The Daily Release Project (To Date)

Image by Carolos Aranda on Unsplash

This is an update on the “Daily Release Project.” 

In late Dec 2022 I made the decision to release one item a day for a year - “release” meaning to donate, recycle or throw out.  

At the beginning of the project, I wrote that while there were surely profound messages and growth opportunities embedded within the process, at that time I was just going to start and see what happened. (Here’s the initial blog post from January 2023: Letting Go, Part 3)

Now, eight months later in late August 2023, not only is the daily release still happening, it’s become an important part of my life.

3 elements of the project:
1) Giving directly to another person has been added to the ways in which a release can happen, i.e. giving an item to a friend or family member
2) Releases are recorded daily in a notebook
3) Intentionally not overthinking it—going with what feels right each day

Some of the items released so far:
Books
Spices
Snacks
Frozen meal
Sheets
Rug grip
Jewelry
Soap
Medicine
Shoes
Socks
Candles
Business card holder
Chair
Drinks
Pants
Shirts
Christmas decorations
Cookie sheets
Tea pot
Dishpan
Scarf
Gloves
Hats
Mugs
Wall plate
Toothpaste
Scissors
Empty jars
Gift bags

The requirement to release one item a day offered an unexpected gift—changing the way I see my things around me.

First, I became aware of how I can easily hold onto something out of obligation, or frugality, or habit—even when I actually don’t need or want the item.  Do I really need 4 pairs of the same kind of socks?  Am I going to need that obscure spice again?  Do I truly like the snack I just bought?  

Second, it became abundantly clear just how much I have.  Even though I live in a small house and have greatly whittled down possessions over the years, there is still much more than I will ever use.  

Third, choosing what goes also means choosing what stays.  Yes, I like that old paint shirt and the memories associated with it.  Yes, a grandmother’s piece of china is important to me.  Yes, every girl needs to have her own full set of tools.

Every day I get to be intentional in what I’m ready to let go of.

Again and again and again, there is freedom in the release.