I  had some free time in the past couple of weeks, and decided to spend most of it de-cluttering my closets and reorganizing my personal space. I hadn’t realized how much junk I had accumulated over the years. I was brought up to never throw anything away that could still be used, and I found myself staring at empty plastic containers, boxes, and stacks of photocopies dating back to the 1990’s. I also found clothes I haven’t worn in over five years, jeans and slacks that I haven’t been able to fit into – that I’ve been hanging on to in the hope that I will be able to wear them again someday.

As I put everything I wanted to get rid of in piles on my bed, I realized that the process of de-cluttering my closets can be a metaphor for life. Why do we hold on to so many things from the past? Is it because we want to be reminded of the good times? Because we find it hard to let go of the negative experiences and emotions? Because we feel we might still have use for these things in some distant future? Or perhaps because we just collect things without bothering to discover if they have any true value?

Why not take some time to de-clutter our lives as well? Take some time to think about what has been occupying more space in our hearts and minds that isn’t good for us or helping us be better persons, and systematically get rid of them. Purge ourselves of  negative emotions  such as pain, anger, fear, and general anxieties and worries. Let go of the excess baggage that we lug around everyday, that do nothing for us except to weigh us down. Clean out our minds and free up some space in our lives so we can breathe more freely and have room to welcome more good things into our lives.

So, after days of sorting through my cabinets and closets, there are now several boxes of unused clothes and things, on their way to some people who can make good use of them. My closets have never looked so spacious and everything is in its proper place.  Feels good