I admit it. I procrastinate. Do you? I have discovered the more time I procrastinate, the less time I have in my life to enjoy and really live. I keep a to-do list mostly because I think if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember to do it. However, the more I write on that list, the less likely I am to complete all the things I think I must do! And I am realizing as I have more to put on that list, the less I get done.

Do you do this? Writing the list or just keeping all you must do in mind is a thief of time, yet I haven’t been able to give up that list, yet. Now I am examining that list and wondering how everything on it got there. In this process, I see that I am hanging on to things that I don’t need to. One of the things that has taken up permanent residence on my list is to file. In early grief, I found the mail arriving every day was overwhelming, so I left it on a pile on my desk. The bigger the pile got, the heaver the burden of it became.

I realized that I had to address that pile. I sat with the pile and a trash can and tossed all that didn’t matter: advertisements, coupons, offers of things that did not concern me, and invitations to events I was not interested in. That got rid of about 80% of that pile. That eye opener made me wonder why I had been allowing that pile of mail to intimidate me. I resolved to sort my mail on the way from the house and dump all I do not need in the trash can outside before it even enters the house. Then I was easily able to deal with anything important, and the huge pile of mail ceased to exist.

Now when I look at my list, I no longer see the words mail and file on the list. In wondering why this had become such a big deal to me, I remembered that my husbands loved to pick up the mail and go through it each day. I miss them doing that. I miss the agreements we had to support each other by taking on the tasks we did. I missed seeing their names on the envelopes that arrived reminding me that we lived and loved in this home.  Keeping all that mail served no good purpose, and I have plenty of things that are constant reminders of them.  Releasing felt good.

I’ve continued examining my list, and it gets shorter as I see no reason to hang on to things that don’t serve me. Now I am able to eliminate the clutter in my home and my life as I no longer keep his favorite food on hand that I am never going to eat. I no longer watch sports on tv that I used to watch with him because he enjoyed it so much. I still feel his presence and love, I still enjoy my memories. And I have opened so much space in order to live my best life now enjoying every moment along the way.

What can you release?

 

The Grief and Happiness Alliance

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

My email is [email protected]

Let me know if you’d like to receive my newsletters which have lots of good things!

You can listen to my Grief and Happiness podcast here or anyplace you listen to podcasts.

You can join the Grief and Happiness Alliance Gatherings which meet weekly on Sundays by clicking here

You can order the International Best Selling The Grief and Happiness Handbook by clicking here.

You can order The Grief and Happiness Cards by clicking here.

You can order Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief by clicking here.