READY. SET. GO. THOSE WORDS COME TO MIND AS I AM WALKING TOWARD MY GARAGE SETTING UP TO START REARRANGING IT. AS I STAND IN MY COLD GARAGE, I ASSESS MY INVENTORY: SHOE BOXES (LOTS OF THEM), FIXTURES, DECORATIONS, BOXES FILLED WITH LAST SEASON’S CLOTHES, BOXES WITH FILES, BOXES WITH MY OWN PERSONAL SHOES (LOTS OF THEM) AND SO MANY OTHER RANDOM ITEMS THAT I LIKE TO USE TO MAKE UNUSUAL WINDOW DISPLAYS. FREEZING, I DECIDE I FIRST NEED MORE COFFEE BEFORE TRYING TO ESTABLISH SOME ORDER.
YOU SEE, I LIKE ORDER AND ORGANIZATION. IT GIVES ME A SENSE OF CALM AND CONTROL. FOR MOST PEOPLE, I AM AN OVER ORGANIZER. IF THAT IS MY WORST QUALITY, I CAN LIVE WITH THAT. I AM LUCKY TO HAVE A COUPLE OF WOMEN WHO WORK WITH ME AND UNDERSTAND ME. THEY NEVER QUESTION MY DESIRE TO PUT THE PUZZLE TOGETHER IN A DIFFERENT WAY. THEY HELP ME CHIP AWAY AT MY DESIRE FOR ORDER.
BACK WITH MY COFFEE, I OPEN A BOX TO REMIND MYSELF WHAT IT CONTAINS. HMMM, FIRST I SEE USED RED RIBBONS PROBABLY FROM CHRISTMAS. I DECIDE THAT I HAVE NO MORE USE FOR THEM. BUT WAIT. AS I TOUCH THEM AND FEEL THEM, I REALIZE I DO NOT HAVE THE HEART TO THROW THEM AWAY. IF I FIX THEM A LITTLE, I COULD REUSE THEM FOR NEXT YEAR’S HOLIDAY DECORATIONS EVEN IF WE ARE TEN MONTHS AWAY . . . SO . . . I RETHINK IT AND DECIDE TO THROW THEM OUT. WAIT! THAT IS SO WASTEFUL! SAVE IT! PLUS, I MIGHT SAVE A BUCK BY REUSING THEM. AND PLUS, WHAT IS CHRISTMAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE NEXT YEAR? MY MIND CANNOT GO THAT FAR TODAY.
I DECIDE TO MOVE TO A DIFFERENT BOX SINCE I HAVE HAD NO LUCK THROWING OUT THE RIBBON. I OPEN A BOX WITH SOME OF MY PAPERWORK FROM FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. SHOULD I THROW THIS OUT? NO! AGAIN, MORE WASTE. I WILL CUT IT UP AND USE IT FOR SCRAP PAPER. LESS WASTEFUL.
I SOUND LIKE A HOARDER, DON’T I? I’M NOT ACTUALLY. I AM CONSTANTLY RIDDING MYSELF OF THINGS. I ONLY KEEP WHAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT. COULD YOU IMAGINE IF I WAS A HOARDER?!!! I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE. I THINK THAT IS PAINFUL IN AND OF ITSELF. ATTACHMENT TO ITEMS IS UNHEALTHY BUT I UNDERSTAND IT. MY KIDS AND PARTNERS HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN ON MY CASE FOR BEING AN ANTI-HOARDER. IMAGINE THAT.
BACK TO MY GARAGE – IT IS LIKE A RUBIK’S CUBE. I AM CONSTANTLY SHUFFLING THE CONTENTS AROUND SINCE I USE IT FOR MY OWN STORAGE AS WELL AS STORAGE FOR THE SHOE STORE. IT IS NEVER ENDING. STUFF GOES FROM THE STORE TO THE HOUSE TO THE HOUSE TO THE STORE, FROM ONE SHELVE TO ANOTHER, UP THERE, DOWN THERE….
AS I AM WORKING TODAY, THE GARAGE DOOR IS WIDE OPEN AND THE VIEW TOWARD SANTA FE IS OUTSTANDING. SANTA FE LOOKS LIKE SLEEPING BEAUTY WAITING FOR HER PRINCE TO KISS HER AND LIFT THE CURSE WHICH IS IN THE SHAPE OF A CROWN. FOR HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, THE CURSE IS FIRMLY PLACED. SOME WILL WAKE UP AND SOME WILL NOT. I WISH I HAD A MAGIC WAND TO REMOVE THIS CURSE AND SEE THE REAWAKENING HAPPEN IN SANTA FE AND IN THE REST OF THE WORLD SOONER THAN LATER.
BUT FOR NOW, I DECIDE I NEED TO REORGANIZE, AND I STILL AM WORKING ALTHOUGH EVERYTHING ELSE HAS COME TO A HALT. DOES IT MATTER WHAT I REARRANGE? MY JENGA GARAGE DOES NOT CARE IF THERE REALLY IS WORK OR NOT OUT THERE.
I WISH I COULD USE MY IMAGINARY MAGIC WAND LIKE THE CONDUCTOR OF AN ORCHESTRA AND LITTLE STARS WOULD MAGICALLY TWINKLE OUT OF THE WAND AND HAVE MY GARAGE COMPLETELY REARRANGED AND EVERYTHING WOULD BE BACK TO NORMAL.
HOW WILL WE COME BACK FROM THIS? I HAVE HEARD MANY PEOPLE WILLINGLY LETTING GO OF THE LIFE THEY HAVE KNOWN. IT IS TIME FOR A REBIRTH. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES THAT COME TO LIFE. AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNABLE TO COME OUT OF THEIR COCOON, I WILL FIND A WAY TO ACCEPT IT.
CONNECTION IS EVERYTHING TO ME RIGHT NOW. SENDING LIGHTNESS AND HEALTH.
GUADALUPE
PLEASE WRITE TO ME AND LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS, GUADALUPEJ4K@GMAIL.COM