Sometimes, Absence Does Makes The Heart Grow Fonder.

These days we are all in clean out mode. Lightening our load. Less is more…yadda yadda yadda. And I agree…to some

extent.

I LOVE getting rid of things that I just don't use or like anymore. You know when a relationship with that thing is over and you both need to move on. It can be so freeing, mentally and energetically, releasing old to allow space for new to come in; but sometimes a relationship just needs a break, not a break up (cue Ross and Rachael "but we were on a break!" ).

When I'm cleaning out and come across an item that I haven't worn or used in awhile, but I still love it, I honor that love by putting it away for a while. I place it in a temporary holding area (a closet I don't use, a box under my bed, a drawer, etc.) I put some separation between me and that thing.

After a few months, I inevitably find myself in a cleanout mode again and pull out that box or want to tackle that closet of things I don't use. I get to re-meet the items that held a place in my heart. I find that sometimes a spark is reignited and I'm ready to bring that thing back into my life. To put it back into rotation or back on display.

It feels like I've got something new, yet with the sentimental value and comfort of an old relationship. A relationship that just needed a timeout, not a permanent separation.

It’s a lesson in honoring the value of something, an item, a feeling, a memory, by giving it the grace of a pause. Because sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder.