W.J.

Mar 16, 2015

It’s been a path with many twists and turns … working with you and learning from you at my home was really a powerful experience and changed my life in ways that have made my life profoundly better … I moved to my mom’s house … she’s in a nursing home … and this year, I took on my parents’ house garage that was really crammed with stuff … I still think of you, still,  very often, and appreciate how much you taught me and your wonderful ways of doing, your organizing mania—you made it contagious … Much of my life in the past two years has actually seemed very out of control and there have been many dark phases, it’s felt so hard to get the pieces of my life to fit together and make sense like they once did, but during that time, the brightest spots include the times I’ve decluttered and organized my spaces, and it’s so energizing and uplifting instead of frustrating and depressing like other things. Before I knew you, I was just helpless when it came to organizing things; I was lost, and things were stressful and chaotic. Now, I do pretty well with that part of my life. I think you were helpful with me and with organizing because of your spirituality—that put everything into a larger frame. I had always thought that organizing was just not my thing, I wasn’t the right type of person, but coming from you, it was a different kind of experience than it had been before and that had to do with the spirituality, so that the meaning of the organizing was more than just mundane. It was part of the larger whole. Having things in their places and not having too many things that get in your way – that’s a tool so that you can find meaning and purpose and love in life.

W.J., social worker

J.W.

Mar 7, 2015

It’s a new day and thank you for your energy and gifts. I feel and see much possibility – limitless. I sure wish I didn’t have to go to work today because I’m feeling organizing mania for my home and life, have been tweaking around this morning but gotta do other stuff and I sense how much room there is going to be for all that stuff I have to do. All will be fitting in better and flowing more smoothly now.

Knowing that the illumination would not wear off, I can see things that I can do, I just need the time to do it, and I get happiness just from being able to see it and know that I can do it. What you said that your physical world is the one thing you can control, that really hits home, a timely idea for me. A wonderful realization. Changing the way the mind works is iffy but picking up a useless homeless object and taking it down to the curb – that at least I can do – to make my life freer and easier. It’s clear enough. Ideas I’m finding soooo helpful and meaningful. To only keep it if it’s a really love it, that’s a good one! That each and every thing has its home – anything I can’t put in its home, I can put into the trash or out to the curb, or send to Goodwill … it’s a good way of sorting things. Effortless and easy – a paradigm for how things should be – for example, getting rid of clutter – I tended to think of it as drudgery but it need not be experienced that way. Does it express my truth? That one is deep and powerful.

Even though I haven’t had much time to implement the ideas, in the short amount of time I’ve had, I’ve created a lot of space.  Taking the dog crate, chair out of the kitchen, the Arrowhead thing blocking that door for 10 years, I didn’t give a thought … it’s wonderfully weird to be able to walk through the door without having that constrict my movements to avoid running into things.  The systems – they are terrific! It’s exciting to think and realize that it’s just barely the beginning of what’s possible and yet it feels so good and powerful.

J.W., social worker/mother