This post originally appeared on Jen’s blog at jenregan.info.
In order to keep my commitment of getting rid of 40 possession in 40 days, I am getting really close to giving away things that I would normally keep. Some may think, “what’s the point Jen, I understand giving away things that you no longer use or no longer want, but this is getting a little silly.”
You may be right, but I knew this getting into the commitment. The original inspiration for this project was a Benedictine Monk who started out with a lot less than me and decided to sacrifice for 40 days. Like he did, now I have to move into the sacrificial stage of my 40 days.
These items may not seem like much of a sacrifice to you, but realize, I have looked over my entire house for the past 4 weeks and for whatever reason, the items I select from this point on were items I had a plan for. I was planning on reading that book again, I really like that piece of clothing, I was planning on using those videos again. Whatever the case, I had hopes of using these items again.
The great news is that
- I can live without them.
- I am giving them to people who can use them instead of collecting dust on my shelves.
I present to you, Week #4, Possession #22-#28!
Possession #22: A book I was hoping to read down the road. I doubt that was realistic because I have many other books “on my list” to read, before I would have gotten to this one.
Possession #23: This book I utilized as we were starting our company. It’s a great reference, but I was able to pass it on to a friend getting ready to start-up their business. I’m glad it can be put to good use!
Possession #24: A few kitchen odds and ends. I was baking one night and realized I had the measuring cup hidden way in the back. This measuring cup was a great idea but a pain to clean, so I stopped using it and now it is out the door!
Possession #25: Another book going to a good friend!
Possession #26: A great set of exercise videos. These were the videos that started my journey towards my current fitness goals. They were great, so I passed them on to my mom so she could walk indoors when the weather is bad.
Possession #27: Is another fun exercise video. I love to dance and this one was great! But I pulled it off the shelf and now I am just left with my two yoga videos.
Possession #28: These are some odds and ends from my office. File folder, a special two hole punch and another journal.
7 more things that are truly not important when we consider the big picture of life. I am confident that over the next 12 days, the sacrifice that I make will be nothing compared to the freedom I feel as I create open space, the gratitude I feel for the items I decide to keep and the joy I will feel for keeping my commitment to saying goodbye to 40 possession in 40 days.
By the way, Easter is actually 18 days away, not 12. And the tradition that I grew up with was to give up something until Easter, so yes, I will give up the extra 6 items = 46 days!