I'm still in the middle of decluttering. I have been re-listening to my audiobook of Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" to motivate me. She's adamant about following the exact order in which one should tidy one's home: first clothes, then books, then other categories, and lastly, photos and other sentimental items. But I've had this nagging feeling that I must start with the photos first (I can almost hear Ms. Kondo scolding me for doing this, but that's ok). I've been staring at six dusty boxes of old photos on the bookshelf for months. I feel like they are energetically causing some blockages because they are old memories that I need to release before moving forward.
Those boxes were filled with duplicates, photos of old boyfriends, friends who've drifted away, high school classmates whose names I can't remember, and old negatives that I will never get around to developing.
It was almost amusing to me that I'd held on to all these photos for so many years, especially the ones that brought back sad memories. I think I didn't want to forget what I'd been through in my life, so I needed to hold on to these stories - even the "bad" ones- because they made up my identity. Up until now, I think there was also some forgiveness work I needed to do before I was ready to let them go.
As I went through hundreds of photos, I picked out one small-ish box and decided that only photos of family, friends and special times that brought me joy would be allowed in there. It wasn't actually as hard as I thought. I simply trusted the first feeling I got when I picked up each photo, as Marie Kondo teaches in her book. If it sparks joy, you feel it right away.
I feel energetically so much lighter now that I've let those photos and memories go. But there's still more work to do! Now, onwards and upwards to the next category. Don't tell Ms. Kondo, but I'll continue to rebel against her strict tidying order by clearing my bookshelves next.
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