Poem #43: Unclenched Fingers

I went back to a yoga theme tonight again. I was thinking a lot about hoarding because I attempted a "Konmari" session this weekend. I was inspired after listening to "The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo and - I know, I know - I'm supposed to do my whole house in one sitting but I'd need to use a week of PTO in order to accomplish that coup and I won't. I just won't. So, I attempted to tackle just my clothes and I got through two dresser drawers and 2/3rds of my closet. It was not easy, even with Marie's simple steps I still struggled to identify whether an item brought me joy or if I simply wanted to keep a hold of it because I like having it around "just in case." Aparigraha is the sanskrit word for "non-grasping" or "non-possessiveness." It is one of the yamas from Patanjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga and, I think, particularly challenging whether speaking figuratively or literally. In a literal sense, it is hard to not to keep or buy, or even desire, extra things, stuff, junk - whatever you want to call it. Figuratively, the same difficulties apply to emotions, such as when hoarding anger builds into resentment. Even good things can be spoiled with hoarding, morphing love into jealousy. It's not all bad news though. As I went to select my clothes for my outfit this morning, I did feel joy and peace when I saw all of my items arranged neatly in the drawer. I knew exactly where I had put everything and that they all belonged there. I think that's what cultivating aparigraha is meant to feel like - that you've reviewed everything within and without and you know you have everything you need and nothing you don't surrounding you so your life can be peaceful and easy and free.