Well, my firepit is now full of ash.  My friend promised she would not regret burning her journals so that's what we did last night.  We ripped out all the pages so that we'd only burn the paper, not the plastic covers.  We listened as she talked about what she learned from the past and what she wanted for the future.  At the end of the night she thanked me and said she feels great!  So although burning journals is not something I'd ever do, it was the right step for her to take and I support her.

My other friend cut off a piece of her ex's tee shirt and recited a beautiful poem she wrote.  The cloth caught fire and disappeared, hopefully taking with it some of the pain my friend's been feeling from that breakup.

When I was on the phone with another friend, I told her how cathartic it was to use the firepit and she offered another suggestion on what to do with leftover shirts:  Cut them into rags then clean the toilet with them!

I had a good laugh and then realized that's a pretty great idea, especially for folks who haven't worked through all their anger or upset yet.

So here's a two-part question for you today:  Do you have any funny or dramatic ways you tried to purge some bad memories?  (Cathartic, not cruel, please.  Just examples like what you scrubbed with his old toothbrush, or how you cut his necktie in half.)

And, how did you turn a negative experience into a positive?  After your split, did you go back to school?  Start working out? Do volunteer work?

What helped you transition to a new chapter in your life?

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