Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Lightening the Load

I have recently experienced some life changes that have left me feeling a little wobbly, hurt and broken. When a friend of mine suggested that I check out the 100 Hearts Challenge (http://www.presspause.org/100HeartsChallenge.en.html), I jumped at the chance to try something a little different to work toward healing. Each day a new challenge is presented, the ultimate goal being to help women to:

Regain control
Rebuild confidence
Create new visions for being healthy, happy and whole

Today’s challenge was to take our purses, dump them out on the bed, examine the contents and then…

Choose….carefully!

Choose only 3 things to carry in your purse that, for the next 2 days, will be the only things you carry.

Three.

That’s it. No mas.

You would think that the dilemma of choosing precisely what three items to carry would be difficult enough in itself, but immediately my mind went to this…


{{Wait….which purse should I carry? Should I carry the pretty purple one with lots of bling on it that I got for my birthday?}}






{{Or should I carry my practical, go-with-everything black purse?}}





And if I carry the purple one, which outfits and shoes should I choose? I mean, if I have to sacrifice the majority of the items in my purse (which represent a great deal of my life), I should be able to make up for it with other stuff, right?

I’m pretty sure I just missed the whole point of the exercise. The counselor leading this challenge is known for saying “stay out of your own way.” Uh – can you say FAIL?!

So, as I softly giggle at myself for being such a dork…I start over and try again.

Dump purse.  Examine contents.

Lots of quarters
   Wallet
     Makeup bag
       2 flash drives (why?)
         Sunglasses
           Phone
             Agenda
                Small Journal
                 Pen
                   Gum
                     Empty iPod case (again…why?)

Choose three.  Ok, I can do this.

THREE…really??? Is this even possible?

Ok, so I’m having a hard time…I begin to take things away one by one…process of elimination. The first thing to go is the empty iPod case. Next the quarters, then flash drives. Agenda, journal, pen and gum. Ugh…makeup bag!

That’s it…my 3 things to carry for the next 2 days in my purse are my phone, my sunglasses and my wallet.

I lift my purse, throwing it over my shoulder, nearly slinging it across the room because it’s so light. I feel like half of my life is missing!!

I’m not exactly sure what the point of the exercise is except maybe to make us more aware that we carry around a lot of unnecessary stuff – both literally and figuratively!

Now if I could just get rid of the "unnecessary stuff" that seems to have accumulated in my mid-section...

10 comments:

ZippyChix said...

I like this exercise. I am always wondering why when I switch purses that I can leave half of the items and not miss them:) It is amusing what you find when you have not used a purse in several years and go to give it away. I think that I am going to dump my items today and figure out what it is that I really do need. Enjoyed this post!

Doris said...

It IS amusing to look in "old" purses. I recently switched purses and found a TON of receipts and change, about 1/2 dozen pens and a piece of unchewed gum. LOL Why I left that stuff in there, I have no idea!

Anonymous said...

just my opinion... I love the purple purse... I know that isn't the point either but just thought I'd share :)

Wow, you have me thinking if I could do it. I luckily don't carry my phone or sunglasses in my purse... haha. sunglasses usually stay in my car and the phone is either in a jacket pocket or my pants pocket :)

Doris said...

haha Nicole, that's hilarious! I love the purple purse, too. It definitely helps make up for the fact that I don't have all my "necessities"! It's really hard not to have my agenda with me. I'm a planner and I have to write everything down on sticky notes at work and transfer them when I get home. So sad!

Leanne said...

I think this is a fantastic exercise... although, can I try it next week? I don't think I can do it today ... I "need" everything in there (even the plastic horse figure that my 3 1/2 yr old put in there. Yes, I "need" that!) I love that you are doing this challenge. I'm going to read more about it - but please update us on it.

Doris said...

hahahah @Leanne...maybe you should give your 3 1/2 year old her own purse and she can include the plastic horse figure in HER 3 things to carry!

Leanne said...

Hey . . . are you doing ok? Did you lighten the load SO much that you forgot your computer? ;)

Just checking on you. Hope you are well.

Doris said...

@Leanne - haha, yeah I'm ok. Feeling a bit uninspired to write these days AND I was out of town over the weekend. Hopefully I will find some time to write this week. I feel like I AM burning both ends of the candle right now actually. :-/

Laura said...

Oh I love this, and I definitely have to try it. So, on the weekends when my husband and I are out and about, do I have to count the items he hands me to put in my purse (like his cell phone or his wallet, etc.)? I hope not! Love your blog, by the way.

Doris said...

@Laura - LOL! I say you get him his very own man-purse! heehee I'm so glad you stopped by today...you gave me a much needed laugh!

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