I could say that I had the chance to move several times during my life. Although, moving house comes with quite a lot of trouble, it is a very good exercise to give up on some things. The last time I moved, I filled a lot of rubbish bins near my building.
I try giving up on objects, clothes, quite often. I find myself nostalgic – I do not wear something, but I do not want to throw it away as it reminds me of a place, a state of mind, an experience.
I try to do this cleaning exercise of my space not just with clothes but also with books, perfumes, shoes as well – things that are quite dear to my heart. I believe it is a good idea to do such an exercise at least once a quarter. We will realize that, in fact, we do not need many things.
It is more difficult with people. A few years ago, I met a lady from Australia – I was at a conference, going through a difficult personal period. She told me: ‘keep in mind the following word: Next! When someone causes you too much stress, too much sadness, Next! You do not have a lot of time in life, do not wait!’
It seemed too harsh for me at the time. Now, if I look back, I realize that in some corners, drawers of my life there still is room to throw out the garbage, to give up on things. It is like when we put something in the closet, we store it there; and at some point they need to be sorted and thrown out.
When I was married, I remember that we bought a small apartment and received from my mother various things, among which some potatoes – she was hoping she could convince me to start cooking. I put the potatoes in a storage closet and forgot about them. After several months, I accidentally opened the closet door and I got scared. The closet had turned into a sort of grim garden: the potatoes had sprouted so much that they had leaves and stems. It was as if I was in a Jack and the beanstalk movie. I closed the door frightened and decided to get rid of them.
Like the potatoes, some instances, especially the negative ones, some people, who were not good to us, remain ‘hanging’ in our mind and soul; like my potatoes in the closet, they grow, surround us, and can become toxic.