FACING THE DRAGON
I’m not a hoarder, but I am a packrat. I know many people, my husband for one, who have no trouble getting rid of stuff. I, on the other hand, have a difficult time — I might need it some day. Which explains why I have this problem. Sadly I came to the realization that there is no way in the world that I’m going to reread all the books that I have collected. Nor am I going to use all of my cookbooks — I’m sure they number in the hundreds.
I’ve also realized that I’m not as young as I once was, another decade past too quickly — I no longer have the energy or the strength. It is hard to face that fact. We will not be able to travel as we had hoped. Do I really need all of my travel brochures? It is hard to let go of the dreams.
I started going through my books — bag upon bag have left for greener pastures. Sadly, it doesn’t look like I have made a dent in the bookshelves. I still have piles of books in stacks on flat surfaces. I have shed the travel brochures. I’m evaluating the cookbooks. I’m parting with some of the magazines.
We had a 100 cup coffee maker that I donated to church. A thirty cup coffee maker met the same fate. We don’t give parties, when would I use them again? You would think that I would start to see some empty space on the shelves. I DON’T! I must have been very careful in my placement.
Our church had a bundle for the Saint Vincent DePaul society. Our priest suggested we go home from church, have breakfast and collect items to donate. I only had two days when we came home from Central Illinois but I managed to pack the trunk of the car with useable items.
If I can maintain my momentum, I might make some progress. But warmer weather is coming, the outdoors beckons. It will be interesting to see if I continue to make progress.
I’m fully aware that I have help from “my friends” but that doesn’t always mean that the “help” will keep me indoors — working — instead of outdoors.
My eyesight is also suffering from age. I recently realized that my far vision had deteriorated. I couldn’t see distance as clearly. Driving home from our daughters in Central Illinois, my eyes were bothering me. I didn’t know if air from the defrost was blowing on them, so I put my reading glasses on. That helped. When we reached home I looked for my distant glasses that I received a few years ago. Thankfully I found them and now wear them when driving. Things are just a little bit clearer. I have to remember which glasses I’m wearing because distant glasses don’t help in the store.
When I arrived home from shopping, I put on my prescription reading glasses only to discover that the arm was broken. I hoped that it just needed a screw but I’m not that lucky. A guided meditation has recently started — I’m still trying to meditate. The next morning, eyes closed I “saw” a verse in black letters at the bottom of my field of vision that slowly rose to the top. The words were so small I couldn’t read them. Now I will admit that glasses wouldn’t help but it is just another nudge from my “friends”. I don’t think I’m ready for bifocals yet. I have an appointment with the eye doctor, so we will see.
Wandering With Spirit 