gezelligheid
I am clearing clutter
I am sorting stuff in storage
In order to create a peaceful, orderly environment
That is conducive to flourishing in body, mind and spirit
For myself
For my husband
For my son
For my daughter
For my parents
And for all who enter through the doors of our home
So that our energy is free to tackle
Daily tasks of living
Hard intellectual work
Emotional labor
New projects
Wild adventures
So that our energy is free to experience
Beauty
Order
Refreshment
Intimacy
Joy
Solace
Creativity
(oh…and also…I am clearing clutter because we come from families that hoarded and saved and scrimped and had to make-do which I totally value because it is that effort that allowed me to go to college and have a flourishing career and lifestyle yet it is dangerous because we do not want to spend all of our time caring for things and paying for things and storing things that are not really aligned with our values as we live them out each day. I do not want to squeeze people out of my home with too much crap, and I do not want to leave a mess for future generations, and I do not want to create idols out of belongings. Clutter everywhere leads me to feeling scattered and anxious… anxious that I won’t be able to find the checkbook when I need it this weekend, or a photo of my great-grandparents when I want to figure out some genealogical puzzle.)
(oh…and also…Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”)
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(What is gezelligheid? It’s a Dutch word conveying the sense that everything is right, in its place, and that the people are well and enjoying life… whether having coffee in the morning with your grandmother with a dog asleep on your foot as the sunlight streams in to beckon you out into the day, or crowding together with friends on a rainy night in a bar where the beer is delicious and the spirit is celebratory and kind as laughter bounces from table to table.)
