Cleaning closets ... getting rid of the old stuff to make way for new ... not just a physical clothes closet, but the mind too.
I recently came to the decision to get rid of some of my old collections ... tins, cookbooks, dishes, etc. Of course it's a tedious job deciding just what I can bear to part with and what I HAVE to keep. Sorting cookbooks is a mindless task and leaves lots of time for contemplation. I started to think about my obsession for cookbooks. I don't use recipes for my cooking, but I dive into a new cookbook the same way I do with a new novel. I was raised by my Granny, a wonderful lady who had lived through WWI, the depression, rationing and WWII. This is who taught me to cook ... everything by feel, look and pinch of this and a dash of that ... oh and that would taste good in here too. Rationing had taught her to use substitutes for most everything and the happy days spent by her side in that big old kitchen taught me that a recipe is only a guideline and a cookbook is a depository of suggestions. To this day I have trouble sticking to a recipe ... that much salt isn't necessary and that's way too much baking soda ... honey is better than sugar ... etc ... etc ... AND most importantly parsley is MUCH better than cilantro ...
On vacation, other people buy spoons, t-shirts or whatever their hobby happens to be for souvenirs. I search the shops for a local cookbook ... you know the kind that some organization puts out ... all their members submit their best/favorite recipe and the result is sold to fund-raise for that organization. I LOVE those the most. But, still, I can never follow that tried and true recipe, I have to add my own touch to it ... OCD - control issues - who knows? The results are always tasty though.
Looking through the many cookbooks that I own brought back many memories of where I got them ... who the people were that had submitted the recipes (yes, I do know some of them - old friends from Thompson ... even had a couple of my own faves included in one of them) Yes, my mind does tend to go off in strange directions when not occupied.
Now that my house isn't full of teenagers and I'm not working at a job that requires entertaining and there's just Vern and I, I do not spend as much time in the kitchen. Vern's away all week and I can happily survive on toasted tomato sandwiches and/or soup all week. So the BIG decision ... find my babies a new home and make some shelf space (much needed).
Then the next tangent; not only do physical things need to be cleared out, but so does the mind. There are many old hurts, resentments and anger that needs to be let go. Why do we need to hang on to old slights (sometimes imagined, I'm sure) Yes, they did hurt at the time. Acknowledge this, examine it and let it go ... it IS the past and life IS too short to dwell on the negative. Easy to say, easy to understand, but, not the easiest thing to really do. I find that some of the old hurts, no matter how many times I examine them, are not easy to let go. Maybe, now that I'm cleaning and sorting and letting some of the physical possessions go, just maybe, I'll be able to let some of the excess mental baggage take wings too ...... we'll see.
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