Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
What a mess
I wouldn’t say it’s bad
But my mess is in a mess
I can’t move for mess
I can’t breathe in the mess
And I certainly can’t deal
With the mess
What to discard first though?
Hurtful memories?
Sad moments?
Re-visions of childhood sibling scraps?
Or the shoes I was wearing
The night my mum died?
My old teddy?
(Never!)
My old engagement ring?
(Why not)
The drawing of the Wombles
My brother gave to me?
Not - in - a - million - years
It’s so hard because
Clutter has different personalities
And different places in your life
Some in the mind
And some in the cupboard
The mind stuff fights back
“You will not let me go!”
The bad inextricably linked to the good
As a timeline of your life
You can’t cut bits out
And splice them like a film
Because the story would lose perspective
I triumphed over - a friend’s birthday party
One thing doesn’t make sense
Without the other
The timeline is broken
Stuff clutter makes sense alone
Yet it judges you
“You know you’re going to need me one day”
One odd shoe?
But you put it back
(In case the other one turns up)
How to overcome the noise?
Start with the heart
Keep your heart free
From your mind and environment
Let it tell you what really matters
And discard what it dismisses
As too hurtful
Too dusty
Or no longer relevant
Bin it
Or forget it!
Deb Hawken - 2025
Deb Hawken - Amorah 