I threw out a pair of sandals this week-end. They're the only pair I own, they were pricey (for me) and one of them was busted and unlikely to be repaired.
I have kept that pair of sandals for at least two years with the one sandal defunct. It was too much effort to accept that the pair was no longer useful, that I would need to throw them out and, if I wanted another pair of sandals, I would need to go shopping. I kept those sandals because it was easier to keep moving them between closets than to even think about all the effort needed to replace them. Really. The thought of shopping for new sandals exhausted me.
But here's the great bit: I've gone two years without sandals. Maybe I don't need another pair. I can throw these out and get the feeling of lightness that creates and then later, if I want to, I can go shopping. I do not have to link the future effort of shopping for sandals with the act of throwing out the sandals. Pitching an item does not commit me to replacing the item. I'm realizing this is a significant part of my clutter problem. In the moment I am thinking I should throw something out, I am also thinking of the trip to the garbage can (up and down a flight of stairs), shopping for a replacement and bringing that replacement back into the house. No wonder I tend not to throw things out! It's exhausting!
Except it isn't. Time for a bit of zen. In this moment I am letting go of these objects and that is all I'm doing. I'm not thinking of the future effort of replacement, I'm not thinking back to all the energy I've already expended on the item, I am simply letting go. Opening my hand and letting the thing fall away from me. Nothing could be easier.
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