A Lesson in Subtraction

A Lesson in Subtraction

Our daughter, a/k/a Excitedly Eight would much rather put her nose in a book than do math.  That apple didn’t fall far from her Mommy’s tree!  When it comes to her math lessons, subtraction has been more challenging for her than addition. Her teacher told us that this is quite common.

While this is a practical issue for her, it is a philosophical one for me and, quite frankly, a metaphor for life. Lately the HOTY (Husband Of The Year) and I have been feeling the same way, which is a Silver Lining in and of itself. We have been talking a lot about subtracting things from our life and actually making our life smaller physically so that it can be bigger intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

I began this weekend by cleaning my closet and my office. Well, I started to anyway. I still have a long way to go, but just beginning the process felt absolutely terrific. I have to admit that cleaning and decluttering, for me, are mindfulness practices. They are not chores that I dread, nor ways to strive for a perfect living environment, but ways to practice living in the present moment. As such, they are some of my favorite things to do.

Now, I have to admit that I did feel quite overwhelmed when I started the process, but the way that I began was by sitting at my desk and assessing (the piles). I picked up a few things that I don’t need or use, and put them in a bag to be donated or recycled. I started slowly and little by little, I saw a clean surface and I have to say that it felt great!

Next weekend, I plan on doing a bit more…and then a little more until I become better at Subtraction than Addition!

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