Sunday, April 7, 2013

"You Can Do It!"

So I am taking another community ed course entitled (exclamation mark and all)   

"You Can Do It!

"Are you going through a transition in life or in your career? 

Need strategies and support to take charge of your life 
so you can move forward and grow?"

Sounded just right for me. 

Before the first class got started, the teacher was moving chairs and talking to those of us who were in the room and offhandedly she said, "You know, purge to emerge."

PURGE TO EMERGE

Coming from a depression-mentality family where nothing could be thrown away, you can guess what my house looks like...

Two days after that class I spent three hours going through boxes and piles of paper that were choking our den.  I can't say it's much of a den.  It's where the desktop computers are (the Mac they all use and the ancient Dell that's more than ten years old). It's where the TV is that no one watches, but my son uses as a monitor for Playstation 3 when he's home and the modern (but 20+ years-old) leather couch from my sister that needs recovering but converts to a great sleeper (it ratchets down instead of folding out)that I cannot bear to remove.  And then of course, there's art filling the walls.  My skyscraper art (a small but inspiring collection), the beautiful painting of the sun that my childhood friend Susan made for me when my sister died, the LILY orange crate label and some of the art that has been with me the longest.  While most of it may not be valuable, it is to me.

In addition to all that, and the non-working fireplace that is somewhat covered up (it really is a small rectangular wood-paneled room) there are boxes, boxes, and boxes of stuff.  Most of the stuff is papers from a job I left five years ago! There are cords and cables and connectors to things I don't know even exist anymore and two printers that work (or don't) but are not hooked up to anything and then there are things I'm saving.

Saving for when I MIGHT need the item again.  Saving so I can get it fixed and working again. Saving because of who gave it to me.  Saving because someone MIGHT need it one day. Saving for the future.  

During the clean-up I came across a a nice shiny yellow oversized cardboard shoebox with a post-it that said, "For Jason's first child."  What the ___ ! ?

I opened the box and inside was a stuffed animal turtle that was also a puppet.  ou could stick your arm inside and retract the head of the turtle into its soft fuzzy shell.  It was something I had given to my nephew when he was small and at some point when they moved to California and it was left behind, I rescued the little critter and thought I'd pass it back down to my nephew once he had a child of his own. 
If you're on this track with me, you get it, you understand.  

If you're not a person who has boxes of clothing and toys in your attic labeled "Sentimental Keep" — then you won't get it.      
Better hope this class does the trick.

2 comments:

  1. And here I thought I was the only person in the entire universe like that!!! WHEW!!
    ~LL

    ReplyDelete
  2. Knowing and acknowledgement will put you on the path if you choose too!

    ReplyDelete