I miss my yellow flower mug.
It was not a mug I chose for myself, yet it became part of me.
With flowers and yellow rim, my mug was not part of any set; it stood alone.
The circular black scratches at the bottom were a joyful reminder of the simple pleasure I took in a hot cup of coffee at my parents’ house where making a café latte was a social event and required time and the company of a best friend.
Both intimate and social matters could be resolved while conversing over the perfect cup.
“So, why’d you let go of it?” Jean asks.
“When you’ve just demonstrated to your readers the value of keeping stuff”.
Yes and no.
The reason I enjoyed the memories ‘told’ by my mug, is because it gave me the opportunity to notice and pay attention to my relationship with it.
In fact, the process of de-cluttering is about making choices. It requires paying attention, being aware and taking charge.
We make choices every minute of every day. Even when we pile up our stuff and hide it in the closet. In delaying making a decision, we are making a choice to do so.
Eventually, we have a closet full of unconscious decisions, and we ask a professional organizer to take charge of our ‘stuff’.
The point is not about whether or not I kept the mug. It’s about taking charge of my stuff and going through the process of choosing. It is a call to action: show up and stay present.
