Life’s Flotsam and Jetsam

To live again means jettisoning your personal flotsam and jetsam in order to sail effectively on the waters of life. What is flotsam and jetsam? They are nautical terms referring to either the wreckage of a ship floating in the water or the extra, unneeded weight carried aboard that must be thrown overboard.

Personal flotsam and jetsam are anything that crowds your life with unnecessary noise and overloads it with excessive information. In a nutshell, they weigh you down and impede your journey.

Some broad examples might be

Television:

Drive by any house at night and you’re bound to see the bluish hue of the tv flickering through the curtains. Think what would happen if we all read, or painted, or socialized as much as we watch tv. For some this isn’t an issue, so it isn’t flotsam or jetsam to them. For others it is. If tv is just stuff floating around in the water and serving no good purpose, throw it overboard.

Technology

This is broad but it goes without saying that our lives interface everyday with technology. Don’t get me wrong. Technology is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it keeps us from socializing on a deep human level or allows us to be distracted from hard things that need to be done. Plus, surfing the internet without a map of where you want to go is just a waste of time. If technology of any kind is taking over as the mediator in your life, throw it overboard.

People

Admit it. There are some people in your life that just drain you. You never seem to connect and the thought of spending time with them deflates you. Those people are flotsam and jetsam. You don’t need to be mean about throwing them out of your life, but you can be honest about the relationship and take planned steps to disengage. It’s okay. Remember that you might be Flotsam and Jetsam to somebody.

These are just three examples. I didn’t say throw out the baby with the bathwater. Television, Technology, and People are all good things, but aspects of them can become real drags on our journey.  Flotsam and Jetsam. Throw them overboard.

So, what other flotsam and jetsam are there that should be jettisoned? Reply below.