Many of us have just wrapped up Christmas and Chanukah—holidays of goodness, abundance, and the giving of gifts. It’s also a time of year where, everywhere we look, there’s lots of stuff—decorations, wrapping paper, trees, candles, and such. Though it’s pretty and festive, after a while, it can just seem like a lot.
That’s why the days before and after the new year are a time when many of us put away the decorations, return the unneeded gifts, and generally get back to normal after the intensity of the holidays. If I have decorated, this is the time when I put away the festive dingle-dangles. And around this time—usually on New Year’s Day, I also do something else—I deliberately get rid of something. I got into this ritual a few years ago, and I invite you to share it with me.
Find something you no longer use, want, or need (holiday decorations don’t count), and give it away, donate it, or throw it out (whatever is most appropriate). It doesn’t matter if the object is as small as a thimble or as big as a sofa, because the purpose is the same—to consciously create space in your physical world. Why? Because this time of year, we look hopefully at the new year ahead and the things we’d like to be, do, and have. Clearing space creates an energetic shift that will help usher in those things.
Take a look around you—right now. What can you release? Do it now. I’d love to hear about it.
Photo by Paul Pastourmatzis on Unsplash