Charlie Foxtrot
Do you know what Charlie Foxtrot means? It is a military phonetic alphabet that spells CF, Charlie Foxtrot. What does it mean? Cluster F***, that’s what it means. I am going to guess it was an attempt to be politically correct, in public? I think this is just hilarious.
Have you seen Watch Hoarders? I have not personally, but I have been in a hoarder’s house and it is hard to believe they can function in such a Charlie Foxtrot! To some degree, we all have a little bit of a hoarder’s mentality. I am not saying we are hoarders, but at some level, we have a tendency to keep things that we have no use for, or outlived (so to speak). Some have very specific things, such as magazines. Others have random things, such as things that are visually enticing to them. Using me as an example; I used to keep clothes even though they fit me 15 years ago. I used to keep all my shoes, even if they were so damaged it couldn’t be worn any longer. I kept things that looked pretty, but I had no place for them. I am sure you are already thinking about one or two items in your house you unconsciously feel the need to keep.
Have you ever wondered why you hold on to these items, that are of no use to you anymore? In my case, the clothes from 15 years ago were clothes I loved wearing and also the time of the best-looking me. I wanted to go back to that, but we all know we cannot backtrack. Even if I successfully lost the weight, my taste in clothes has changed significantly, they wouldn’t be worn anyway.
Same thing with my shoes, I loved the look of those shoes, but they were no longer wearable and I could not find anything like them. So I held on to them, basically hoping for a miracle. Then there are my pretty things that ended up collecting dust somewhere because they didn’t belong anywhere. I kept them thinking one day there will be a home for it.
One, I learned I kept the clothes because I was hoping to be the me from 15 years ago, false hope for the body I had during my hardest times. Two, I learned I kept my shoes for basically the same reason as my old clothes. I wanted to keep them for the false hope of the fact that one day I will be able to wear them again and feel just as beautiful as I did 15 years ago. Three, the pretty things were bought during those same days. Where I looked my best and felt my best, but it was the worst time of my life. I was holding on to these things because I wanted to look and feel beautiful again; I wanted to keep what little possessions I had that was truly “mine”.
One thing I realized with these items, when I look at them they took me back to those days as well. Memories would flood and I would be able to see myself in my beautiful clothes and remember the complimentary looks I got as well as compliments. However, I also remembered how deeply depressed I was and how low I held myself in self value. Those feelings were what made me keep them. It kept me in the past and it was hard to let go. Nostalgia, good or bad, can hold you back if you let it and I sure did let it for a very long time.
Fortunately, I learned to be able to acknowledge these feelings and toss the useless items away and some I donated if they were still useful. I didn’t stumble over my Charlie Foxtrot and realize none of them serve me a GOOD purpose anymore. I needed help. I would LOVE to introduce you to a friend of mine, Ariel. She has been an inspiration and so helpful with this kind of stuff! I will be introducing her to you all soon! Stay tuned for a message from her!
I have come a long way since I met her. Did you know that pet peeves can be something that pisses you off because it is a form of disrespect to you? One of my pet peeves that my husband used to bother me with was not putting things back where you found them. There are two things that I can remember off the top of my head: One, getting his pre-workout supplement out of the pantry and not putting it back. Two, using the nail clippers and not putting them back.
The pre-workout supplement really bugged the crap out of me. I grew up with my dad always telling me to put things back where I found them. I got so used to that and I liked it because I never had to look for anything. Here I am married to a guy who can’t seem to do that… What did I get myself into?!! Just kidding, I love my husband. After talking to Ariel, I realized I felt disrespected and that is why I got so emotionally wrapped up in it.
The nail clippers always disappeared from their home after he used them. It drove me up the wall, especially after I became a massage therapist. Gotta keep my nails short so I don’t turn my practice into “CHI’s House of Pain”. I couldn’t for the life of me get him to put them back in their home, so I bought him his own clippers and told him to find his clippers a home and never touch mine again.
The funny thing about this whole scenario is that I slowly started changing because I stopped caring at some point… now I can’t find stuff, sometimes! How in the world did I let him rub off on me like this??? Actually, I am not worried about it. I have truly mellowed out and it is a good thing. It just means I no longer find it disrespectful and I am no longer emotionally tied to this.
Mission accomplished!
Growing professionally or spiritually, letting go to be better, having goals for you to drive and reach for; understanding the need for these things is not the easiest. When you find yourself in a spot where you do, you seem to lose everyone around you. This is very common and some of us can get lost in the lack of support and see we were crazy to even believe in such things in the first place, or we get tired of fighting for what we know is right.
I have a group on Facebook called Vigorful. It is a group to help each other stay positive and has the kind of support needed to set goals, have the drive towards them, and reach them. A place where you are encouraged to live with vigor and be full of vigor.
Click on the link below to join us! We would love to have you in our support group!
Support for the Best YOU.
