I purged my closet of twenty-seven items.

Does this “first line” grab your attention? Do you want to know more?  Do you wonder if there’s a correlation between these two events? Is this something you even care to read about?

The goal for first lines is to keep the reader reading.  Read the first lines of three nearby articles or books. Do those lines entice you to read more? Yes or no?

I want you to read more of this post, so I tried to incorporate a bit of intrigue into that first line. I need to complain. I want to unload about the bad day I had when my garage door broke. And I want you to care enough about that, or me, to read more.

You may have had a similar experience where you were all set to go somewhere, and the garage door didn’t move. And you couldn’t reach that thing you’re supposed to pull to release it, and even if you could have, the door was way too heavy for you to budge it even 2.54 centimeters off the ground (that would be 1 inch).

If you are still with me, here’s my story. I entered my garage at 10:40 to leave for an 11:00 am massage appointment. I pushed the garage door opener on the wall. The door went up six inches (maybe seven) each of the four times I tried. I pulled the thing to release it. A dumb move because I know from a previous breakage that I can’t lift my door.

The clock is ticking. I will not be able to make my massage appointment. I will be charged for it.  I call my daughter. I explain my dilemma. I hear her laugh. She tells me she happens to be five minutes away. She giggles. “I’d love to take your appointment. I’m always happy to take one for the team.” I go back in the house to pout.

But I’m now very mad. I’m sure you understand. I had very good reasons for needing that massage, ranging from unrelenting pains here and there from my body to my tax documents to my two-hour time change from AZ. Rather than combusting, I had to do some large motor activity, or I would blow up. I headed for my closet. Within 45 minutes, I had loaded up twenty-seven items on my bed. I thought if I’ve just lived in AZ for almost four months out of two suitcases, I surely didn’t need all these items.

I recommend this method of purging. Your emotions are so hot, you can’t think rationally. You can’t ruminate about how much you paid for an item or when you wore it last or where you might wear it five years from now. Nope. It’s off the hanger and onto the bed. And you don’t look back.

And when your daughter comes over after her massage, gloating, you can show her your piles on the bed and tell her you’re thinking of getting rid of your living room furniture next.

You are on a roll! Nothing is safe in your house anymore.

Have a good day!

And remember to pray for the Ukrainians. And for all those people who don’t have the luxury of worrying about little things like massages and garage doors that some of us have the privilege of taking for granted in our lives.