Will you put down the ducky?

A new word…at least to me:

abscission

This word appeared in an essay I read earlier this fall and I’ve been enchanted with it ever since. Merriam-Webster defines it as: 1. the act or process of cutting off: REMOVAL 2. the natural separation of flowers, fruit, or leaves from plants at a special separation layer.

The small Japanese maple tree that grows in our front yard, caught my attention one day in early November, when the bright red leaves that had been on the tree one day, formed a pretty circle under the tree the next. Within a few days, all the leaves were off that tree. The tree knew that it was time to rest. Hours of daylight were declining, resources the tree needed to sustain itself were fading, and the leaves had to go. There was no lingering.

Abscission is sudden, a quick change –a chemical signal that won’t be ignored. Nature can be so efficient. What it isn’t, is rushed. Abscission for the tree happens at the right time. It’s a letting go, at the optimal moment, of something that isn’t useful anymore. This then makes space for rest and, in time, new leaves –growth.

As I moved through the autumn days, abscission was in my thinking. In early morning hours as I lay in bed trying not to disturb Keith, I thought about this word and how I could be more like a tree and let go of things that no longer serve, to make a space for rest, resetting, and room for fresh thinking and different perspectives.

I cleaned closets like crazy! Olivia was home over Thanksgiving and cleaned out her high school and college closet –7 formal gowns were donated to a local charity that offers gently used dresses to young women in the community.

What I notice when I clean and empty physical spaces is my internal spaces begin to rest and reset. Not only is there freed up space in my house, but my brain begins to feel less cluttered. (The photos in my phone require abscission, or maybe I just need to delete all the duplicates!)

Abscission is a process that nature repeats, season after season. I realize that I can do this, too. It’s not a one-and-done event. I can continue to work through my house, property, and thinking, to release and eliminate stuff and thoughts that are no longer useful, or needed. Plans are afoot to empty one whole bedroom of its furniture and fixings to make way for a workout space! And don’t worry, these things will find new homes and be useful to others.

The opposite of abscission is persistence. If abscission is a release and letting go, then persistence is tenacity and refusal to give up! One internet definition said it is “obstinate continuance.” Ha! I see these two actions as complementary as I empty my house of years of accumulated treasures, persisting until successful!

Years ago when my children were small, Sesame Street played in the background of our home life. The song, Put Down the Ducky, was a favorite tune at that time, and I find it amusingly relevant today. As the song admonishes: “If you want to learn to play the saxophone, you’ve got to put down the ducky!” Letting go of the duck will make space for a new skill.

So, how about it? Is it time, at the end of 2025 to let go of things, thoughts, stuff that doesn’t serve you to make space for, well, maybe nothing, or something more precious like, uncluttered freedom, fresh ideas and new ways of thinking?

If you’re curious, you can listen here to see if Ernie really does put down the ducky and learn to play the saxophone. (Bonus: Notable musicians make guest appearances.)

https://youtu.be/acBixR_JRuM?si=hCUnNUkT9iGBRA2e