When I took the Mondo Beyondo course last October, one of the most useful concepts about which I learned was “creating a clearing.” Andrea and Jen described this as consciously opening space in your life, whether it be emotional or physical, to get to things you really want to get to, like your dreams and desires.
For some people, their clearing involved getting rid of the TV or only letting themselves watch it on weekends. For others it meant cleaning out their home office, finally buying a desk organizer, or ending their involvement in a project that takes up too much of their time.
Lately, for me, it means dealing with my massive collection of RSS feeds on Google Reader. I know, not what you were expecting huh? When I first discovered Google Reader I was thrilled and went on blog-adding binge. The blogs ranged in topics from celebrity gossip and comics to long, political essays and Buffalo-related news. And lots more. This afternoon, after thinking about it on and off for several weeks, I (sort of) suddenly unsubscribed from a huge number of them, most notably the ones that generate the most posts (almost exclusively entertainment-based blogs). I made a conscious decision to unsubscribe from blogs that relied heavily on snark or negativity too.
It’s not that I won’t visit these blogs on my own (could never give up ONTD completely) but subscribing to such a huge number of them because a big distraction. I needed to clear that space. I was hesistant to post this because I don’t want to sound preachy but hey, maybe someone will relate to my clearing or the idea of creating a clearing in general. If so, good luck!
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Teresa - That need to create a clearing is a big part of why I stepped back from politics so much this summer. I realized that it left me no time for anything else that was important to me and I needed to go back and pick up some threads I’d dropped along the way. That is why I used my last paycheck from New York State to buy a bike, a pair of hiking boots, and a laptop–all things related to what I wanted to start focusing on again. I am amazed at how many of the things I’d truly craved were actually very simple (like cooking regularly or taking the dog for a walk) but made a huge difference in my overall happiness. Bigger goals like starting to write fiction again or studying French more formally are still a little bit beyond where I am right now but just knowing I have cleared the space mentally and physically are enough for now.
Kristin - I get sucked into the online cycle. Check facebook, check twitter, check email, check blogs, repeat to see what I have missed while checking other sites. I think I use all of these sites as an escape. Thanks for posting this. I like the analogy of a clearing.