Throw Them in the Trash

There’s this old dilapidated house across the street from mine. It’s been quite an eyesore for a while.  For the last several weeks a small crew has been taking the house down one board at a time. I’m sure they could just as easily took it down with a backhoe or a bulldozer. But it’s been refreshing to see the crew going board by board reclaiming as much material as they can. Sitting here thinking as they work on getting the floor and brick foundation blocks up. How recently in my life I’ve been doing the same thing.

You see we could easily just demolish whatever parts of ourselves we don’t like and throw them in the trash. And honestly for some stuff, that’s all you can do. But within us there are some things that are still redeemable. Parts of us that need to be thrown away. But oftentimes we grab a sledgehammer and go to town. On ourselves, our relationships, and on our very existence. And I should know, I’ve done this more times than I can count.
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Anyway when going into a reconstruction project; understand what parts are salvageable and what needs to be discarded. There are parts of me that I had lost that I never thought I’d get back again. So don’t let fear or destroy the best parts of yourself. Don’t let hurt or jealousy pull you away from the ones you really love. Clear your mind, learn to listen to the pain. Forgive yourself, forgive others in order to see intention the commonality. As the crew stops for their lunch break, I can now see clearly through the debris. Through the ugly parts that are being laid to waste. To see with clarity what lies on the other side.