Dreamer's World February 24, 2018 - A Kind Of Catharsis

     “Catharsis” is a term normally used to describe ways to purge emotions and feelings. Typically, we think of Catharsis in the context of negative feelings and emotions, but I believe it can be applied to other areas if our lives.

    Every time that Hal and I prepare to move to a new place, we intentionally pick out items that we no longer need. Not just those items that are broken, but those that we no longer use, or feel a need to keep. It seems like we end up with 10% or more of our belongings that we just decide to give to charity rather than keep moving them around with us.

    Sometimes, we decide to give away items that were, at one time, sacrosanct for some reason. Sentiment can be a strong bond to an object, and it takes time to disassociate the item from the feeling that it embodies to us. Thankfully, we never make these decisions in haste, because that leads to regret and the feeling that we made the wrong decision. We have found that items usually have an emotional lifespan that happens naturally and that once that time has passed, it is easier to part with those objects without a feeling of guilt or regret.

    Since we are moving in 2 months, the preparation is already underway. This includes the process of determining what we will not be taking with us. It has become a means of measuring our time together, as well as our emotional progress through life. Too many possessions just weigh us down, and we don’t need that in our life any longer. We talked last night about some of the things that we will consider giving away before the next move. I am sure that some of the things we decide to part with will come as a surprise, but nothing that we cannot overcome.