Saturday, June 11, 2011

Clutter

"Clutter" is a great word, descending linguistically from clotter -- "to form clots, to heap on." Go further back in history and it comes from the German Klotz, from which we get klutz.

Doesn't that just make sense?  Clutter in the surroundings is like lumps that form in awkward, perhaps even dangerous, places, creating blockages that interfere with movement.  It becomes harder to move forward, harder to be flexible.

And it's not just about physical space.  Something similar happens in the mind and in the soul.  Without regular sorting of thoughts, events, and so forth, figurative masses form that get in the way.  It becomes more difficult to think clearly, to be fully present, to experience life fully.

Tomorrow is Sunday.  We'll go to church, spend time with people we love, take naps, read.  Along the way, we'll find our souls restored.  Sabbath is a gift, a day of blessed de-cluttering, and I am grateful.

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