Cleansing, Round II
Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 11:55AM Mrs. G. Mrs. G. has been cleaning out her many bookshelves to assume a more minimalist decor and make room for a lot more books.
As she has been going through the stacks, she has accumulated nearly two grocery bags of self-help books that, truth be told, haven't helped her one whit. And rather than donate them to Goodwill for some other vulnerable soul to suffer through, she thinks it's time for another cleansing, a cleansing in the form of fire. The cleansing (and lengthy commentary regarding why most of these books are marketed to women) will take place on Saturday, October 6th, because Mr. G. needs to be home to make sure Mrs. G. doesn't burn the house or her hair down.
Here's a cleansing Mrs. G. did five years ago just to give you a little idea of what to expect.
p.s. Mrs. G. is unplugging for the rest of the week. See you next week with the movie. Also, if you are on Facebook, please consider liking this. Our numbers have been growing and it would be nice to keep up the momentum. Thank you.
Mental
Reader Comments (34)
I wish I could attend the burn!
Make it RAGE! You are too much!
Enjoy the cleanse, my friend.
I like the idea that you are going for a more minimalist decor. I can just see you and the dogs in an all white room lounging in a big ole Eames chair!
Burn it. Burn it all! Self help books rarely help any selves except providing dollars to the writer, agent, publisher, and retailer.
Enjoy your time away. You will be missed.
Burn baby burn! I've watched this video three times and it still cracks me up! Can't wait until Monday.
HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS? OMG. My laughter filled the house. I have crap on my deck too!
Start with kindling and then add the lighter fluid. Can't wait to see the inferno of bullshit.
Love it! We have just moved across half the blasted country and brought alot of junk with us...I am totally into getting rid of stuff to make room for time! I just realized at 45 that the stuff I can always get again but the time I will never get back so the Goodwill loves me and I love not falling over stuff I haven't touched in years and having the time to lay in bed talking to my son about girls and laughing with my other son about nothing at all while at the same time maintaining a clean and orderly house.
This week it's my closet!
Power to the minimalist!
I didn't realize that it had been five years since the burning incident. I remembered it well but watched again for the fun of it.
I have mixed feelings about this, as someone who is writing a sort of self help book. But I felt EXACTLY this way about those 50 Shades of Stupid books.
Barb, I think those 50 Shades books have "inspired" lots, and lots, and lots of "self help". If you know what I mean. (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
Five!?!?!?! Years?!?!?!?!?!
Is that why I have unexpectedly many more grey hairs? It feels like just yesterday.... I have lost all track of time...
Nancy, you just spoke my mind!
Looking forward to Monday...
Thanks :). And you are SO right about those self-help books - I bought a number of the more highly touted ones back in the day, and found them not only non-helpful, but horribly written. I get more and better help reading posts here.
Jeez, was that really 5 years ago? I guess I was a lurker for a long time. Helen.
Jen, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Mrs. G, I love you even more now. Thank you!
I loved the diet book entry when it first came out. Still funny!
The first cleanse was five years ago?? Holy cats, Mrs. G., time really does fly when you're having fun!
OK, so I had a little moment of heart-stopping pause when I first glanced the post title and saw the tower on fire. I conjured up images of a horrible gastrointestinal disturbance accelerated by some unpronounceable exotic spicy food. Thank heavens you didn't have to 'go' there. . . I, too, remember the original post. CAN'T wait for the reprise!
Five years. Say it isn't so! The only self-help book that ever helped me was "Don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff."
I had to check the link to make sure it was 5 years. I honestly can't believe that. I need to sit and stare into space for a minute to make that sink in. Nancy nailed it with the inferno of bullshit!
Barb, I don't think your book will qualify if it's like the post about the small voice. That's not self-help, that's TRUTH!
A perfect way to celebrate Banned Books Week, too! A ritual burning of shit --
So here's my question -- when you're burning bullshit, do you really need a combustible enhancer, or do you just toss that shit together and stand back?
I can't believe it has been 5 years!!!! I was just a wee lurker back then. This made me laugh out loud once again!! Thanks for the giggle this morning!
I hats to be a semi buzzkiller...no I don't. The video was uploaded in October of 2009. Isn't that three years ago?
Unmitigated, you're not buzzkill. The date is wrong, because the video was taken the year before my son went to high school--so it's older than three years for sure. Maybe it's four-years-old. It first aired on my old blogspot blog. My mind isn't what it used to be--functional.
What a great idea - I wish I could suggest it to one sibling but half the block would go up in fire (perhaps they could be used for building material instead: book bricks). I thought I'd gotten him weaned from the self-help books, then he wrote the other week that he'd found a life coach.
One day. (It must be illegal to burn life coaches. They could work on the houses of book bricks; except, probably, they don't have the skills necessary.)
Off to the tile mine - nola naomi
And here I thought I was the only one who didn't get anything out of self help books. I thought something was wrong with me. So glad to hear I'm not alone.
My favorite part?
"Can you make it rage?" Mrs. G asks sweetly.
You and your people ROCK.
Ahem.
Now that I have recovered from my truly visceral reaction to the act of burning books of any kind....
May I suggest that you put down a bit of kindling (newspaper, dry twigs, etc) to pile the books on. They will catch a lot faster that way. Opening some of the books on the pile will help too.
Signed,
Pyro at Heart.
P.S. It was the stick of butter that finally got me to laugh!
I fell in love with Goodwill, Salvation Army and DAV about twenty years ago, but almost lost my interest in buying the books there. Always, I'd tentatively approach the book aisle, to the place where all the good used Graftons and Ludlums and Flaggs lived, and there they'd be: those hideous yellow-or-orange I'M OK---YOU'RE OK things, like some kind of pesky neon therapy flashcards, just glaring at me.
I hated the sight of those things for some unknown reason---perhaps it was the "sign of the times" flavor, or the hideous colors of a seventies kitchen, or maybe the presumptuous cheer inflicted on the unwary/bereft/needful. And the stupid words would run through my mind like one of those songs that you cut off in mid-chorus when you get out of the car, and sing to yourself all morning, I pronounced it in four growly syllables---IMOK YUROK, like an unpleasant sort of Neanderthal mantra.
And I think it flavored my un-interest in all things self-help for all these years, the All I Need To Knows and the Chicken Soups and the Phils. I don't CARE what they offer. Not my money. Not my time.
You should think about making a run to MICHAELs and picking up some hot glue and make a wreath to go w your gourds. (Note: I posted a pic on FB.)