Have you ever started spring cleaning and suddenly found yourself in the middle of a full-blown life audit?

That’s where I found myself this week—surrounded by boxes, dust bunnies, and memories. What started as a simple house project quickly turned into a reminder that clutter isn’t just about stuff. Sometimes, it’s about stories. About what we’ve held onto for too long. About the emotional weight we didn’t even realize we were carrying.

And now, with Memorial Day weekend ahead and the halfway point of the year creeping up, I want to invite you into a little practice I’ve been leaning into: making space.

Not just in your closets. In your mind, your calendar, your business, and your soul.

When Letting Go Feels Like Losing Something

Earlier this week, my husband Jeff stumbled across a stack of old Wine Spectator magazines—one of which dated back to 2005, the year we got married. It was the issue listing the Top 100 Wines of the Year. We remembered sharing so many of those bottles on special occasions with friends and family. That magazine held layers of stories: the meals, the milestones, the laughter.

For a moment, it felt wrong to part with it.
But we paused and asked: Do we need the magazine, or do we already have the memories?

We let it go. Because memories live in our hearts, not on a glossy page.

That same afternoon, I found something else: a big pink Goody comb. You know the kind—the kind you’d proudly carry in your back pocket in high school. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it since middle school… and yes, I still use it. It’s funny how some things just stick with us. Some for sentimental reasons, and others simply out of habit.

Clutter Isn’t Just Physical

The more I cleared, the more I noticed that the real clutter wasn’t just in drawers and bins. It was the emotional and mental weight of things I’d outgrown—but hadn’t released. Beliefs that no longer felt true. Goals that made sense in January but don’t feel aligned anymore. Old to-do lists and business ideas that are now just distractions.

Sometimes we carry things forward simply because we haven’t paused long enough to put them down.

And now… we’re almost halfway through 2025. (I know. I’m still catching up too.)

This long weekend might be the perfect time to pause, reflect, and reassess.

Your Mid-Year Reset Starts Here

You don’t have to wait until the New Year to recalibrate. What if this was the moment to realign? To breathe? To make space?

Here are a few gentle questions you might want to journal on this weekend:

• What am I holding onto that no longer serves me?

• What’s cluttering my space—or my head—that I’m ready to release?

• What would it feel like to make space for something new?

• What do I want the second half of 2025 to actually feel like?

This isn’t about a dramatic overhaul. It’s about clearing space for what matters. It’s about moving forward with intention, not baggage. It’s about releasing the magazine… and keeping the memories.

You’re Allowed to Begin Again

Whether you’re letting go of physical things, old narratives, or expectations that never really fit—you’re not going backward. You’re making room for what’s next.

And if you need a little encouragement or community around you while you reset, I’ve got you.

📝 Join my weekly Penny for Your Shots Insiders list for tips, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes updates:
👉 pennyforyourshots.com/insider

📸 Or come tell me what you’re releasing (or discovering!) on Instagram:
👉 @penny4yourshots

Here’s to the new stories waiting to be written—and the space you’re creating to hold them.

~Penny