My closet is full of clothes I don’t wear. Some I purchased, some were given to me. Some I loved wearing, but they are now worn out. Some I only wore a couple of times because I didn’t really like how they fit, or they were itchy or uncomfortable. Some I never wore at all.
Even though I clean out my closet at least once a year, there are still garments that end up staying with me that I know I probably won’t wear. Why do I keep them? Sometimes for nostalgia - they remind me of a happy time. Some items get kept because I worry I’ll need it as soon as I get rid of it. Some clothes remain because I feel guilty for either never wearing it, or maybe wearing it once. Sometimes it’s because letting go of something feels like closing a door on a past chapter and I’m not ready to do that. I’ve got a collection of gowns from years spent singing classical music that have not made their way out of my house, even though I know I don’t really want to give a recital anytime soon - and if I did I would want to buy a new dress!
I guided our yoga classes through a "spring cleaning" meditation a couple of weeks ago using the metaphor of the closet, as it's a pretty relatable way of taking a look at our tendency to hold on to things that no longer serve us. If we act this way toward our material possessions, we can be sure this is creeping in to other areas of our lives as well.
What if I could step back and be more of an observer to my closet cleaning? Maybe I could look at items I love that are worn and need to be replaced, and be happy I’ve gotten good use out of them as I retire them? Maybe I could look at outfits from my past that I have no immediate plans to wear and be grateful for those past times, while excited for the chapter of my life I am in now. Maybe I can look at clothing I never wore and say “it’s fine, this was clearly not for me.” Maybe I could let go of things others have given me without carrying around extra guilt.
If I could do even some of that, what a gift it would be. I might see things that have been buried under all the things that I don’t wear, that I actually love and that I might have been missing. I might be able to see more clearly what I’m lacking that I need to acquire. I might be making room for something I don’t know about yet, but when I find it, there will be space for it.
It’s no easy task to clean out the closet, so I give myself grace. I know I will keep things I don’t need, and I might even give away something I wish I’d kept. But I will go back again next year, or whenever I’m ready and take another look.
We are free to let go, and since spring is a time for fresh starts, it's a great time to practice this. We can let go of past versions of ourselves that prevent us from being the best version of us now. We are free to release emotions we’ve been carrying that might be preventing us from from living life to the fullest. We can tear down walls we might have built many years ago and begin to explore what lies outside them. We can let go of stories we might have been telling ourselves, and recognize that many of those stories may never have been ours at all.
There are things that may have served us for a while, but no longer do. There are things that never served. We are free to let go. If you'd like to include this idea in your meditation/quiet time, I've included a short meditation below.
Strength & Love,
Kati
Meditation:
I am free to let go.
I release burdens that are too heavy to carry.
I embrace the beautiful version of me that exists in this moment.
I release what no longer serves me in being that beautiful version of me.
I release old stories I may have been telling myself.
I release anchors that may be weighing me down.
I am free to let go, and welcome what comes when I have allowed space for it.