The Weight of Empty Boxes
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 06:01AM I was at a friend's house not long ago for tea when she asked me, as friends sometimes do, for my opinion on the state of her living room. The space was lovely and bright, but as I entered the first thing I noticed was this pile of boxes in one corner.
Before I go on, it's important to note that this corner was fairytale famous. I had heard legends of this corner. Six-fingered man, evil step-mother, endless sleep legends of this land. I had been warned of this corner, warned of this "messy" living room. From all of these warnings and legends I braced myself for a 20 year fight.
What could be inside these boxes?
The tale goes that the boxes had been there for years bringing great sorrow and shame on the kingdom, uh, apartment. Surely, the contents of those boxes were explosive! Emotional landmines just waiting to cause weeks of fetal position sobbing.
Old love letters? The ashes of a beloved cat? A wobbly old mixed tape?
I asked and braced myself for the answer.
The boxes were full of.... Wait for it...
NOTHING!
Nothing? Really? All that angst, all that shame for... nothing?
That's right. Nichts, nada, rien, 0... Nothing!
To be fair, my friend, S, is not the only person with a pile of empty boxes masquerading as boxes of doom. I've seen it time and time again working with clients. The corner we've spent weeks/months/years skirting around is indeed filled with empty boxes.
The interesting thing about S' case, is this. At the same time as the empty boxes were taking up a good deal of her physical space, she also found herself in a feather wisp of a relationship. The label said relationship but the contents said just friends, no benefits. Not only that, she was half working at a job that took this hilarious, beautiful, creative being and reduced her to eye circles and belly aches.
I'm sure you're eager to find out how the fairy tale ends. I'm happy to report that after flinging the empty boxes S' life began to change, and fast. Out went the relationship! Au revoir went the job! In short time she said howdy to a love affair with yoga and yes, even hola to a sweet man.
Empty boxes can come in all shapes and sizes. Square, rectangular, or they could be that relationship that is already over, that job you hate or the path you're walking in someone else's shoes.
Sometimes those boxes are hard to see, but once you do it's your duty to break them down and take them out on recycling day. Don't worry, you'll find some really good empty boxes when you need them, and in the meantime you can befriend dragons, ride unicorns and most definitely go to the ball...
Do you have any empty boxes in your space or life? I'd love to hear about them below!
Take care,
Cecilia Moorcroft
Reader Comments (6)
Thank you Cecilia!! Every time I receive your blog I smile.....and that's before I read it! That smile, followed by the joy of your messages, is enough to create some space in my life! Going to use that space now to look for my empty boxes!
You're so sweet, thank you Antoinette. It warms my heart that my blog brings a smile to your face. :) Good luck finding and letting go of your empty boxes!
Great blog, Cecilia! I am in the midst of getting rid of things we don't use right now, and this blog is inspiring me to really go for it... Thank you!
Hi Jewel! So happy to hear that the blog has inspired you. Sounds like you are READY to clear your clutter!
cecilia, does he same apply for empty glass bottles? ( decorative, old chemistry bottles)
Hi Jitka!
Good question. This totally depends on your relationship to the bottles. Do you love them? Are you able to take care of them? Do they have a place in your home?
If they live in a box in your basement, then it's another story. The best thing to do is to "tune in" to them and see how they make you feel. Are you more attuned to the glass, the way the light hits them in the morning, how they feel in your hands? Or are you more aware of the emptiness inside, the sense of an empty vessel? It would be interesting to see.
There is a difference between something decorative and something practical. Old yogurt containers and pickle jars do fall into the same category as empty boxes, especially if you have a lot of them and you don't use them. This is a topic that I'd like to pursue at more length in future blog posts because I find it very curious.
ox
Cecilia