You might notice that my food posts are on various different plates. These dishes belonged to my great-granny, my grandmas (both sides) and my auntie. It’s off-personality that I kept them. I’m a notorious anti-hoarder. I come from a family of folks who like to keep things around “just in case” we might need them. If you are from Indian Country or the Rural South, you get it. It’s born out of poverty. All the “stuff” sometimes causes such a massive weight, literally and figuratively, that people just can’t function.

I have these dishes, in part, because it helped my mom grieve. She was cleaning out a relative’s house, had a bunch of dishes and made my dad bring them to my house to “see if I wanted them.” I made one of my “faces.”

Like a lot of Cherokee men, my dad is a man of few words. He looked at me and said, “just take the dishes.” Loaded and complex, message received.

Sometimes you just need to hold on to something for a host of reasons. Still more, you really gotta get rid of “things” so you have a clear path to start being healthier. My mom got rid of those dishes. I gained a new appreciation for holding the food vessels that my matriarchs touched often.

When you start on a health journey, you have to get rid of the “things” that are weighing you down. Whether that’s meat, dairy and sugar, or a pantry of other stuff you don’t need to eat, clothes you’ll never wear, or your kid’s old toys. You name it. Let it go. Recycle. Pass it on to someone else. I promise you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

That goes double for bad relationships and maybe you current job. Detox isn’t just for drug addicts. If you are willing to make a change in your life, maybe it’s just time to rip off the bandaid and do it. Like almost everything in this world, it’s all interconnected.

Old and middle-aged Indian folks love classic country, so I know you get the reference in the title of this post. Keep the good stuff that feeds your soul. But only the really good stuff. Make space in your head, in your house, in your soul.

And don’t forget that hot mess of a desktop on your computer and work space.