Let me ask you something……
There’s a question and a reasoning that’s been playing on my mind lately, and it’s almost been standing there with a red banner saying “Hello!! Read this message loud and clear…do you hear me?? Then, when you really get it…go out and SHARE it!!”.
And so my question to you is….
“Would you consider going for a day without a bath/shower? What about a week? Or even maybe……a month??”
I can see you writhing now, I’ve gotten under your skin (which by the way is really, really dirty if you haven’t noticed?? Take a bath will you!! lol), and it’s amazing that most of us would not consider going even a day (well maybe there is that odd day…..) without a ritual to keep our bodies clean. It’s second nature to most of us and allows for a renewal of energy on many levels. There’s almost a metaphorical sense of washing all our troubles away as we start or finish the day, making way for whatever is meant to come our way. I’ll come back to this question later in the article….hold that thought…..
Clearing and cleaning is an interesting process. If you think about it on the material level, and you believe that everything around you is made up of energy, you also come to realize that everything you own or that is in your presence owns a little piece of you in one way or another.
I can honestly attest to this lesson in so many ways as we prepare ourselves for our next adventure which brings us back to the Middle East for the next “wave” of life. We made a conscious decision when things felt a bit uncertain (my husband was recently out of work and I am still in the throes of making the brand “Nektar” encompass all that I envision it to be!) that we needed to make “space” in our lives by clearing the heavy material things around us. With a potential move looming, it was decided that the best way forward was to start fresh by selling or giving away nearly everything we have acquired for the past 11 years and allow ourselves some breathing space.
And so the clearing began on a physical level…..
I wish I had started taking photo’s at the very beginning….like the day the movers unpacked the 40ft high top container here over 2 years ago and I cried when I realized that despite moving into a bigger home, we still could not fit everything in and ended up with a garage full to the ceiling…talk about overwhelming!!
And so the clearing began, and 2 years later led us to a decision to really go for it….get rid of nearly everything we own (which has taken nearly 3 months!!) and just keep the basics (for us it’s our 3 sofa’s that we’ve had since we were married, our beds, and some boxes filled with the minimum of what we need to start over….towels/linens/clothing/kids books, and toys….). I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to claim (and certainly not proudly!) that we’ve hauled at least 50 large bags out of here to the Salvation Army and rubbish dump alike!
And with every bag that left, and every piece of furniture (some were harder than others to let go!) that went out gave a different emotional response from relief, to fear, elation, contentment, and grief.
Many times the items have gone and I have found myself in a heap poring over photographs (culling them down to what we really want to keep), perusing the archives of our life, and bawling like a baby. Questioning myself if this is the right decision, while at the same time having a deep understanding that this is part of the next phase of our life……..allowing for new energy to enter.
With every salty tear that falls, come with it a deeper understanding and clarity in the well of my soul.
Which brings me back to my original question……
“Would you go for a day, a week, or a month without cleansing your physical temple?”
A resounding “NOOOOOO!!” is hitting me from all angles as I type this….I’m feeling the disdain….but it’s not without some serious thought to the next question….
“And so if it’s absolutely VITAL that you keep your body clean, why don’t you allow your soul to experience the same satisfaction and allowance for new energy?”
We wouldn’t consider keeping our body dirty, and not even our physical surroundings and environment, yet we are relentless in allowing our inner being to be cleansed with a good old fashioned cry once and a while.
For those of you who have children, think of this…….(I will raise my hand first, guilty as charged!!)
How many times have you asked your kids to “calm down” or “stop crying!!!!”. It’s almost second nature to most of us parents, and even when a friend or family member lets down their guard and sheds a tear or two, we feel uncomfortable and rush to “remedy” the problem by trying to ”help” that person stop crying. Of course this is a broad generalization, but usually is the case with most people.
If tears are the “soap and water” that wash away the residual emotions bottled up in our inner being or soul, then why do we feel the need to stop them?
Emotional cleansing is absolutely KEY to our overall wellbeing and a good cry is a natural way to achieve this. Our children look to us for the acknowledgement that it’s ok to let go (this comes so naturally to them and they cannot understand when we go against what is natural for them just because it is a conditioned behavior for us to feel uncomfortable with these type of emotions).
I have learned so much in this clearing process on so many levels. It has been really humbling and I am so grateful to have been able to experience so many new things coming into my life as a result of “letting go” of old “things”, behaviors, and patterns. I have a long, long road to travel but I feel I have a better idea of who I am (after removing all the stuff!) and what I really want in this great life we live!!
So, next time you have the urge to cry, let it out!! Go on and do that “ugly cry” that Oprah’s always talking about! You never know what you might let go of and what gifts it might bring in return……..
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this………..please leave a comment, it’s always lovely to connect with readers and share our thoughts!!
Wow, very bold and brave. Best of luck, health and safe travels. Great great great post!
Another inspiring, thought provoking read Steph, what a lovely way to start the week, thankyou! I agree emotional cleasning is just as important (if not more) than the physical cleansing we do every day, whether this is bought about by a certain event in our lives (moving country), a dawning realisation at a particular time in our lives (turning a certain age), or even a good old fashioned chick flick! It makes no difference sometimes what the trigger is, the end result is the same, a feeling of relief, and ultimately contentment and acceptance for whatever life wants to throw our way next
Have a fab week xx
Oh Steph, Steph, Steph, how do you hit the nail on the head every time? One thing I’ve always been thankful to my mother for is her teaching me that a “good old ugly cry, finished off with a hot cuppa tea” will make your soul lighter! Yes somethime’s it feels like it’s come out of the blue, but really you know deep down you have been pushing those feelings/thought’s down. And now I feel sad because yes I too have told my boys to stop crying, stop being so emotional. Good god how could I’ve have not seen what an important lesson I’ve missed out on teaching them. So thanks Steph for once again opening my eyes & allowing me to make a change in my family life. Yes cry …. cry intil snot is covered all over your face, and your eyes are red and swollen, Because your soul will be lighter and what a great feeling that is! xxxxox
Thanks girls!! Love your insights as well!! Kim, you’re absolutely right!! Let the snot run down your face, use a whole box of tissues I say!! It’s just so refreshing to be able to share these ideas with like-minded people!!! Thanks so much for supporting my blog and sharing!!!
Thanks for sharing! Funny how things change isn’t it?? I have just spent the last week telling my boys (now 16 and 13) that it’s ok to cry, that they should just let it all out and it will feel better. This after years of saying “come on now, don’t cry, come here and dry your eyes” We as a family had a loss last week of a very beloved dog – we only had him for 11 months, adopted from the pound, and losing him this early was never part of the plan! (however a dear friend says that our pets leave us when the lesson they came to teach us has been learnt and to celebrate this “right of passage” for ourselves and our pet) Obviously, it’s quite difficult to celebrate this right now, so we all as a family have been letting ourselves cry – and it has certainly helped me clear out some emotional junk! Now all I have to do is start clearing the material stuff!! I hope your new journey is a vast and exciting one and that you go into it feeling lighter and brighter. Wishing you rainbows and sunshine, Best of luck and thanks for your inspirational words.
Sending you the deepest and most heartfelt condolences for your dog….it’s never easy to “let go” in any way but kudos to you for teaching your boys to have that emotional release. We all did the “stop crying” mantra with our kids…it was just a part of who were all were as a collective society, but luckily those days are transforming and it’s wonderful to see the positive change associated with the awakening to new ways! I say grieve for as long as you need to…people will offer their ideas or what they think is support but it is your heart that really knows what you need. Sending you love, light, and blessings!!! Thanks so, so much for taking the time to leave comment on my blog, means the world to me!!