Spring Cleaning for the Soul:
Removing the Deadwood
by Sunny Schlenger
 A few years ago, my group of trees were suddenly gone, everyone. The tall, beautiful hemlocks that edged my patio had been dying for several years –- victims of an incurable disease that transformed their hardy green branches into empty brown twigs.
I resisted, but we finally had to have them cut down, and all of a sudden I could see into my neighbors’ yards and into their houses, and this was very interesting. No, not because I am a nosey busybody but because, although I’ve always been one to treasure my privacy, at the same time I’m incredibly curious about the rest of the world. So while we waited for the new bushes to be planted and grow, instead of staring out at a wall of green, I found myself enjoying the antics of children on their sliding board and watching retirees relax in the springtime sun, reading the newspaper.
Sitting at my desk and taking in this scene one day, I began to think about why I’m so fascinated with what people do and how they do it. It truly is the foundation of my organizing and coaching business, and it’s why I see everything as connected: how people spend their time, what sorts of dishes and pens they like to use, what papers they save, what magazines they look at, the things they collect, the music they listen to, the stuff on their closet floor
-– all are evidence of unique personalities.
Although it’s fine to improve your organizational skills purely for productivity’s sake –- to be more efficient, effective, streamlined, and functional –- the bottom line is how everything fits together in the jigsaw puzzle that’s your life. The goal should not be just to have the pieces fit well but to produce a picture that pleasing and that’s truly you –- today.
And that’s why we need to clean out the deadwood once in a while –- so we can get a clear view of what’s actually there now. Removing the deadwood is not always the easiest thing to do, especially for pack rats. We get very used to having our belongings around, even if they’re serving no useful purpose. That was the case with my hemlocks. When I thought of the years I’d spent staring out at them while I worked and all of the experiences I’ve had that they’d borne silent witness to, the idea of chopping them down seemed impossible. But that was then, and this is now.
And that is one of the keys to being able to part with things. Often it’s not the things themselves but the memories they represent that we’re holding onto...
>>> Click to Continue Reading "Removing the Deadwood"©
Copyright Sunny Schlenger. This article was originally
published at our website, SoulfulLiving.com, in Spring 2005, as part of Soulful Living's "Spring Cleaning" Issue.
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