When it's time to let go.

A very basic guideline of the ancient practice of feng shui is to surround yourself with things that bring you joy. I've practiced a form of this for years, and have even imparted some of these ideals onto Carrie when she would indulge me.

When Doug and I moved into our new home recently, I used my packing time wisely. What I mean by that is that I purged a whole lot of things that no longer brought me joy. I'll admit that I still clung to a few things that shouda'/coulda'/woulda' been purged but...well...you know how it is. Sometimes you just feel like hanging on for a little longer. You know.

I was unpacking things in my craft space a couple of weeks ago, when I came across a little bottle filled with strips of paper from fortune cookies. On the front of that bottle was a small photograph of me from a time long ago - 20 years or so. I'd had an extra copy made (film days), trimmed around myself and then taped the cut-out to the front of the bottle.

I loved the way this little bottle looked - filled with possibilities for the future printed on strips of paper. It was unique and I always thought the photograph of me, cut out and taped on there, was kind of fun.

But here's the catch. That photo was taken during a not-so-happy time in my life and I knew that every time I saw it. So, when I was arranging things in my new craft room and set it on a shelf, I thought twice. For a split second the thought occurred to me that maybe this would be a good time to let it go...

Psh.

I'll just put this right here for now...

Not even five minutes later, as I tapped a nail into the wall above the new resting place for my wacky photo on the bottle, the hammer slipped from my hand and knocked the bottle off the shelf, shattering it on the floor of my craft room.

Sheesh. I got the message!

It was the simplest of things, letting go of that unique cut-out photo of myself. As I swept it into the dustpan, I allowed myself to be just a little bit sad about that time long ago. And then -bam- gratitude for all those lessons learned quickly made its way to the forefront.

What a mess my life was back then.

I needed to pick up the pieces and move on.

What a mess that broken bottle made on my floor!

I was picking up pieces of glass for a week.

♥