The God Jar

Back in February, when I committed to getting the website up and running, I also made a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish in the upcoming year. Little things and big things from entertaining more, to losing 60 pounds, to remembering to wash my face and brush my teeth twice a day.

Sometime over the last 6 months most of the things on that list (which I wrote on pretty paper scraps) became "shoulds." Even the ones that I wanted to do had merely become activities that I was agonizing over not doing.

Coming from a place of agony isn't a good place to come from.

Journaling yesterday on a mini-retreat I realized I wanted to let go of all these shoulds but how to do it? Then I remembered a nifty practice suggested by Julia Cameron that she calls a God Jar. The idea is to use a container and place in it prayers, or worries, or hopes. Anything that you might look to free yourself from, anything you can bring yourself to ask for help on.

All my pretty pieces of paper which were so helpful a few months ago are now folded up and living in their new home inside the God Jar. They aren't for me to worry over any more. For me now, my focus will be on what I want. I want to write because I want to write, not because I "should;" I want to eat well because I enjoy making and eating good food, not because I "should" be doing it. I am focusing on moving from a place of agony to a place of awareness, with help from the God Jar.

What would you put in the God Jar?