It occurred to me today that my mind is a lot like my closets, especially where I keep my clothes, and I hate cleaning out my clothes closet!  But since it's a good thing to do, I recently cleaned out my closet to make room for new stuff!  Let me share a few observations:

• I like to hold onto clothes that are too small for me, just in case I lose weight and it fits again. That's similar to how I can't forget about past failures, since I rarely forgive myself for not being perfect.
• I like to hold onto clothes that fit but are ridiculously out of style, just in case I, or someone I know, needs it for a halloween costume.  Sounds like some of my expectations of the perfect life are a bit unrealistic (bordering on absurd).
• I like to hold onto clothes that I simply love even though they no longer fit my lifestyle.  I often dream of the past good times and wish that I could recreate them.
• I have no problem throwing out the ripped and stained.  Everybody has the obvious stuff that they can forgive and forget, the low hanging fruit, and I take great pride when I toss those items out (even though those items could work in a costume, too).
• I did clear out a lot of items to make room for new clothes that fit my new life needs and reflect current styles.  But I made a lot of compromises in what I kept and what I tossed.  There were no hard and fast rules that I was about to adhere to.  Although I don't like to "shop," I do like adding new clothes to my wardrobe.  Similarly, I have a huge appetite for learning about new things and meeting new people.  But, even though I am willing to accept new theories into my own thought process, it's usually accepted on a modified basis, so that there is a merger of old and new ideas, rather than drastic change. 
• When the stuff I no longer needed was gone, I sorted all the remaining clothes into organized sections of like styles, colors and needs.  Now I can walk in my closet and quickly see what my options are and the choices that I have for the day.  I like to keep my mind fairly compartmentalized, too.  But sometimes ideas aren't black or white, and the answers are not clear.  Or, the new priorities mix with the old priorities and the forward direction is no longer obvious. 

What if we periodically cleaned out our minds, just like our closets?  Can we get let go of the memories and habits that no longer serve us well?  What would it be like if we cleared these items out of our minds?  We could have more room for things that are newer, current, and more in sync with who we are today.  We could be more organized and have more clarity when it comes to making choices and decisions. 

What is the one thing that you could let go, that would have the greatest positive impact on your life?