If These Walls Could Talk

I took my kids to see Toy Story 3 today and was reminded of a couple of Feng Shui principles (between laughing and crying at such a wonderful story). Even if you haven't seen the movie, pretty much everyone knows the premise, right? The toys come alive when the humans are not around. Who are we to say this doesn't ever happen anyway. I swear my glasses make the rounds of my house every day. These toys--a cowboy, a space ranger, a slinky, Mr. Potato Head--they all love the little boy to whom they belong. He drags them out in the yard, sleeps with them, takes them on errands with his mom, but most importantly, he brings them to life with his imagination.

In the third movie, this little boy is now 17 and is headed off to college. Throughout the movie I was thinking about "things" and how we treat the material objects in our lives. What if everything we owned came to life when we weren't around. What would they say? Would they be happy? Would they be as devoted to us as Woody is to Andy? With Feng Shui we are challenged to look at everything in our environments as being alive--alive with chi, with life energy. Our memories, our behaviors, our emotions are absorbed in to the matter of these objects. If years of holiday meals are shared over a dining table, that table holds the energy of those people, of those gatherings, of the bread that was broken there. If intimate parent/child talks are had on a front porch swing, that swing holds the energy of that relationship, that precious connection, those emotions. That table should remain polished, screws tightened, wood protected. The chain that holds that swing should not get rusty, the pollen should be cleaned off, the cushions fluffed.

Remember also that our environment is a reflection of what is going on within our spirits. Look around you. What do you see? Really look, and consider if this rings true for you. I'm willing to bet on some level it does. Everything you own should be precious to you. Keep in mind the role these objects have in holding you back or moving you forward. If you are divorced and are still sleeping on the same mattress, get a new one. If there's a dent in your bike helmet that reminds you of that big wreck, treat yourself to a new helmet. Does your artwork represent who you are? Does your couch make you feel comforted? Live with what you love, and love what you live with.

On the morning the boy in the movie was heading off to college, his mom walked in his room and gasped because he had taken all the posters off his walls, all his belongings either packed away or passed on. It was a shell of a room. A room that just the day before felt like her son. He slept and played and studied and grew up there, and his energy was sucked up by those four walls and everything else within them. As a mom I could totally relate to this moment. I look around me now and see my kids' books, a barbie doll, a plate made in art class, nail polish, and photographs. My kids are tucked in their beds asleep right now, but they are all around me. This house pulses with their energy all the time. If all of these items that remind me of them were in one day gone, it would take my breath away too.

In the end even Andy had a hard time letting go of the one thing that most reminded him of his childhood. Was he ready to grow up? Was he ready to move on? We need to consider if letting something go is going to open up space for something new and wonderful to enter. I sometimes pretend that material things are of no importance, but sometimes they are. I have an altar filled with simple and thoughtful gifts from precious friends and I could never get rid of these items for the sake of "spring cleaning." At least not now. Right now they reflect who I am and what is important to me.

When my grandmother passed this spring, my mom and my uncle had the daunting task of going through her belongings and determining what should be kept (and by whom) and what should be thrown away or donated. Nana is gone--these things are of no use to her anymore. But these things hold memories for the rest of us. The costume jewelry, the funky glasses, the blankets she knitted. We now look at them and smile, remembering her fondly.

So this week why don't you pick a room a day to explore. Just sit in that space for a few minutes and look at what's around you. If it came alive when you left the room, would it be happy? What kind of energy has it soaked up in the time that you've had it? Does it reflect who you are now? Does it support where your life path is taking you? Is there someone else that would benefit from it far more than you would? Just one room a day. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

peace, love, and a few of my favorite things...