The {pleasure} of 25 years going up in smoke.

Stuff.  Books. Clothes. Paper. Photos. Furniture. Trinkets. Belongings. Goods. Possessions. Things. Stuff.  No matter what you want to call it, we all have it (some more than others).  Some of us hide behind it, as if it protects us or shields us from harm.  Some of us identify with it, as if it makes us more loved, more respected, more worthy. Either way, we still collect it, treasure it, admire it, identify with it and get attached to it.  But the truth is, it suffocates us, drowns us, binds us, and controls us.  

If you beg to differ, I dare you to give away the 25 pairs of shoes you purchased in Vegas in just 7 days, or the book collection that is in storage waiting for the 'one day' home library to get built, or the 20 pots and pans cluttering your kitchen, or the trophies and medals from your childhood. 

As part of Bindu Wiles Shed Project, I've been shedding like crazy these past 4 weeks.  I'm usually pretty ruthless when it comes to 'letting go' of things, but as part of this project, I wanted to be even more ruthless...it was time to tackle the 'clear box' collection.

You see, every time I move I notice that my storage collection of clear boxes appears to be growing.  In a space of 25 years and 8 moves, I have gone from carting around only 2 of these clear boxes to 15 clear boxes.  In them you'll find a whole lotta paper: 4 years of uni lecture notes, assignments, and research; 3 years of coaching netball, drills, quotes, statistics, newsletters; 7 years as a Group Fitness Instructor; and most recently, all my research and projects from my most current job.  These 15 boxes represent my blood, sweat and tears through my late teens and early twenty's.  They represent my hard work, my discipline, my achievements.  I could go on and on and on and on...but the truth is, these clear boxes hold nothing but a whole lot of paper with a whole lot of ink.

And with that thought, I had the pleasure of watching it all go up in smoke.

 Wheelbarrow #1

The sheer joy of letting go.