9 Ways to Move Into the Depths, Part 1

In order to grow, we have to move on, and one of the fundamental principles I use to move on is to remind myself that physical objects are not as important as society would have us think. 

As humans we imbue all sorts of objects with magical properties. Good examples are autographs, paper money, large collections of books, toys or even clothes. And I am here to say that I, just like you, also enjoy physical objects for their beauty and utility. But often this attachment keeps us from self-developing. Objects can keep us in a very shallow place. 

As a young queer I collected books, clothes, concert ticket stubs, CDs, and of course, all sorts of lycra gear, including a large cosplay collection. But starting in my late 30’s, I got into the habit of thinning out my belongings and becoming a minimalist. 

Living without deep attachments to all my objects prepared me well for my father’s death and its aftermath, the period after his funeral when it was time to deal with his belongings.

It’s only when you go through a dead one’s belongings that you can clearly see how heavily these objects weighed down a person. The ways in which they could not move on because of an expectation that the object would keep them safe or fool them into thinking that moments could be frozen in time and kept forever. 

When you start to understand why you stubbornly hold on to clutter, you start to understand a part of yourself. If you want to go further, I recommend the books Stuff by Randy O. Frost and the Gentle Swedish Art of Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson. 

If you want to explore this more deeply with me, consider signing up for coaching with me.