August Beer Summit

The hubs and I have this long standing tradition--well, since around 2003 or so--that we've dubbed The Beer Summit.  It begins as we sit of an evening in lawn chairs, watching Cat Dog show play out at our feet and listening to the hummingbird aerobatics overhead around the feeders.

Not a beer summit pic, I just like this one of the hubs.

Then one of us (these are not planned events) brings up something that's been bugging, niggling, bothering.  Not a relationship issue, more like a life issue that needs solving.  Sometimes it's an idea that's inserted itself and can't be got rid of.  Usually, a Beer Summit results in a major, life-changing decision.  We've moved across the country, begun or left jobs, started businesses after one of these sudsy conflabs. 

This most recent Beer Summit took place as we leaned against the kitchen counter after he'd come home from work.  The kitchen, instead of the back yard, because it's too danged hot to be outside lately: 45 days of over 100 degree temps.  The cold Miller Light, because this was spontaneous and we had no Shiner in the house.  But there was at least cold beer.  Summit protocol and all that.

The topic of our Summit?  Change.  In and of itself, really, but mostly Clearing Out.  Lightening the load, getting rid of the deadwood, whatever cliche you want to give it.

But what was really funny was that we discovered about five minutes into our talk that we'd both been pestered, plagued and perplexed by a simultaneous need--desperation--to do this.  Independent of one another, we'd both been feeling a drive to purge our life, household, and closets of all that STUFF that has gathered up over the years.  The list of things/activities/plans we plan to ditch was downright amazing, for packrats of our combined ability.  Here's another cliche: I felt a weight roll off me as we discussed the details for this Clearing Out goal. 

If you were to clean out your closet--literally or figuratively--what would you get rid of?