As I mentioned during my year-end assessment, one of the gifts of 2007 was my friend Pat Kolon helping me bring order to the house Ed and I have lived in since 1971. Two string-savers in one family does not make for a minimalist approach to cabinets, closets and drawers. But since I hired Pat to come every Monday, things are looking much better. Not only is less becoming more, but my surplus can now be used by folks who need it. Today's task was the kitchen cabinets that house everyday glasses, mugs, vases, bowls and plates. Not only did I want to weed out what we no longer need, but to find easy-to-reach places for the things I use every day. Being a mobility scooter-rider means I can only reach so far. Yes, I can stand up, but any kind of serious stretching is not safe. And Pat, being the wonderful housekeeper that she is, wanted to wash all the items and scrub down the shelves. This was in addition to packing up my giveaways so she could take them to the Latino Family Service. What a job!

As Pat was working, it occurred to me that this process of bringing order out of chaos could be a metaphor for those times when each of us is called to examine the deep dark recesses of our hearts and minds. Those times when we must decide what no longer serves us, what others might be able to use, and how best to organize that which we choose to keep. This might refer to our ways of doing things, our attitudes about our past and present lives, any grudges we might be holding, how we relate to others, and, most importantly, how we relate to our Selves. It can be an unsettling, even painful, process, one with which we might need help. Like I've been needing Pat's help every Monday for months. And, as with my kitchen cabinets, closets and drawers, we are never really done. To keep our lives in order, every so often we must go through this process again. We can only hope that each time we will have less to deal with. But more than that, each time we hope that we'll be able to travel lighter than before.