junk drawer heart

most houses have a junk drawer. some have more than one....and ive been in places that have had entire junk rooms.

its that stuff that has no other home. we put it in the junk drawer because we arent ready to throw it out. things with missing parts, loose hardware, mementos, almost-but-not-quite used up things.

we keep it, just in case. we've convinced ourselves we may need it someday, even if we havent touched it in years. we feel more comfortable knowing that we havent thrown it away.

it might be in a drawer, but its still clutter, taking up space. the "what ifs" and "maybes" are bouncing around with nothing to connect to, unresolved.

you can definitely get emotional clutter. your heart can become a junk drawer of feelings. you dont want to deal with them, but you also dont want to let go. its easier to tuck them away, and deal with them some other time.

maybe it makes us feel more in control to know where they are. after all, if we let them go, we cant pick them up and examine them anymore. no more analyzing. we decide to quit examining and looking for answers, and clinging to the pieces that have no use on their own.

theres a lot of stuff rattling around in my heart. i try to be vigilant about what gets in, but sometimes things get lodged in there and i dont clean it out when it no longer has purpose. i tuck it away, in case i find a use for it later. hoarding feelings is dangerous. besides being toxic, it is taking up space where something better could thrive.

but if you ask people who go through a mass decluttering, you hardly ever hear them say, "i wish i would have kept that stuff". instead, they feel free. hopefully, that space that was filled with junk has new purpose.

clean out the hurt. the anger, the fear, the loss needs to go, too.

im working on keeping my heart from turning into a junk drawer. i guess its time for a spring cleaning.




your heart shouldnt be a junk drawer. perhaps its time for a good spring cleaning.