettisoning off pieces of our personality. The time I thought I'd be good cooks and cook every night or be the hip CD listener and it's hard to say, "Well, I'm not going to cook and I really don't listen to ______'s CD anymore."
Mentor Mary's analogy is a good one and you're working on your foundations much like you are with the food. Good luck on the home repairs. I'll be thinking of you.
In 2005 when I bought my house and moved I rented a huge dumpster and cleaned out the attic, and all other areas. As I took load after load to that dumpster I said goodbye to the old. It was a purging, I went through old papers, and things that reminded me of the past. Furniture from ex husbands and boyfriends got pitched gleefully. I hung on to very little. It was a spiritual experience. I am excited for you. All of this is spiritual in nature because you are a spiritual person. How awesome for you. I still wish I could get on a plane and go up there and help!
I am still musing over your comment on 9/7/07 "I had forgotten what compulsive eating was like". Wow. Will I ever be able to make that statement some day?
I am in awe of that power.
Thanks for giving me so much.
Carol
I know, I know, I but I'll mention FLYlady again.
Here are tips on how to move. From her, readers/members, fellow flybabies.
http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp
Read and follow the directions. And have fun firing the old stuff so good stuff is being used and enjoyed.
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