Like most Americans, I have way too much stuff. I also have a tendency to put other things above organization (I think my room has always looked like it was just struck by a clothes tornado). Over the last year or so I have felt a strong urge to simplify my life.
I think a big push for me to start simplifying has been rooted in changing my major. When I switched to International Affairs it was NOT to live a comfortable life with a cushy desk job as a government bureaucrat or something of a similar nature. I switched because I want to GO and love people where they are hurting and help in any way that I can. If I’m going all of the time, why the heck do I have so much stuff? All of this stuff is weighing me down. I want to live life simply.
Starting sometime last spring, I would go in spurts of purging my stuff. I would load up my Jeep (long live King Leonidas in good car heaven) and take multiple car loads of stuff to Good Will every week. Then I would get busy, but eventually the cycle would start again (Hey, it’s a start). Anyways, the cycle started again back in December because graduation (and, Lord willing, the World Race) will be here before I know it… mostly I’ve just been fed up. I’ve made quite a bit of progress in physical stuff, but I have a long way to go.
Over last week I was looking at my email, which is easy because it’s on my phone, and realizing how many pointless emails I get a day. It’s no wonder I had over 1,800 unread email messages! That number drove me crazy. Occasionally I’d attempt to delete a few, but that gets cumbersome on my phone. I had to start somewhere, so I began to unsubscribe to daily emails from retailers that I really didn’t care about. My emails went from about 20+ per day to 5(ish). It felt great, but that number of unread messages was still colossal! So tonight, I purged my emails, and God talked to me along the way.
Lessons:
While it was fun to see what phases of life I’ve gone through since I made this specific account in 2007, it was also shocking to see how few emails I actually cared about. What happened to correspondence? Seeing personal emails (not forwards… I REALLY hate forwards) was like finding precious gems in all of the rubble. Those real emails were among the very few “read” messages that I had.
I don’t want artificial relationships with fitness magazines and retailers trying to sell me more stuff I don’t need (unless it’s the steep and cheep daily dose, those are HILARIOUS). I want joy and I want purposeful relationships. I don’t want excess baggage. I want to appreciate what I have that’s important. (No, I’m not just talking about email anymore).
As I sit here with a 90% lighter inbox, I’m forced to think about my heart. Yes I’m getting rid of physical and digital clutter, but what detritus is in my heart? What areas have I let stuff pile up in? I try to deal with situations as they come, but I want to make sure there aren’t things holding me back. I also want to make sure that I’m a genuine person. I tend to let my friendships slack because I get busy. I need to be intentional about being a good friend.
Clearly, I still have a lot to work on.
Until next time- Peace.
