“All of that came from my basement!?” She pointed to the mountainous pile we accumulated in her entry during the course of our editing session.

We’re used to the scale of donations that so often leaves people’s homes, but she was flabbergasted.

“Why didn’t I do this sooner??” She exclaimed. “I feel SO much LIGHTER!” 

It’s a common phrase we hear from clients, and it doesn’t get old.

The lightness that comes from editing is multi-layered.

First is the relief of unburdening oneself of so many would-be responsibilities. Releasing the excess and the extraneous instantly causes an expansion of your bandwidth. Relieved of so many distractions, you feel the lightness of clarity–of knowing precisely what you own, why you own it, and where it belongs in your space. Having a sense of manageability, rather than overwhelm, is powerfully uplifting.

There is also a higher level of lightness that comes as a result of our editing work.

To edit one’s belongings is to center yourself in the present. It is to ground yourself in the truth of who you are now. It compels you to release past versions of yourself, and of the baggage of stale identities or life phases you’ve been carrying around. Letting go of the items that once facilitated activities you no longer do—of clothing you no longer wear, even of food you no longer consume—creates a sense of evolution.

The lightness that our client felt that day, that all of our clients hopefully feel as a result of our work together, is the lightness of honesty with oneself, peace in the present, and calm in one’s surroundings.

Liberation may be more feasible than you’d think. It might just be one edited basement away.