I pulled the heavy bowl from the library shelf and emptied its contents onto the floor.

Glass spilled across the rug – tiny gems collected over more than twenty-five years. When my friend Johnny told me about a neighbor who made jewelry from sea glass, I quickly asked if she took donations. In my quest to pare down possessions, I thought she might provide a good home for my collection.

“Yes,” Johnny told me after making a call. “She’d be very grateful for the gift.”

I carefully spread the glass across the library floor, ready to revisit the past. Before me lay years of walking beaches, mulling over life while combing shorelines in search of well-worn jewels. I could almost hear the history rising from each piece.

As I looked at the treasures, I started to have second thoughts. Was I really ready to let my collection go? Would I regret saying goodbye to years of purposeful wandering?

I plucked out a few favorite colors – cloudy lavender, pale blue, mint green, and a milky teal and set them aside. That’s when it hit me. Keeping all this glass in a bowl hidden on a shelf in the library made it impossible to appreciate the beauty in these five special pieces. This is just like life, I thought to myself. We lose track of the treasures when we hold onto so much stuff.

Our lives are filled with versions of sea glass – tumbled pieces of history that hold memories or the memories of those who have passed. At some point, we owe it to ourselves to say goodbye to what was so we have the space to appreciate what matters most now.

Suddenly, I had my answer. I placed my favorite sea glass in a small dish meant for the coffee table in my office and packed up the rest. The older I get, the easier it is to choose the freedom of simplicity every time.

Love,
Cheryl

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