MIND • BODY • SPIRIT
That client stopped playing tennis for a reason. Thought she’d get back to it someday. Deep down, still thinks maybe she will. She may be thinking that raising kids took her down a dif- ferent path than she’d planned. All of these feelings might be lurking under- neath that perfectly good and unused tennis racket. The “I used to” stories involve hob- bies we once had, interests that we’ve moved on from, even jobs and relation- Purposeless Practicality ...continued from the previous page
the items we acquired along the way of living our lives, and have stayed around, even though our lives have long since changed beyond when they figured prominently. But, yes, “they’re still perfectly good.” That just isn’t the question that needs to be asked. The questions now are: What role do these items truly play in your current life? If the answer is “none” or “mini- mal,” why does it get to take up valu- able space in your home? Why are you making space in your real estate for
something you no longer make space for in the way you live your life? The “I want to” or “I wanted to” statements are attached to items that we imagined could be or would be part of our lives someday. The obvious examples are the treadmill we thought for sure we’d use because we were go- ing to get in shape. The specialty cook- ing tools that we were definitely going to use more often. The dressy clothes we knew we were going to wear to a special occasion, but the tags are still on it. The tools in the garage we were
ships that are no longer part of our current lives. The items we’re finding from those stories, which are still “per- fectly good” are no longer being used because our life no longer requires them to be in it. They can be items, like CDs or books or movies or even clothing, that were a big part of your life and your interests at one point in time, but don’t have any place in your current life, other than they’ve been allotted space in your home. They are
going to use for a special project someday. Sometimes, heartbreak is attached, as with the nursery for the baby that never came to be. The future imagined visions of ourselves that have yet to happen, and may never. In fact, we may have long since moved past that vision for ourselves, but the stuff we acquired has stayed on the shelf, well, because “they’re still good.” When facing an item that’s rooted in these distant past or imagined future, we’re no longer evaluating the item; we’re evaluating that vision for our lives. Instead of asking, “is this tennis racket still good?” let’s ask, “is playing tennis still a priority in my life? Do I have the time, the ability, the interest to continue to have that ac- tivity be a part of my life, one that requires me to hold onto all this equipment that goes with it? Is it still as important enough to me to store all this?” Both halves of the question are critical: Is it still a priority and does it genuinely fit into my life? Is the only way for me to pursue this activity is by OWNING and STORING all these items that go with it? Let’s face it: If you say, “yes, I still want to and can play tennis,” you might also move that forward more practically with, “but maybe only once a year, maybe even less often. I can rent or borrow a tennis racket the next time I play. In fact, I can rent a better one than I own now.” The same holds true for the items from your past as they do for the items for your once-imagined future. We know that the more the time has passed since you imagined this item being truly used in your life, the less likely it is you will get back to a point where it will be used. But the hard work is in looking at your current life and the likely future you’ll have and determining whether this item and the vision you had for it still holds true. Is that vision still important to you? Is it still feasible? Do you still have the interest, the time, the en- ergy, the money, whatever support you need to make it happen? The guitar you wanted for Christmas because you really wanted to learn to play? It’s been sitting there. Maybe even for years. Now it stares back at you, and you are brave enough to answer the question hon- estly: Will I really study and learn how to play guitar? Facing this barrier can be particularly challenging because it can bring up a lot of emotion, and sometimes those emotions are ones we’d prefer to avoid at all costs. Understanding that those emotions exist, howev- er, help get in touch with the “why,” and help you deal more rationally and move past these emotions: There can be guilt, related to your own underutiliza- tion of a practical item: “I asked for this for a gift, and even though I lost interest, I feel bad because someone spent money on it.” There may be a feeling of failure, especially if that item relates to a vision you once had for your future: “I feel like I’m giving up on a dream. Knowing I never pursued it, and likely never will, makes me sad, maybe even angry.” You may be mourning a loss of what your life used to be like. Maybe you were healthier, or had more mon- ey, or were more active. Maybe you had a career you enjoyed, but that’s no longer your situation. Maybe you enjoyed activities with friends and family or romantic relationships, but that’s not as much a part of your life anymore. Your life has changed, and these items can cause you to say, “This a sad or painful reminder how my life used to be and of what I’ve lost.”
Holistic Herbal Foundations March – November 2021 Classes, Workshops & Health Consultations
Teresa Boardwine, RH (AHG)
�e mission of Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine is to educate and empower individuals to heal themselves using herbal medicine.
www.GreenComfortHerbSchool.com
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30—PATHWAYS—Winter 20-21
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