Letting Go
A couple days ago, I decided to give something away that has meant a lot to me, but that I feel someone else needed more than me. This was not an easy thing to give away. To give you a little background about why what I did was so hard I have to tell you about 14 years ago. 14 years ago I graduated from massage therapy school and my journey as a massage therapist began. I worked full time at it for a couple years and then got pregnant with my first baby so I stopped doing it full time. I continued to keep up my license for massage for about 8ish years. I wasn't using my license all that much so it felt natural to decide to stop taking continuing education and paying to keep my license. I still use massage on my family some, but overall this season of my life hasn't been the time for using massage.
Recently a fire devastated a few businesses in my home town where we are currently living. One of the businesses was a spa that was run by a friend of mine. I made the decision to give her my massage table so that one of her therapists could use it. This was not an easy decision! I have held onto that table for 14 years. I have moved it 7 times and I have stored it in every house I've lived in. For those who don't know massage tables are big and bulky so it's not an easy thing to store.
Since I'm not using it very often, especially in our current home, it felt like someone who could use it on a regular basis, could use it more than I have. I also felt like someone else needed it and I could really lift a burden that someone else was carrying by giving them something they really needed. Our family is also moving, (more on that later) yes I wrote that right we are moving across the country to the state of Washington so I have spent most of the year so far getting rid of things that we don't want to bring with us. Ultimately, it felt right to part with it and let it go.
I decided my word for 2022 was letting go. This has meant so many things. Not only has it meant letting go of the past, and moving forward but it has also meant letting go of the things in my home that aren't serving me anymore. Choosing to give away my massage table was the hardest one so far. I know there is more to come to give away. I know that in the end it will be what is best for our family, but it has not been easy!
I have learned through this experience though that living a life full of things that aren't serving us doesn't help us achieve our goals. Freeing ourselves from all the stuff in our homes helps us have less decisions to makes which frees up space for making other important decisions. It also means I will choose to be way more intentional about the things I do bring into my home when we move.
I have also learned another really valuable lesson. It's okay to have all the emotions about the things I'm giving away. It's okay to be sad to move forward in my life without all those things. It's okay to cry about those things if you need to. It's okay to wish I could have it all yet know that getting rid of it is what's best. It is also completely okay to take pictures to remind myself of the memories associated with those things. It's okay to remember the past and to thank God that I was given the opportunities that I had because of those "things" but then it's also okay to say goodbye.
Now when I move into our new home I hope that everything I bring into my home will be something that brings us joy, helps us grow, or has a specific purpose. If it doesn't I hope I can have the strength to say no. I still will most likely keep more than a true minimalist. Having 5 children I may keep more than some others would but it's not about them it's about me. It's about freeing up space in my home to allow me to serve the people and things that matter most to me. It's about getting rid of the things that are holding me back from having the life I truly want to have. It's about freeing myself up to be the person God wants me to be.
Is it hard for you to get rid of stuff? If it is, you are not alone! If you are good at this do you have any tips because the more I get rid of the better at this point. Any motivational messages you want to send my way about this topic I'm all ears. Reply here or let us know on social media how you feel about getting rid of stuff. I would love to hear!
Also for those who are wondering about our move, here are a few things I will say about it. My Husband got a job with Boeing in Seattle and we feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity. This job will be overall a really good fit for him and he feels confident in what he will be asked to do, which is a huge blessing! Like I mentioned before this has not been easy, and it will continue to not be easy. Yet, we feel the benefits out way the risks so we are going. Currently we live in the town I was raised in so saying goodbye to the family who lives here and all the memories I have being here is hard! When we moved back to Arizona in 2018 I would have never imagined we would move again. I thought my family and I would call this our home forever. For some reason the Lord wants us in Washington, so ready set here we go.
P.S. Because you all desire to treat yourselves this Valentines we have decided to give all of you a 30% off coupon code that will expire next Tuesday the 15th at midnight. Thank you for your understanding and support! It means the world to us! Coupon code is VALENTINE30