INSIGHTS FROM A GARAGE

Can you tell what's behind this door?

Because I've been talking about a lot of emotional stuff....
I just want to pause and talk about real life.
Specifically the tactical, tangible changes that are happening in my life 
as I learn to live and breath into myself.
The innate super-powers that become enabled when I have clarity on self-care.

It's possible that I am just gloating and obnoxious about this whole subject. 
Warning....I'm going to talk about it anyway.

Turns out....getting clear on your priorities allows you to do magic.

Let me give you a for-instance.
When you are clear on your priorities,

you can actually schedule a whole weekend of time....

to clean out your garage.

I know-it doesn't sound that sexy or magical.

But it is the DIY equivalent of losing 20 pounds.

It is breathing and air.

It is taking care of myself and my life.
It is about damn time.

The before shot.  I was afraid to get too close.

We have lived in our current house for 11 years.

It's a lovely house that is exactly the right size

for 4 humans who are reasonable editors of their stuff.

There is a picture of my garage at the top of this post.
So cute right?
It is not actually big enough for one of our modern SUVs to park in

but it is big enough to store our tools, bikes, and assorted accessories.

Or at least it should be.

Some bikes we use.  Some bikes we don't.  KEEP THEM ALL was our motto.

We are not
in fact
good editors of our stuff.
We have been piling crap that doesn't work in our lives in this garage
 for a solid 10 years and 11 months.

There are so many things in this garage that are useful and needed.

Things we use daily or weekly.

Tools that are expensive and should be cared for.

Toys that are beloved and provide joy to each of us.

You just have to wade through all the crap to get to it.

No one in my house has played golf or racquetball in at least 3 years.

This garage is a useful metaphor for my life.

I have a couple of lines of thought that justify continuing to keep stuff around.
Line of thought #1 is based in a myth of scarcity, a fear of missing out or just plain anxiety.  

It goes something like this:

I might need this one day....so how about I just keep it.
Just in case.

 I definitely cannot let this item go.

It is valuable and useful.

To someone.

Possibly to me....

Although I haven't used it in years.
Maybe not ever.
It is important! 
I don't remember why....so I'll just keep it.
Just in case.

Can you see that desk chair?  Neither could we.

Line of thought #2 is based in a lack of responsibility or failure to take ownership.  
It goes something like this:

This doesn't actually work anymore but will require me to change my routine
in order to get rid of it.

It's too exhausting to get rid of it-
it's too heavy, too cumbersome, too toxic-
so I'll put it here until I feel capable or interested 
in taking care of this problem.
And....
I don't want to make time to take it to the place 
where it needs to go (i.e.-the dump) 
so I will just put it in the very back and start stacking things on it.

I'll never need to look at that broken thing again

if I can pile more useful, prettier things on top of it.
Hopefully it will disappear into the landscape of my life.

Exactly how many half used containers of cleaner do we need?

Can you see how this is JUST LIKE LIFE?
There was a long time where all aspects of my life
were the equivalent of this garage.
Outside, with the walls and masks up-
everything looks ok.
Open that door up and start looking around and
I promise you'd be shocked.
Apparently, all aspects of your life are all connected
even if you're refusing to believe it.
Having trouble with your work relationships?
You're probably experiencing those similar themes in EVERY relationship.
Hustling for your worth with a parent?
Probably hustling for your worth in every venue.
Trying to measure up?
The measuring stick is ever-present, even when you refuse to see it.


My soul work is to let the outside match the inside
EVEN IF THE INSIDE ISN'T THAT PRETTY.
Let what it is
be what it is.
Stop spending energy trying to pretend or hide.
Accept reality.
Once you accept it, you can begin to change it.

Back to the garage...

All the pictures in this post are taken on the first day of our two day garage clean out.

They are the literal piles of junk that we took out of that little tiny space.
Our tiny yard could barely hold all the stuff that was crammed into this garage.

The goal for the first day was to take it all out, 
put it in the light of day,
SEE IT.
 Mission was accomplished.

Next post will show the fruits of our labor.

Here's a little foreshadowing...we bought a label maker.