Last week, I placed a big, black bag of smelly garbage from home in the back of Blue, my faithful Suburban. I planned to drop it off at the big waste bin at our warehouse, safely away from people’s noses.
I got sidetracked and spent the whole day at my office. When I finally returned to my car, the putrid odor permeated the entire vehicle. Of course, I dumped my trash immediately. However, the pungent smell stayed in Blue and engaged my nostrils for a couple days afterward. It finally dawned on me I needed to do a thorough scrub to be totally free of my trash.
This experience got me thinking about all the garbage I’ve carried around in my mind over the years. Some of it I just let sit there, long after it had done its damage. The weight it placed on my spirit detracted from the joy that was waiting for me. Often, my own cleanup simply had to do with thoroughly forgiving myself, making any appropriate amends and moving on with a positive and odor-free mindset.
I’m confident none of you are guilty of keeping some old garbage in the back of your car.