Throwaway.

The fact I'd hired a skip the same week I approach the end of my therapy while also taking part in an online meditation retreat was metaphor-tastic, to say the least.

A skip forces you to consider what to throw away and what to keep, in the same way that therapy helps you discard or come to terms with some of the rubbish in your life. Sometimes, it's hard to let go of detritus, whether you want to or not. You can also remain attached to things that brought you no good and served no other purpose than familiarity.

The brutal choices presented by the circumstances offer an opportunity to move on. That's not to say this will happen instantly, though it stands as a gesture towards it. There's nothing quite like throwing something huge away for taking a weight off your shoulders, leaving a sense of uplift and relief.

(That paragraph was either profound or just collection of vague, circular sentences; answers on a postcard, marking the left-hand corner, "Dick".)

The meditation retreat (which consisted of a week of classes via Zoom) was a worthy companion to my mass clearout. It was a chance to quieten the mind and for gentle reflection. The reminder you can approach the difficulties in your life with awareness without having to mask or deflect them - and come to terms with your pain by allowing space for it - is a huge life lesson. To life-lessen the background noise, to pun-it-up.

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