With every seasonal change I often find myself with an itch to clean, organize, and declutter. And if you are like me, the clutter is EVERYWHERE- in our closets, in our homes, in our cars, in our friends list and our followers. We are saturated with all of the noise of the things and the people we do not want, leaving little room for that we do want. Friends, I am here to give you permission to unsubscribe. It starts with our email inbox and grows into our closet and before we know it, we have Marie Kondo'd ourselves the lightness in our lives we have dreamed of. If you know what I am talking about, you have started this process a time or twenty before. If you are reading this with 1,256 unread messages as an icon on your home screen, 2,654 people on your friends list and chasing for your 5000th follower on IG, you are thinking that I am spewing nonsense at you, I cannot say this enough, less truly is more.
While you may be thinking of your email inbox and that closet filled with things you don’t need, you can also unsubscribe to people. Yes, people can also be clutter. We live in a world where we overuse the word ‘busy’ and our schedules are so ‘jam-packed’. With what? With who? We need to focus on what matters to us, motivated by connection rather than obligation.
I know that sounds harsh but I want to make it clear; the people and relationships of our world serve a very important purpose. They all play an intricate role into who we are, where we have been, and what we have accomplished. Some have been there every step of the way, some have been there for moments and some for certain time periods (high school ,university, first job, since the womb, etc.). Some of these people come in and out of our worlds seamlessly. We can go months, even years without talking to them but in any moment we know they would be there, can be there and they are just ‘easy’. Some people were the front runners of our awkward teens and share a past with us that no one else will ever be so lucky to be a part of. You may have drifted from these people but when you reflect on the memories, nothing short of a warm smile and a flashback comes to your mind. I am not encouraging you to unsubscribe to these people. Instead, I am encouraging you to evaluate the people and relationships of your world, right now. Are you giving attention to the people you want, the people who feed your soul? Or, are you running yourself ragged out of obligation? Obligation does not feel good. Dental checkups and PAP tests are obligations… friendships should not be in that category. Remember, you aren’t the greatest friend when you are there out of obligation. Relationships are a two way street.
Your time is valuable and you are valuable. We need to do a better job of sharing our time with what and who matter the most but, we cannot do that until we sift through the clutter. Thanks to my love of lists, I leave you with these tasks:
Unsubscribe from all of those emails you do not want to receive. Before you delete them, take the six seconds to scroll to the bottom and unsubscribe. Do it. Now. Just don’t unsubscribe to us :)
Mail a letter or a card. A real letter, to someone important to you. Give them something in their mailbox to smile about.
 Email your people. Renew your subscriptions to their lives. It can be 10 paragraphs or it can be two sentences. Give them a smile with a very simple hello. Make it your goal to send one a day or one a week, and make it someone different each time. You will be amazed how this makes you reconnect with your own life but also the joy it will bring when they hit reply.
Operation re-engage. This is not a formal break-up; this is not a conversation over dinner. This is just self reflective practice. Make time for those you have been meaning to make plans with, say no to those who you feel obligatory guilt towards. Time will take care of the rest.
Go through your closet. It is time to put away or donate the clothes that no longer fit you. Dressing ourselves should feel good—it’s like decorating a cake. We know that what is underneath is the best part but make sure what we are layering ourself with is not filled with shame and self deprecation. That is not a flavour of icing I want.
Take a deep breath and go for a walk in the sunshine. After all, the number one person to make time for is you.
Happy Spring Cleaning,
Lisa
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