It doesn’t matter how organized you try to be. It doesn’t matter how many small, medium and large boxes you buy from Lowe’s. It doesn’t matter how many weeks in advance you start packing “to stay on top of things.”
In the end, all those leftover items that linger in closets, cabinets and on the kitchen counter get shoved in random boxes. And when you open those boxes, you will say, “Huh? What is this? Where is this supposed to go?”
Notice how I addressed the vast, collective “you,” when we all know I’m talking about myself. I understand I can’t pack and unpack six years of a life in a matter of days. But still. Our old home was uncluttered; over the years, we made countless trips to Goodwill to donate unused items. Yet, I’m amazed at how much stuff we have. Stuff that seems to have no purpose other than take up space and energy.
Sure, I’ve accumulated items of monetary or sentimental value, and they mean something to me. But our possessions are supposed to enhance our life, not control it. Don’t you think?
I want to be careful during these next few weeks. I don’t want to do something drastic– like the time I got rid of half the clothes in my closet. But I’m trying to follow the advice of decluttering and organizing expert Peter Walsh: “Part with possessions that may be weighing you down – emotionally, physically, socially or spiritually” and “zero-in on the purpose of each space and… ensure that what you have in that space brings happiness and peace rather than stress and anxiety.”
What’s your relationship with your stuff? Do you purge or collect? Would you like a rubber duck or a Diego potty seat?
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I have been amazed at how much stuff I have. And I am not a big collector or shopper. Nor do I have young children who constantly outgrow everything.
I am only sentimental about my books. I must own them. Library books don’t feel the same. I can’t even imagine e-books. Books were my escape, my safety zone while growing up in an emotionally tense, hidden landmine household. I must possess a book, the smell of paper and ink, the feel of pages between my fingers, the weigh of it in my hands.
Last time I moved, The ManChild counted the books while he packed them. He stopped at one thousand. I’ve since purged several times, keeping only those that sincerely touched me, not the “popcorn” books I read for momentary pleasure. I still have three bookshelves full.
Good luck with the move. It’s so exhausting, physically and emotionally, so take extra care of yourself in the process.
Thank you for the reminder, Janet. Moving is definitely all of those things. And it’s been nonstop over here for a month, at least.
The ManChild. Hilarious. I don’t have quite that many books. But I feel the same way about them. A bookstore is like a candy shop to me.
Well, he’s my child, but he’s now a man. And it annoys him when I call him that.
I’m going to file it away for future use.
I have far too much stuff, and when you’ve lived in a house for 35 years, it’s impossible to keep up with it. Even our far newer home in Florida has more “stuff” than I’d like, although it’s definitely manageable.
The good thing is that I have a much lower craving for more stuff, so if I could make inroads on paring down what I have, I will not feel the need to replace it with more.
Books are the one thing I have a hard time parting with. And pictures.
I don’t think I could ever part with pictures. I have photo boxes and albums. And thousands of digital photos on disks and hard drives. I’ve had “photo project” on my list of things to do for two years. My goal is to go through the digital photos and print a few of the best from each occasion, and then properly archive them in an album. Like books, I want to touch my photos.
A person can never have too many rubber ducks… especially if they are the racing type and retired from the Charleston Rotary Duck Race. Love em.
As far as other stuff is concerned, I seem to accumulate more that I care to keep, so every so often it’s a mad grab and dump and trips to Goodwill. Clothes are actually the easiest to give away, if I haven’t worn it in the last year, it’s gone. Besides, the lovely Miss Teresa only permits me to have a smidgen of closet space, so when it gets full it’s time to go to Goodwill with a bunch of stuff.
The harder part is things that have sentimental value, I hardly ever get rid of them, I just clear out more space or organize a bit better.
I also have a ton of files, banners, flags, projectors etc for Rotary that currentl occupies about 1/2 the floor space of the FROG and I need to organize it before it becomes impossible to walk thru it. Most of it I will be able to pass along to our District Training team at the end of April. Some I continue to use and just need to get put in manageable files.
Sure glad we’re not moving anytime soon or it would be total mayhem.
The lovely Mr. Shawn only lets ME have a smidgen of closet space!
I have dozens of rubber ducks from Blake’s first birthday party. We dumped them in the swimming pool. But I made the mistake of not getting weighted ducks, and they all tipped over. My ducks will not win any races, I’m afraid.
I can not imagine you with just a smidgen of closet space, methinks ’tis the other way around for “poor” Shawn.
This is our old closet, but click on this link. http://www.hybridmom.com/blog/?p=3114
You’ll see.
Too funny.
Girl…..you KNOW I can relate to this today. On many levels. :~)
Good Luck with everything and I’m SO GLAD you’re back!!!
LUVS!
Tracey
I think my readers (and I) could benefit from your expertise. I hope you’re getting settled into your new place, as well!
I keep Walsh’s book floating around my house. Usually when it turns up in a stack of yellowed recipe clippings, or slides off a tower of mystery-club books, or my daughter cooks it for dinner in her (larger than my real one) plastic oven, I take that as a sign from above that it’s time to re-read that chapter and think about taking some action.
OMG, I’m cracking up.
Now that I am entering a new phase of my journey, I am noticing that I have much too much stuff. I know it has been there all of the time, but now that I am spending more time in my house, I not only see the stuff, I feel that it is sucking energy out of me.
In the Success Principals, Jack Canfield says (paraphrasing) that when we remove those “energy units” that are dragging us down, or make a decision about them, we can feel a physical weight lifted. I’ve found this to be true.
I know!! It’s an endless struggle, isn’t it? I am definitely not a hoarder and we constantly give stuff away, but we are still drowning in stuff. I go through bouts of organizing where I sort, file, and toss stuff, only to inevitably end up w/ all that random stuff that defies categorization. I hope you have lots of closets in your new house — lack of storage space is a big issue for us!
We don’t have a ton of closet space, but we do have a huge walk-in attic. I’m sure one day it could be converted to a finished room, but right now it’s perfect for storage. I’m using it as my “holding place” to sort random stuff and make decisions about them later. I can’t deal with all the “randomness” right now!
I try not to be a hoarder of stuff. Still, there are certain things I CANNOT RESIST.
Books are a big problem for both MTM and me. I love to read them, and he loves architecture books. We have books everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
Then, we have an addiction to kitchen stuff. I have five – yes FIVE – sets of dishes. For the two of us. Three of these sets are services for twelve people……..My name is Andra. And, I am a dishaholic.
I’m sure there’s a twelve step program for that. Get it? Twelve people? Twelve steps? Okay, I think fatigue is setting in. I’m delirious.
I can’t tell you how much decluttering we’ve accomplished over the past year. We still have too much stuff, and I want to downsize. We could never fit all this into a smaller house. I see many more trips to Goodwill in our future.
Love the duck!
I’m still thinking about what you said yesterday about life being a circle. We accumulate, fill our spaces only to come back around.
I’m glad you like the duck. Post-birthday party, it’s useless, but I have a hard time parting with him.
I have personally lost everything I have owned two times over. That taught me a lesson about stuff. It was not an easy lesson but an important one. I told Katy the other day that we are cash poor and technology rich. We probably have more technology in our house than most third world countries. How sad is that? I think it is true that most of us have way more stuff than we need to live. I believe that our western culture and capitalism has spawned this ugly thing called materialism. We are bombarded daily by marketers telling us that we must have this and that in order to be happy. I guess I fight with that daily. Refocusing myself on the important things that bring me true joy and not the material things of this world that can distract me from those things that are most important.
You’re so right. I’m sorry you learned that the hard way… I would be most upset about losing photos and my wedding dress. That’s why I like Peter Walsh. He talks about how we hold on to things, thinking we’re holding onto to memories– but the clutter actually interferes with the real relationships in our lives, and all the things that are truly important.
Gotta agree with you. Want to come help us clean up a house we have been in nearly 20 years?! I really do not relish the thought of ever trying to move out of this.
I have been trying to minimize recently. I have been giving things away and making trips to GoodWill, but by nature I am a collector. I collect books, car memorabilia, railroad items, etc… My wife says it is a sickness. I say she has no heart! My collections are mostly neat and orderly though. And I make sure to watch “Hoarders” regularly so I don’t venture anywhere near that territory.
Have fun in your new house!
I’d love to see the Charleston edition of “Collectors.”
I think that would make an awesome show.
After living in the same house for thirty years, we down-sized to at townhome of about half the size of the home that held all those “valuables.” What a relief it was to give myself permission to get rid of all the things that cluttered both my home and my mind. It was almost like re-birth; and at my age, that is quite a blessing.
I feel your relief just reading this! I also laughed when I remember Papa Vaughan saying, “Want to know how to turn $15,000 into $750? Have a yard sale.”