What’s in Your Handbag?
Does it feel like a small suitcase? Do you really need everything that's in there? Let's unpack this one...
Hi all,
Here’s another popular favorite from the past year. Whether you’ve seen it before or not, I’m reposting* it …
‘cause we all know that that thing we carry around everywhere we go — be it a purse, wallet, backpack, fanny pack, shopping bag, shoulder bag, plastic bag — isn’t going to clear itself.
Think of this as another opportunity to revisit those things you believe you can’t live without.
Happy clearing!
Ahhh…🏡
I reached between the seats to the backseat, where her purse was on the floor. It was the size of a grocery bag and it weighed a ton.
"What the hell do you have in this thing?"
"Everything."
—Michael Connelly, The Gods of Guilt
I was with a dear friend one evening when her husband offered to put her “purse” (read: bag the size of a small suitcase) in the car so that she wouldn't have to lug it around.
Spilling out of that thing was a tangle of earphones, a massive keychain with a metal ornament that weighed about ten pounds, and who knows what else. It was so full of stuff she struggled to zip it closed. I watched her clutch that thing even closer when her husband asked again. I could see by her squinting eyes that giving up this precious cargo was going to take some time. I can't go anywhere without my purse! What if I need . . .
None of it is conscious, of course.
Yes, she wanted to carry it. So habituated to the tether, it had never occurred to her that she had a choice. After some lighthearted ribbing and a quick tour of the minimal handbag I was carrying, my friend realized that it was safe to go native.1
Is there anything in your purse (wallet, backpack) that doesn't need to be there?
If so, what would it take (and feel like) to let some of it go?
With awareness.
It may even put a little spring in your step.
Just sayin’.
Ahhh 👜
PS… Speaking of lightening things up, keep scrolling to see what actor Jennifer Garner stashes in her bag. It might surprise you.
Video
Jennifer Garner unloads…
In case you missed it…
When Things Make No Sense and Perfect Sense (to Others)
Leaning into norms that bend the mind… and elevate the spirit. How spacious can you be? How well you do with tuning into radical differences without tuning out? Here's a change to practice… and play!
*A word about reposts
In my experience with clearing journeys, there are benefits to circling back around: revisiting a concept, idea, or tool that may have inspired (or even mystified) us. As we change, so does our outlook and our ability to take in information in a new way. May that be so with these reposts.
If you’re enjoying these visual recaps, please share, like, restack… and help us grow this spacious energy.
Excerpted from Day 64 — “The Mighty Purse,” A Year to Clear: A Daily Guide to Creating Spaciousness in Your Home and Heart by Stephanie Bennett Vogt © Hierophant Publishing, 2015.
So good to do the clean out. Sticking with it, tougher, at least for me.
I loved this post the first time around. And now I’m smiling because I took a trip this week and packed so light. I feel lighter each time I try to bring less and less. It’s freeing! As for my purse, it’s getting smaller and smaller. I can even tell myself that I can get sunscreen and tissues anywhere. No more packing for
The Armageddon!