Wow, that really got to me. Isn't that the truth?? Everywhere you look we're being told: you need this car, you need this perfume, you need this purse, you need this outfit, you need a bigger home if you want to be important. But do we? Maybe it's my mid-life crisis talking again but I really am over all of this STUFF. I'm sick of cleaning around it, finding places to put it, storing it, sorting it, looking at it, washing it, moving it around, stacking it, covering it, uncovering it, carrying it, putting it here, there, everywhere. Enough already. I'm ready to simplify!!
With my youngest son heading into his senior year of high school, my husband and I already know a downsizing is in our near future. Once both of our sons are away at college the entire second floor of my home will be a deserted wasteland. The promise of less to take care of is incredibly enticing. With less size also comes less electric bill, less water bill, less cleaning and MORE LIVING! Doesn't that sound awesome?!
When we repainted and redecorated our living, dining, and family rooms recently I definitely embraced a less cluttered more minimalist aesthetic. Most of the decorations I kept I truly love. Anything else got donated to local charities. I had boxes and boxes of stuff that went and as it went I could feel my load lighten. What can you do to lighten your load?
I'm not suggesting that we don't need stuff. As I'm typing this I'm reminded of my family's 5 bikes and 2 kayaks sitting in the garage. While these items aren't utilized daily, they are used and therefore keepers. Nor am I talking about technology, clothing, kitchen items, and on and on. I'm talking about Aunt Mary's salad bowl that sits in the bottom of a long forgotten closet or little Joey's stack of birthday cards from his whole life! Do you really think little Joey is going to go back and read over those Hallmark Keepsakes in his 20's? I'm guessing NO! There are certain items that hold memories. I have both of my boys pre-kindergarten graduation caps and gowns and they aren't going anywhere. Do I think they will ever want them? Probably not, but I do.
What I am suggesting is a serious e-d-i-t. Prioritize what is clogging your closets, cabinets, garages, and attics and dig your way out. Start small like a closet or cabinet that has been irritating you. Go through it piece by piece. I suggest sorting it using a scale of 1-5.
1- GOODBYE - haven't touched it, thought about it, needed it, looked at it in over a year
2- BARELY HANGING ON- may have thought about it recently, but know you don't need it
3- BUBBLE - too soon to toss, reevaluate in 6 months
4- MEMORY HOLDER- definitely can't part with yet, maybe later
5- KEEPER- couldn't even pry it from me if you tried
Immediately donate or trash all number 1's, now and quick before you change your mind. I would also toss the 2's. Reorganize the other's to make it easier the next time. Under the bed storage bins are a great way to store items that are keepers or may need to be reevaluated later. I understand being sentimental, I know I am the worst! But approaching things with a scale makes it much easier and much more pragmatic.
Believe me I speak from experience. In a previous blog I mentioned the fact that I lost my father 5 years ago. When I think about him I don't think about or even remember the stuff he bought me or gave me. I remember things we did together, or conversations we had, or memories we made. In fact I only recall two vivid memories concerning stuff and my dad and they are actually things he didn't or wouldn't give me. One being the Baby Alive Doll I wanted as a young girl for Christmas, but never got. The other is when he took me to look at a brand new Mazda Miata that someone had won in a local radio station contest and was selling. After falling in love with it, he decided instead I needed a used 1978 Pontiac Gran Prix. Go figure :)
Separating yourself from your stuff isn't easy but it can be liberating. I challenge you to lighten your load and live more abundantly through your experiences and less through your stuff. Go attack that closet that is out of hand, that cabinet that doesn't shut, that garage that your car doesn't fit in. Clean up and live clean, light, and free of all that stuff!
~XOXO jules
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