Opening weekend for the movie, Sparkle, just ended. I will see it later this week, but first I had to watch the old 1976 version just one more time. This has been one of my favorite movies since I first watched it as a teen almost 20 years after its original release date. One of my favorite lines is spoken by Sparkle (Irene Cara) when her boyfriend, Stix (Philip Michael Thomas) comes to her home after her sister passed away. This is the first time Sparkle has seen him since he left Harlem, and her, to try and make a new start.

I know that feeling. Once someone or something has penetrated so many parts of your life that it seems your ability to live is dependent on that person being there – the person or thing has entered our spirit.
I have discovered, like Sparkle, that I have managed to not only survive but find success even without these people and things I thought were necessary.

We have all lost people either permanently or temporarily to death, distance, or betrayal. Other losses that come with unemployment, income, and change are inevitable. The similarity amongst these losses is they all pull away from our identity. We define ourselves by our friends, spouses, children, parents, jobs, homes, weight, place of worship, income, and location. As these things change, so does our identity. That modified identity can either build or detract from one’s character and spirit.

In order to meet the requirements of my next building phase, I am working on cleaning out the residue from dead situations so that I can rebuild my spirit. In other words, I am working on reducing the physical  clutter that I have accumulated over the past 10 years, especially the last 5. This is my goal over the next two weeks. This week, I am focusing on my business and professional clutter. I want to create a space where my creativity can be nourished. Next week, I plan to focus more on the household items.