Create space for yourself … literally.

One of my most favorite things I’ve ever done was to create a shelf dedicated to me. 

It’s filled with personal treasures; things that make me feel good, happy, loved or loving. They fill my well, lift me up and generate energy. It is a reclamation and appreciation of Me. 

I started making my shelf just after my divorce, when all things certain were suddenly uncertain and a million choices had to be made in a time when I felt incapable of deciding what I wanted on my sandwich. The Me Shelf* was a resting space, a back-to-basics exercise involving simply listening to myself. 

I even got a little greedy and ended up making two shelves! One is full of sweet little items like stones, glass, dried flowers and the funny little chestnut head with googly eyes my youngest once made. There are also two pictures of me with each of my kids when they were small, taken in a period when I felt like a Bad Mom, beset by guilt and a sense of incompetence. The photos remind me of what there also was… Fun and Love.

My second shelf is dedicated to the special people I loved but who have died. I often sit across from these shelves when I work, feeling embraced and cherished by this patchwork family, these wonderful people who each contributed a little of themselves to the person I became. 

Here is a video of me cleaning and rearranging my shelves. Tidying took me 12 minutes, but to start one up you might be busy for 45 minutes or an hour. It may even take weeks or months, as new treasures arrive in your life. I invite you to go the whole hog and take as long as you want.

*The Me Shelf is based upon the Artist’s Altar from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way