Letting Go, Lightening Up

I have a really hard time keep my life + living spaces clear and not-cluttered. No matter how hard I try, it seems as if within seconds of cleaning up, things begin to immediately migrate back to those cleared off spaces.

It doesn't help that I also have a hard time letting go of things. When I try to minimize my possessions, I find myself agonizing over every little thing. What if I need it someday? What if I'm sad that it's gone?

It's kind of incapacitating, and more than a little frustrating.

Recently, however, I had a bit of an epiphany. See, my family and I, we're moving into a different house soon. So everything that we own? We're going to have to pack it up and move it with us.

And then I realized, while looking at some random little thing: I don't want to take all of this with us. With me.

Suddenly, I find myself freed up to make more gutsy decisions. Now the question is not What if I need that lap desk that I've pretty much never used? or What if I'm sad that I throw away Christmas cards we were sent 3 years ago?

Now it's Do I need or care about this thing enough to pack it up, haul it across town, and unpack it in our new-to-us abode?

The answer is, to my surprise + delight, almost exclusively no.

And it feels amazing. Freeing. Like the hills are alive with the sound of music (okay, I know that sounds cheesy, but it really does feel as good as that).

I shared this with a friend of mine. Nodding, she said, "All that stuff? It's been an anchor, holding you down, and now you're pulling it up and setting sail."

I love that metaphor. For too long I've viewed my things as assets, as comforts. And while some of them certainly are, a lot of them are not. Instead, they've been weighing me down, holding me back.

Releasing them, whether through donation or consignment or giving them away, feels light. It feels generously rash. I love it.

Anchors aweigh.

Holistic Creative Circle: An Interview with Hali Karla

Recently I had the fantastic opportunity to be interviewed by the amazing Hali Karla, who is the mastermind behind the fantastic holistic creativity class, SPECTRUM (which I also am delighted to be a part of).

In our conversation, I share about a time when creativity was a catalyst for healing, and we also talk about balancing the tough stuff with the ability to soften in our day-to-day. Dance may also have come up. ;) You can watch the interview here:

Thanks for checking it out! If you're interested in learning more about SPECTRUM, you can do so HERE.

Retreat as Forward Motion

Have you noticed that it's been pretty quiet in my corner of the internet lately? At first it was because of various plagues sweeping through my house (ugh), but then health returned to myself and my family . . . but the silence remained.

I want to grow SHE OF THE WILD to reach more of the women who may need what I'm offering, to help people break out of whatever is holding them back, to empower as many people as possible to live full, wild, and creatively vibrant lives. So I've been pushing myself since the fall to expand as well as go deeper, to provide rich content and courses and words. I've even been learning about business practices, which is so not in my natural zone of talent or interest. I know -- whoa. ;)

Hell, I even hired a business coach, something I never thought I'd do. And yet, a month or so back, I put out a desperate call for help in my Facebook groups, and one particular (amazing, sensitive, intuitive) coach stood out from the rest, and I hired her, and I'm basically in love with her.

And yet . . . I find myself pulling back. Even though I hired this coach's help to propel me forward, to clarify what my next steps are with SHE OF THE WILD, to be a steady hand reached into my confusing and -- let's be honest -- somewhat manic flailings.

I'm reading more. Like, actual books, held in my hands, with covers and pages and paper and the whole deal. I've been going to bed earlier (thank goodness, says my body and my mind), and trying to slow down in my day-to-day life to get down on the floor and really look my kids in the eye. I'm clearing clutter from my home. I even cleaned the bathroom (I know).

When I first started to realize what was happening, I was pretty frustrated. I mean, I hired a coach, for crying out loud. Was I going to waste my time with her when we should be working on my Next Thing?

And then it hit me:

This pulling back? It is the work.

For now, I need to slow down, reassess, and clear the unnecessary. I need to play with my kids more, read more, live more.

I feel like I'm gestating. Like I'm a seed in the dark and cozy earth. I am quietly gathering nourishment and strength and inspiration for the day that my shoots are ready to peek at the sunlight, new and green and exquisitely mortal.

This work-that-is-not-work (but still really sort of is work) will only pay off in my future creative endeavors. As Julia Cameron puts it in The Artist's Way, I am (re)filling my well, restoring my juices, so that soon I can burst forth with poems and art and words once more.

Does this sound familiar, or frustrating? Share with us in the comments. Let's help remind each other that resting and nurturing our beautiful, creative selves is not only good, but necessary.

*This post contains an affiliate link. Thanks for supporting independent authors + artists!