Letting it go: Day 1

Those who know me best already know that I have some obsessive-compulsive issues I need to deal with. A few examples: I don't use the tap water at home for cooking or drinking, but I use it to brush my teeth and I drink it elsewhere. I use my bath towels only once before I wash them again. I have to wear shoes or at least socks when I'm at someone else's house even though I rarely do at my own house. I rinse the silverware when I take it out of the dishwasher but not the dishes. I used to not even use the dishwasher because I felt like the dishes weren't clean. I've already overcome that -- somewhat. My obsessive nature extends beyond those types of things into what I think about. When I fixate on something, I simply cannot let it go. It's always in the back of my mind and often at the front of my mind. It could be a big thing or small thing. There's really no rhyme or reason to my obsessions.

I woke up this morning and decided it's time to let something go. And if you're a regular follower on facebook, you know I'm obsessed with the Zac Brown Band. One of my favorite songs is called "Let It Go."

The chorus goes:
You keep your heart above your head and your eyes wide open
So this world can't find a way to leave you cold
And know you're not the only ship out on the ocean
Save your strength for things that you can change
Forgive the ones you can't
You gotta let 'em go

I don't want to say what I'm working on because I'm not sure I will be successful. I share a lot about myself in this blog, so I hope you'll indulge me and let me keep this to myself for now. But I am going to rate my success each day. A 1 means it was not a successful day. A 10 means I'm cured. Seriously, a 10 means this obsession was not part of my thought process and it was only thought about at the end of the day as part of this experiment. I probably won't blog about it every day, but I'll keep you updated throughout the week.

Today so far, I'd give a 5. Not top of mind, but I didn't exactly let the obsession go. And I'm headed to a friend's house for a little social gathering, which will make giving up the obsession even harder. My goal is to stay at a 5 for today. The good news is that I've felt better about myself today than I have in about a week, so I think this is going to be good for me. Wish me luck!