A Different Lenten Journey
When the purposes pursued during Lent carry over afterward, that is a salutary sign that a fuse has been lit for something good. I hope so because, like most Americans, my office and closets and garage have been getting more and more full, and this in spite of the fact that I tried very hard to downsize when we moved a couple years ago. Allow me to explain more fully. It is customary among Christians to give up something for Lent as a discipline of self-denial. In other years I have fasted one day a week or given up a favorite food or added devotional time. But this year, I felt I needed to do something different. I decided to tackle the problem of accumulation of things that plagues Americans, me among them.
Accumulation is too easy
Now, I’m just middle class, and I can’t afford to shop much, but if I buy a book here, a tool there, a few folders for the office, something for my Christmas display, I’m adding things to my possessions. Then I receive a few clothes for Christmas, and maybe another shop tool. Perhaps I see a steal of a deal at the one or two summer garage sales I stop for. The result– adding on a few more things. Now I don’t have or need any rented storage units as many Americans have, and I can still park a car in my garage if needed, but I decided that it was still time to turn the tide and make a deliberate start at de-accumulating.
My Lenten goals toward de-accumulating
So for my Lenten journey, I set a goal to get rid of at least forty items from at least 7 different areas of my life. It took me a couple days past Easter to finish, but I exceeded my goal both in numbers of items and in numbers of areas affected. However, I did discover that it was one thing to identify items as extra and ready to be disposed of and another to actually make them disappear. For example, I have two old computers still to take to recycling and I have a stack of books removed from my shelves but not yet taken away. I guess that’s one reason that de-accumulation has to be a continuing discipline.
Steps
- Convince yourself that de-accumulation is desirable and necessary.
- Identify things that are excess in obvious areas first to get the ball rolling.
- Allow the habit to spread into areas you had not thought about down-sizing.
- Keep track of progress for encouragement.
- Set aside things to be de-accumulated that cannot be immediately disposed of.
- Carry through with plans for these identified items.
- Question some underlying purposes that have driven your accumulation.
Benefits
There have already been some good side effects of this effort.
- I like most industrious people had more projects in the works than I could ever do. I have already deliberately discontinued one of my big some-day projects and am questioning another.
- I have reduced clutter which is an encouragement to continue.
- I am creating space to better work on current activities.
- I can sense a narrowing of focus for my energies.
- I believe I have also started a mindset that will help me to continue to pare down inessentials and focus my life more effectively.
