Next Step

I always like to check on my website for previous blogs to ensure that I do not use the same title. Today, I was compelled to use the title “Saying Goodbye” or “Letting Go.” Apparently I’ve used those titles before… hence, “Next Step.” I reread those blogs to see where I was at that time. In the “Saying Goodbye” entry, I was saying goodbye to my Educ 471 class at SFU. They were my first class I taught as a sessional instructor at SFU and loved it. I learned so much from them and about my teaching. I was reminded how much I loved working with students and engaging with them. That was only a few months ago. It seems like a lifetime. The second entry, “Letting Go,” was written in 2012. It’s almost full circle and I’m having similar thoughts.

Today, I was motivated to get some housework done. This is a rare occurrence because I would love to do anything else but housework. From vacuuming to dusting… from washing dishes to laundry… I was finally taking some time for myself to get the house in order. In doing so, I was reminded by my One Word 2017… JOY. I kind of lost sight of that. Hmm… how can I derive joy from house cleaning? I must admit that there was some satisfaction derived when I replaced a light bulb or two and replenished the toilet paper rolls in each washroom. Going back to my first inspiration of “Saying Goodbye” and “Letting Go,” I was motivated to get rid of some of my stuff… starting with my closet. I was doing the laundry anyway. Why not?

My sister spoke of a method called KonMari. Of course I Googled it up and found a blog of someone else who found JOY from decluttering using KonMari. Here’s the blog link if you’re interested. https://www.happier.com/blog/5-life-changing-lessons-the-konmari-decluttering-method-taught-me It seemed serendipitous… JOY and cleaning. KonMari seemed right up my alley. Although I did not put all of my clothes in a pile, I did look at each piece of clothing and asked myself if it brought me joy. One by one, I tossed clothes in a pile to give away. My daughter becomes one of those benefactors. She was also another reason why I had to reassess what’s in my closet. She loves taking my clothes at will and quickly turn them into her own. Instead of getting frustrated, I let it go and said goodbye Lululemon shirts, tights, etc.

LIBERATING. Albeit, not done perfectly but it felt great to get rid of things I was holding onto. Why did I hold onto these pieces of clothing, jewelry, or whatever? During the day, I would take a break because I was driving my daughter somewhere, going to a meeting, or having lunch. During that down time, I would reconsider my second guesses and just got rid of them. My closet and drawers look more tidy and organized. I have a big pile clothes in front of my bedroom door and I am ready for the next closet, drawer, or cupboard. Bring it!!! This process of what brings me joy via decluttering my living space is a metaphor for life. You can’t let new things in if you have too many things in hand. Sometimes you have to let go and say goodbye.

What’s my next step? Get this dissertation done. I’m stumped with one part of my Chapter 4 revisions. By making a decision, I have to either let go of a significant finding or redo pages of calculations and hope for the best. I’m not sure if I’m prepared to do the latter. My dissertation is also undergoing a decluttering process… and I hope, in the end, much joy is derived. I do love the learning process and adore the problem solving aspect of writing (I cannot believe I said that). I cannot wait for my next steps, but in doing so I am going to have to let go and say goodbye.