Ask your envy

There are clues to be found in envy. Important ones. Beautiful ones.

If only we would listen with kindness.

Envy can tell you who you are. Truths that are easily squashed down when they arrive in softer forms are no match against the dark honesty of a strong bout of “I want what she’s having!”

It helps to ask envy some questions.

Questions like:

Envy, what are you telling me about who I am, what I’m capable of, and what I want for myself?

Do I want the whole thing, or just parts of it? Where is this feeling really coming from?

And if I only want parts of it, which is often the case, what is the essence that I can recreate in my own world?

Oh, and envy? What do I need to do next?

Me? I’m most likely to meet my envy when I’m around nomads and artists.

My nomad envy is as old as I am – maybe older. Even as a child, I dreamed of wandering in the world. And as an adult, my obsession with letting go of material possessions has been so strong that I’ve made my living helping people clear clutter for the last ten years.

The essence? Lightness, freedom, simplicity, adventure. For me, there’s no need for a long talk with envy about this one – I need to let go of anything that won’t fit in my backpack, and just… go. That’s what I’m wired for.

My artist envy is newer and more subtle. Specifically, I envy people who live or work like art. And no matter how much I trim back my feed reader, I always have room for people like Ken and Michael and Danny, whose drawings are deliciously interwoven with their everyday lives – honest and meditative.

The essence? An artist’s life, a poet’s life, playfulness, lightness (again). I want to see the world around me, and to experiment with expressing what I see in ways that don’t include words, like drawing and taking photos.

And here, my sweet, is what I’m doing with it all.

I’m lightening up. And I’m drawing.

My nomad envy suggested that it’s time to give notice on my house, so I did. As of Tuesday, I will be a nomad of sorts. Right now, I’m letting go of all but my most cherished and helpful possessions.

The things I keep? I’m drawing them. One by one, telling each thing’s story. Gently, playfully, cultivating mindfulness and a creative habit as I go, and learning from the things I treasure most.

(You can play too, if you like. The Treasure Project is here. Note the buttons and the guided donation pricing system – they’re part of this lightening-up too.)

So what about you, my lovely?

Where is your envy most likely to show up? What might it be trying to tell you?

And what do you need to do next? Hmmm?