Minimalist Mondays are dedicated to finding love, adventure, and joy in everyday living through the pursuit of a more simplistic lifestyle. By allowing only what is useful and meaningful into our lives and letting go of that which ties us down, we are better able to live a life of purpose, both for ourselves and for others.

Happy Minimalist Monday everyone! For those of you who are wondering, the garage project is moving right along. I have a new load of stuff ready to head out the door to a nearby charity. Next Monday begins a new month so I will have pictures to show you for a month of progress. I Think you will be able to see a big difference in 4 weeks. 🙂

I also want to give you a heads up on a post I will be working on for Thursday. A  friend of mine requested that I do a post on dealing with the loss of my mother. This is a different type of post than what I am used to writing for the blog but I think it is an important topic that I am willing to cover. So if you are dealing with, or have ever dealt with the loss of a loved one, be sure to drop by on Thursday for my reflections on grief, loss,  and the ability to still find love and joy when we lose those closest to us.

Now on to my topic for the week: Letting go of items that bring up unpleasant memories or emotions.

Last week I mentioned in my post Minimalist Mondays: My decision To Give Up Cable that I felt a touch of pain as I watched a dog travel carrier go out the garage door. The pain was caused, not by letting the carrier go to a new home, but seeing the dog carrier again temporarily brought back  the pain of losing my dog, Misha, 5 years ago. I have a picture of Misha on my refrigerator that brings me great joy. Every time I look at it I smile.  It almost feels like she is silently protecting the house just as she used to do so well. The carrier, her favorite pink ball, and leash are an other story. They bring a slight stab of pain when I look at them. So why did I keep them around? Good question.

It dawned on me as I reflected on the dog carrier that most of us hold on to things that bring us feelings of sadness or pain out of some sense of obligation or practicality. I have known women who have held on to pieces of jewelry given to them by an ex love. Because the jewelry has monetary value or because women have never really let go of that relationship, the jewelry sits in a box or drawer to be pulled out and looked at on occasion and then returned to its resting place with a sigh. Many homes contain furniture, art work, knick knacks, and other numerous items of failed relationships because it often  seems impractical to throw away perfectly good items and start from scratch. I would suggest  to you that letting go of things that stir up unpleasant feelings or memories is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Our homes are our sanctuaries. Home is the place where we are best able to cultivate the love and joy we want to experience in this world and the place to dream of our future adventures. If you have items in your home that bring you down instead of lifting you up, I encourage you to start purging your space so that everything in your home fills your heart with love, joy, and gratitude.

Until next time,

Laura