The Purge

Well guys, it’s been a WEIRD first week. This purge of my material goods was predated by a much harder purge in my life. I recently “broke up” with one of my very best friends.

Yeah, I know that sounds dramatic – but this person had been a constant in my life for five years and that’s a long time.

Anyways, I decided that our friendship wasn’t good for my soul anymore for various reasons and at the beginning of September we went our separate ways.

Unfortunately on the last day of September, we unexpectedly ran into one another in a very uncomfortable situation. Neither of us spoke or acknowledged the other person and the whole encounter gave me mad anxiety. I hated it.

And I’m not going to lie to you, it made me want to turn to my old “pal” – retail therapy. Sadly, the year-long spending ban started the very next day.

So instead of indulging in the toxic routine of spending money on things I didn’t need, I had to find a healthier way to deal with the bad energy I was feeling.

My healthy coping mechanisms included:

• cleaning my house

• allowing myself to sleep in for a few days (to give myself the physical rest that I needed)

• starting a new novel because nothing is better for the soul than getting lost in a great book

• spending all my extra time loving on Lou; and saying no to things I didn’t feel like participating in this week.

Not surprisingly, all of those coping mechanisms worked better than any retail therapy sessions ever had AND I didn’t spend money on unnecessary  purchases. Win/win.