Today I woke up and decided it was time to begin posting my entries for my 365 Release practice again. I’ve been keeping a personal journal, recording the lessons and objects. I’ve also received a grant to exhibit this project to the public once I am finished at the beginning of September on my 365th Day. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year. I am looking forward to extending the reach of this practice as I have learned so much and have been able to apply the concepts to my everyday life.
When I was young, the three of us each had our own beach towels. Mine was a towel of a 1 million dollar bill. My older sister had a Star Wars one, and my younger sister had some abstract colors. I had mine for so long, I don’t remember ever not owning it. We just always knew which towel was our own. I think I left it in Korea when I moved back to the States.
As I have grown older and developed my own tastes, I’ve gone through several bathroom/bedroom themes, several color schemes, and have always kept the towels/sheets throughout. Just because my tastes may be whimsical does not mean the towels don’t work anymore.
That means I have sheets, duvet covers, body and hand towels from the hunter green phase, the navy blue phase, and even the burgundy phase of my personal tastes.
As my mother illustrated with the eternal threadbare 1 million dollar bill beach towel, linens can last lifetimes functionally, but may only lasta few years when it comes to changing tastes.
I have kept my linens for the same reason my mother kept our linens in an ever-growing linen closet; I don’t like to waste anything.
However, much like many of the things I have let go of so far, I only need so many sets for myself, or even for a guest staying over. I seem to keep things sometimes for the simple reason of, “what if?” But when I think about it further, everything in life is a “what if”. Every single thing we do is a “what if” either way. And besides, what is my “what if” in this scenario? I will suddenly have 6 beds simultaneously that need sheets? 8 people will take a shower on the same day at my home? It is almost an absurd “what if”.
So today on Day 316 of my 365 Day Release practice for non-attachment, letting go, and change, I’m releasing histories of linens. Linens I have held onto out of not wanting to waste, but in essence have been wasting because they are superfluous.
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