The Free Dictionary describes excess as, “The state of exceeding what is normal or sufficient.”
We are a nation of excess. If for a moment you don’t believe that, simply take a drive around the neighborhoods on the weekend and witness firsthand the amount of garage sales and yard sales. People are selling their excess to others. I have a friend who refers to them as “Garbage sales,” where one man’s trash is another’s treasure.
I remembered reading about a family in a USA Today article that has transformed into a no-excess family. They even down-sized the amount of garbage they throw away on a daily basis. It’s a fascinating look at ridding the excess in your life and you can read it here.
I’m not so sure that there is a simple how-to guide for ridding excess stuff and activities from your life, but lately I am convinced that it truly is the key to happiness. We’re overflowing or drowning in excess and these hard times may indeed be a blessing for getting rid of stuff that is weighing us down.
I spent a few days throwing away excess that has cluttered my work space for far too long. Maybe one day I might go looking for something that is now no longer there, but I’ve decided that if I didn’t need it in the moment, than its lifespan is quickly coming to an end.
There is also the overwhelming task of leaving too much behind to be cleaned up or out when your time on earth is over. Families are left to clean up, distribute or throw out everything that once meant something to you. It means little to those who are not familiar with the history. I once kept a broken knob that had sentimental value to me. I looked at it one day and thought, “When I am gone, no one will know what this was all about.” I threw it out because it had become excess baggage in my life.
Today is a new beginning. I challenge you to begin to shed the excess in your life. You will discover that it has been weighing you down for far too long.
Or, just have a garbage sale.
Sources:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/01/zero-trash-home-mill-valley/1
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091009035446AAPsWid
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/excess