Last night I attended the first of a ten-week course entitled “Practical Philosophy” in Manhattan. The instructor told us that the study of philosophy is meant to help us dust ourselves off in order to find our own place of inner happiness.
Now, I love dusting. In fact, I love cleaning in general. Every chance I get I clean out a closet, drawer or an entire room and I hold a competition with myself as to how much stuff I am able to purge. It’s a great pick-me-up, as I always win.
Out of respect for the other people who live with me, I now announce when I am ready to begin the annual purge so that they can run and hide their belongings. I understand that my husband is attached to the Coke bottle from the 1984 Hoyas Championship, but it still has the soda in it. Gross.
Yet, where do I start to dust myself off, to purge the layers that hold me back from being my best self?
I will start working on my weight. I’ve got the weekly exercise habit under my belt, so now I need to rework my eating habits. (Spoiler alert – a sales pitch is coming next!) Arbonne has launched a series of vegan, gluten-free products that help on the weight-loss front. They are used in combination with a healthy diet and the system is proving very successful for many people. It has taken me years, but I finally realize that I need to achieve optimal health, not a perfect body.
I will allow myself time to grieve. I will grieve for the daughter who is thousands of miles away and I will grieve for my dear friend whose laughter I will not hear again. Each sob, each burst of anger, will remove a bit of the pain until all that is left is acceptance.
I will work without guilt and I will enjoy watching my businesses grow. My family has shown me in so many ways that they are fine with the changes that my new pursuits have brought to our daily lives. It’s just taken me a while to see it.
On the flip side, I will continue to stop what I am doing when one of the boys wants to play a game or our daughter needs me to read over a paper. The chores and the work will be there when I am finished. The fleeting moments of the children’s’ youth will not.
Finally, I will count all of the many blessings that surround me and absorb the grace within the gratitude.
You know what is the best part of this personal dusting off? If all goes according to plan, I will have enough energy and joy to conquer the final frontier in my quest for a perfectly clean house…. the garage!