MOVING DISASTER

PREFACE: 

I wish the best to all of you having to move by choice but please APPRECIATE anyone who is helping you! I just had to vacate my (5 year) rental due to my landlord lost the house in foreclosure and it was auctioned in January. So that means I moved NOT by choice. My 2/2 with 1 car garage was holding the accumulated possessions of 20 years with my late husband, momentos of my son growing up, 14+ years of crafting and fine arts, ongoing eBay sales items, and 10 years of teaching (student work) at college level. I had 60 days to whittle down the mass, pack and store it all...or get rid of it. NOT enough time doing it by myself! 

DISASTER STORY: 

The last night of moving belongings into a rented UHaul (by myself) ended in a bad step off the back of the truck as I BEGAN to unload this last load into the storage unit. I fell 4 1/2 feet and landed on my right foot, hearing a loud POP in my knee, crumbling down to try to catch myself with my left leg twisting my ankle, down...down...down landing just above my tailbone and then hitting the back of my head on the parking lot blacktop. Laying there for 20 minutes, crying from the pain, in a puddle with a light rain falling on me...not knowing what damage I'd done...the storage facility now closed to incoming traffic...I was completely alone, with a full moving truck to be unloaded! I finally limped and hopped my way back to the cab of the truck, crawled up into it, welcoming the heater available as it was dropping to 59 degrees rapidly! and my cellphone! I called everyone I knew within 50 miles and got mostly voicemail response. It was 9:30 on a Tuesday night. One of my friends said he'd come and bring others to help when I refused to call an ambulance. He came, with a friend and they both unloaded my truck. I couldn't walk but could press the gas pedal to drive the truck back to the house again for the things I had left for last minute loading into my car and distribution to others. They loaded up my UHaul truck again, and unloaded it again into my storage unit. THAT is true friendship!

At 2 a.m., I drove myself to the ER, used a Rubbermaid two-step ladder as a walker, and after x-rays found out I had broken my leg. I spent the next 8 hours in ER, getting pain shots and pills so they could straighten my leg to put a splint brace on. They released me to another friend to drive me away from the hospital, not that I was letting that happen. I had her drive me to my car and I drove to her house (up 2 flights of stairs! where the rest of my stuff was & my cat!). I was moving that day to my sister's house 140 miles south. I had already told her not to drive up to get me, I wasn't towing my car down, that I was capable of driving (with both feet), and would arrive later that day.

I am now recuperating with family in a spare room with all that I could pack into my subcompact Toyota. I had to suspend all my online selling, my artwork, and my crafting until I am (literally) on my feet again. Moving doesn't suck, it is a gut-wrenching life event that is like losing a loved one, especially if you aren't in charge of the decision. At this point, 17 days later, I don't know what I saved and stored and what was left to scavengers and the landfill. I have flashbacks about items that I'm not sure I still have in one place or the other. It was traumatic on so many levels that it will be some time before I am able to move forward, much less create and enjoy my arts again.

RESOLUTION: I am allowing myself time to heal. Writing about it is cathartic and hopefully will help others. I am so grateful for my dear friends who helped me through this and my beloved family who is helping me heal. Things can be replaced, people cannot! As long as your move includes those you love, you can always survive. 

CLEAR THE CLUTTER!

PREFACE
As the last spring full moon ushers in Summer, my thoughts turn to cleaning. It is not officially summer until June, but my spring cleaning is not yet done. This is both literal and figurative. I have been clearing out clutter in my life and in the space in which I live. Clutter can slow your thinking, your progress forward, and the beneficial chi that flows through your home. This was inspired by one of my daily emails from a Feng Shui site, which I believe has enhanced my life.

STORY
Clutter has several catagories but for the sake of brevity we'll divide clutter into four; Emotional, Mental, Physical, and Spiritual. I will address each from two perspectives; Figurative (F) and Literal (L).

Emotional Clutter:
(F) Choose three (3) things that you no longer need, use, or love and give them to someone who will do all of those things. You will clear out some stuck energies.
(L) Review your relationships and be honest with your emotional health. If there is (are) any that are more of a drain than benefit, think seriously of distancing yourself. Choose to be around those that cause you joy.

Mental Clutter:
(F) Things that are untidy or disorganized scramble the brain. Organize one drawer today.
(L) Thoughts that are destructive or counter-productive that invade your good spirits are mental clutter. Negative thoughts, instead of positive thoughts, stated over and over become reality. The only way to break the cycle is to believe that what we think, we are. Practice three positive thoughts a day, when you wake up and before you go to sleep. Think about what you want to change and then believe that it is changed. Have confidence in your ability to be in control of your life.

Physical Clutter:
(F) Get rid of one thing causing physical clutter that may also cause reciprocal restrictions in your body. Opening up your living space can give you 'breathing' room.
(L) Make a plan to improve one thing about your physical health in the next month, be it increasing exercise by 15 minutes a day or an hour a week or replacing something in your diet with fresh, organic instead. Take a walk around the block, ride your bike, or go for a swim. Being out in the sun for 15 minutes per day can lift your spirits and improve your health. Eating one meal every other day that is prepared from scratch and fresh ingredients. Do one thing to improve each month.

Spiritual Clutter:
(F) This is unfinished business. Return one email, text, or voicemail today that has been on your 'to do' list in order to plug the energetic drain on your spirit. Write that report, finish that project, fight procrastination today and nourish your sense of accomplishment.
(L) Meditate, listen to an alpha recording, connect with your faith, be still and reflect on your plans. However you clear your soul and experience the oneness of you, take the time to pay attention and realign yourself. Don't let the details of day-to-day living crowd in and overwhelm you. Take time for you.

CONCLUSION
Yes it is very easy to say. Advise is given and it's up to us to use it or continue to be frustrated, disconnected, unhappy, and living a life of quiet desperation. It is up to each individual how your life goes, how your reality unfolds. You can take control or just react to what happens to you. Everyone has the ability to live the life they've always dreamed about, and to be giving and joyful. Clutter is a place to start...after that, there are no limits to the possibilities. Peace & Joy!