JUST FIVE CLOTHES...

Sounds familiar???

Detachment from materialistic things! When I realized I needed to take my spirituality journey, or rather my life’s journey, to the next step, detachment from materialistic things was what I was confronted with. I wish I can say I was successfully able to leave my royal castle behind, with its golden chariots and closets full of designer gowns; but I did not manage to do that. Instead I can say I was successfully able to confuse myself as to what I was to give up first. (What did I have to give up, is another question for another day.)

            A friend of mine last week, looked at her closet overflowing with clothes and shoes, and suddenly exclaimed, “I need to stop shopping!” . At that moment, my head raced back to the time when I faced my own dilemma and exclaimed, “Let’s give away some clothes”. I guess I was expected her to slap me for even suggesting to her the prospects of separating with her beloved apparels, but I was surprised to what followed.

            My friend doesn't really bother much about spirituality, but too much clothes in her wardrobe is certainly something to worry about. A perfect situation to practice detachment! What better method to understand the significance of detachment, than giving up clothes?

            Since this was my first step when faced with my dilemma, this was easy for me to choreograph. Today, I wish to share this secret first step, that we both took to all those looking for a path towards detachment and to those looking to clean up their closets :

•          Choose five clothes, just five clothes you are willing to give away.
•          Now that you have chosen them, do not re-think and do not look at them again! If you do, then your heart will come up with excuses to not give them up.
•          Now quickly pack them up in a bag and keep them far away from the closet.
•          This is assuming that you have already found someone you can give them away to, or organizations that take used clothes in order to recycle them, GIVE THEM AWAY!

            I am certain that half of the people reading this post will be screaming in terror, reading the last step in my step-to-step guide. My friend was perhaps anticipating the same emotion. A day after giving away the clothes she had loved for so long, with all her heart; I asked her how she was feeling after going through that tough step towards detachment, a step very significant in self-awareness and spirituality. “Nothing!” she said, a successful first step!

            Go ahead! Pick your five clothes today, just five clothes.