Rubbish-picking
Inspired by my brave, wonderful readers and clients
Not long after we come into this world, we’re handed a bag of rubbish. Or perhaps it’s given to us long before we’re born, generations ago.
We think that we have to carry it — to keep it safe. Everyone can add to the bag, whether we like it or not. They don’t ask for our permission, they just stuff extra bits in, filling our pockets with dirty wrappers and gunk.
It gets heavier as we grow older. Sometimes it leaks grime all over our lives, splitting open and unleashing a stinking mess, as we attempt to contain it. We scrub and clean all around it, hoping nobody notices the ugly presence lurking.
That is, until we ourselves choose to put it down.
Until we choose to open the bag, to face the foul odours, the dirt, and inspect each and every piece.
We rummage around in the grease — some of it is ours, but a lot of it is not.
We choose to stop ignoring it because we know that behind the age-old hurts and bad smells there are gemstones, lessons, and a sense of deep connection to be found.
We know that the longer we recoil from it, the heavier it grows. The more we pretend it doesn’t exist, the more those shadows rule over us and our lives.
Rubbish-picking is sweaty, dirty work. Sometimes it’s painful and dark, but it allows for light to filter through — in the form of new relationships with others, who help us on our journey. Light filters through, in the form of shedding weights — allowing us to float closer to ourselves, to what makes us feel grounded and aligned.
Light filters through.
I know it isn’t easy. We all have bags of rubbish, shadows, that we’d prefer to ignore. Blotches on our energy, preventing the natural flow. We’ve all probably added to other people’s bags — maybe inadvertently, maybe not — which adds to our sense of shame too.
Uncovering the junk may take time, coming home to ourselves is a process that lasts a lifetime. But there’s a long, hot shower at the end of it — to wash the dust away, to flush the grit down the drain.
To let the clean, fresh, cool water run over you, leaving your skin soft and leaving you smudge-free.
Cleansed.
Here’s to everyone brave enough to face the debris ❤
Witnessing people right where they’re at on their journey is one of my greatest joys in life. Listening, seeing, hearing, observing. I’m so grateful to all of my clients and to everyone else here for trusting me, for sharing their stories with me, for opening up about their own rubbish-bags…