February 5, 2022
After working on the house for almost two years the housing market was getting better and the pressure was on to get my house on the market. The problem is we had barely been there working every day at the new house. One day we were both working out on the new screened porch and the pressure sunk in that we needed to switch gears and stop what we were doing to start fixing up my house to sell. Just when you think you are exhausted. Never underestimate your potential!
Packing and sorting everything I had collected over time all of a sudden was the priority. I am thankful I was tired. When you are physically exhausted it tends to ease the mind. I had so many unnecessary things! I knew this, already. If you have too many things, and are in denial, thats really a front. We know when we need to get rid of things. Actually doing it is the hard part.
I had spent some time, here and there, going through everything I had. Clothes in my bedrooms, boxes in the office, boxes in the garage, kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff and it all added up to TOO MUCH STUFF! We were downsizing to a small degree. But basically, I had held on to too many things. Period. It doesn’t matter in the big picture why or how. The only thing I knew is it was time to purge! Moving into an empty space, clean slate just did not require carrying over boxes of storage. We had spent time adding storage for our needs. There became no need for extras, anymore.
Have you ever known someone who purges all of the time? Yea, me too and that was not me.
I spent a lot of time assessing, before. It was like I was taking inventory and going back and recounting. I might as well have been running a retail store! Yes, it is still here. No, I have not gotten rid of any of it. I may have reorganized and moved things around to seem like something happened. Nothing had happened. It was all still there and I probably had added to the stuff to tell you the truth.
Michael is the type to throw too many things away, in my opinion. He could be packing dump run trips and I would go back through and be pulling things out when he wasn’t looking. However, most of the time I realized it was a panic feeling. Emotions took over and then I really looked at whatever it was I ‘Saved” and thought to myself “this is really very insignificant in my life”.
For a while, it made me feel better about getting rid of things if I gave them to somebody who could use it. Be careful with this approach. You will detach yourself from it. It will be “out of sight, out of mind.” Then down the road you will see it and feel the need to take the dang thing back. It’s almost like you cast a spell on it and it is calling you to find it. I learned this in accepting things from others too. They want to monitor how you take care of, use and not use it. Basically, it’s better not to gift around your things.
What defines junk? Junk to me is something with no use or purpose. Here is where things get confusing. If you analyze anything you can come up with a reason or a future purpose. Most people state simply the value of it as a reason. For me, it was not usually the monetary value. It usually was the history of it in my life. Maybe, it reminded me of a great time I had. Possibly, I remember where I was when I found it. Then it took me down memory lane to that place. It could have previously been a favorite item. Changing your mind on it from not being a favorite anymore can be difficult. Then there are the few things that reminded me of not so good times. OK, so here’s the twist for these things. Seeing something that comes from a worse time in your life can actually feel good. You look at it and think how well you are doing. You may think how grateful you feel now. It gives you positive feelings too. Basically, you look at everything and feel good!
How do you decide what to get rid of? For me, I decided what I wanted to keep. I pulled out all of the items I really could not part with. I used it, I loved it, I had to keep. The remainder of the stuff was all of a sudden without purpose. Unnecessary. Not worth the little time I had packing and sorting and moving and unpacking and setting up. I was a collector! Hair products, clothes, knick knacks, kitchen accessories, books, etc. Truth is having too many of these things only presents making more time consuming choices each and every day. I valued my time, and sorting through my stuff was not how I wanted to spend my time. Or worse, looking for something you never can find!
I read somewhere if you won’t pack it for a trip then rethink it. I had been traveling a lot before this house project began. I started wondering, when I was “preparing to pack.” If these jeans for instance, aren’t good enough for this week’s wearing, then why are they good enough for other times. In other words, you pack your favorite jeans, shoes, underwear, shirts, pajamas, etc on a trip. Your best, most comfortable shoes and socks and coat. If these select items are ALL that I need while I am gone. What is the point of the rest of all the things I have? I get weather and seasons and I do not mean exactly every item. But, the thought process made me really reconsider my need to have the amount of things I did. The truth is, I always felt better on my trips with my minimal selection of stuff.
I recruited help to get started purging. Sometimes you need a kickstart. Then after that is was on! Bags of donations were made. I actually had someone else take them for me, just to be safe. Once it is gone then thats it. Hoarders anonymous is not on my radar! Freeing myself from all of these things is more valuable than keeping them. Do it, you will see.
Take a picture of it, if it is that personal. Then, get rid of it! The sentiment will always stay with you.
Six months later, after moving and living awhile I am still sorting through things. I have plans now. Plans to do things purposefully. I need space to store homegrown canned vegetables for instance. Now, that box of old picture frames is in MY way! Those bags of dresses have no purpose. The coat rack I am not using anymore can go. I might miss that one shirt, but that shirt never gave back to me. My focus now is on things in my life that give back some way or another. Have a use, a purpose, or I really love. Don’t get me wrong I am adding new things all the time. It is a new place. Thats the fun part, no doubt! I will however, not feel bad about having a yard sale this spring.
