Most of us know how to sort trash.  Papers, plastics, food wastes, etc.  Things are better for our home, and for the environment, when things are disposed of properly.

There are times, however, when things accidentally end up in the garbage.  Who among us has never accidentally tossed a cell phone, retainer, piece of mail, jewelry item, or even cash or a credit card in the trash?  The same can be said of our lives.  When we say an unkind word, treat someone disrespectfully, break trust, or even unintentionally offend someone – it is the equivalent of accidentally throwing something away.

There are other times when we SHOULD throw things in the trash – in the proper receptacle, but we refuse to do so.  How many of us have clothing that hasn’t been touched in over a year (or more), that we refuse to part with?  We convince ourselves that one day (or decade) we will be able to make use of the clothing items again.  We may have a drawer full of old cell phones, eyeglass/cases, mail, or other items which should have long ago been “tossed”.  We sometimes tend to hoard things, don’t we?

In our personal lives, we often exhibit the same hoarding behavior.  We hold onto relationships, habits, and attitudes that need to be discarded – at the very least, recycled.

If there are people we have hurt or offended, we need to go digging through the trash – figuratively speaking; in much the same way we would literally go digging through the trash to retrieve that retainer, cell phone, or other important item that was disposed of in error.

When we find ourselves in situations that are toxic – physically or mentally, we need to discard them from our lives.  Just like meat or milk that has been kept far beyond its shelf-life, the toxic relationship, habit, or attitude will begin to rot and stink.  Just like the boxes, clothing, mail, or other items that we keep beyond their usefulness, we become emotional hoarders.  Our lives tend to become cluttered with unnecessary “stuff”.  Once you have gotten rid of the trash, leave it there, to be appropriately sorted and disposed of upon reaching its final destination.  Your job is to keep your own space appropriately clean and clutter-free.