Stepping Stones

It’s funny how the seemingly simplest decisions can cause the greatest struggles. For example, I’m attending an annual holiday book giveaway on Friday, and it should be easy to decide on a book to offer up, right? Well, not exactly. Suddenly, books that have been lining my shelves for decades that I haven’t cracked for as long, are priceless, indispensable treasures. Suddenly, I’m enamored by books I haven’t noticed for years, classics like Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones and Julia Cameron’s The Artists’ Way that changed my life immeasurably ages ago.

 In the past month, I’ve paged my way through book after book, trying to find the perfect one to give away, the one that’s brought meaning to my life that I’m ready to part with. And still I struggle … I keep thinking what If I give “this one” away and realize that I really need it?

In case you’re wondering, I’m well acquainted with the public library, and well aware of the fact that I can find just about any book imaginable there. So, what’s my problem? My problem, it seems, isn’t about books at all. It’s about being overly attached to “things” in my life. I’ve known this about myself for some time now, and have been working on becoming less attached. But the truth is I still AM attached to certain things, and every once in a while, that “knowing” kicks me in the butt again.

While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a special place in my heart for a particular book, I do find that my “issue” with attachments gets in the way of me letting go of items I no longer need in my life, whether it’s a good book, an old reliable computer or a bicycle that hasn’t seen the light of day since Bill Clinton was in the White House.

Maybe you, too, feel this struggle sometimes, this need to hang on to what you have. If so, I feel your pain. Yet, I certainly know that when we let go of things we no longer need or that are no longer serving us, two things happen. For one, we feel better, because let’s face it, giving feels good. The other thing is that giving things away makes room in our lives for new things that fit with who we truly are today, rather than who we were 10 years ago or 10 days ago. And I’m not necessarily talking about material things. It could be anything, really: a new friend, a new job, a new vegetable garden, or even a new book.

So it’s not going to be easy, but today, I’m going to end this silly struggle and decide on a book to bring to the annual giveaway. And while I’m on a roll, I’m going to look through my closet and pack up the clothes I no longer wear so that someone less fortunate than me can put them to good use.

When do you have trouble letting go? And what do you do to encourage the spirit of giving in your life?