Cherished Items
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Where do I put the stuff when there’s nowhere to put it?
Good question, isn’t it? So many of us have asked this very question over our lifetime as we’ve accumulated more and more stuff. There are, of course, many answers to that question. However, before we go any further, let me take two possible solutions off the table. The first solution is not a bigger house. Whether we are aware of it or not, our reason for wanting a home with additional square footage is that our current house isn’t big enough to contain all our stuff. Or so we tell ourselves. We then naturally gravitate to wanting a bigger house. Granted, there are certainly instances in which a larger home…
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Are you ready to March out of clutter?
Are you ready to MARCH out of your clutter? Have you ever wondered why you have clutter? What caused it. When it began. And, why does it continue no matter what you do? You get firm with yourself. You set aside time to once and for all march yourself out of the clutter. No excuses. No putting it off. But then, back it comes as if it has a mind of its own. As if you have no control over it. It simply grows. Like the laundry in the hamper. You swear that you only put a pair of socks and slacks in there, yet, the hamper is full. Jokingly,…
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Did you expect the new year to change your life?
Okay, so you turned the page on your 2021 calendar to a new year – to 2022. Finally, the clock strikes midnight, and a new year appears. With this simple action, the flip of the calendar from one day to the next comes so much hope. Hope that this year will be better or the things we wish to have or want will come true. Much emphasis, expectations, and desires are placed upon this one simple action of one day changing into another and, along with it, marking a new year. To ring in that new year, we perform rituals, enjoy celebrations, make new vision boards, and write long lists…
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Do you allow yourself to grieve as you let go?
Do you allow yourself to grieve as you let go? On a warm Sunday afternoon in late September, I spent the afternoon in my garage. The garage door was open letting in the sunshine and a slight breeze. Neighbors were milling by, waving, as they walked their dogs or took a leisurely Sunday stroll. Thankfully, our garage is a comfortable place to hang out, an extension of our home. It’s uncluttered and has area rugs to soften the hard cement and fabric swivel chairs to add to the comfort. I had been sitting out there reading a book, relaxing in my comfy swivel chair when I got the inner nudge. I had been…
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What is the hardest thing to let go?
What is the hardest thing to let go of? There it sits on the shelf, in my garage. The box. Unopened. Clearly labeled as to its contents. What is inside, I am unsure. I was not the one who packed this box with the precious items that are within. My daughter was the one who emptied and packed it up and as she did so, she cried and grieved. The reality hit hard that it would be the last time we would see those items so lovingly displayed in my Mom’s curio cabinet. The cabinet she had stuffed to the brim with keepsakes and treasures collected over the years. It was one of…
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Do your memories hold you captive?
Do your memories hold you captive? Especially to those things that you’re not meant to keep. You know those items, big or small, that someone gifted you. Or, even more challenging, an item passed along from someone you love. A family heirloom. A beloved item from the belongings of a departed family member. Or, a keepsake meant to be kept generation after generation. Yet, you don’t really have use for the item. In fact, you’ve had it for eons, and it never quite fits in anywhere. I had this experience recently with a beautiful small quartz clock of my parents. A clock that my dad particularly prized because he so loved well-made clocks. As I’ve shared in prior…
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What special items do you hang onto?
What special items do you hang onto? You know, those things that you realize it is time to let go, but then you don’t? Over the years I have noticed many items that I have kept, even when they were no longer used as they were intended. Many were hidden away or stored out of sight. Like the vintage flip top desk that I couldn’t seem to part with, yet it hadn’t been used as a desk for many years. (Click here, or on the link below, to read the entire magical story about what happened when I sold this desk.) I also hung onto, for almost 40 years, a cute little wicker desk…
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Oh no! Not my Piglet collection!
How do you know when it is time to let go of a collection? Especially one you have had for a long time, if not decades? One that has been beloved and holds history and memories. And, yet, at some point it comes time where we begin to question why we continue to keep the collection. Why is it so important? Does it hold the same value it did when we began to collect? Could it be time to let it go? Over the years, I have collected many things. As a young adult, living on my own, it began with owls. I loved owls. The wisdom they held and invoked. The beauty of…
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What’s that one special item?
What is that one special item (or two) that you have kept? Kept for your lifetime, if not more than one lifetime. Maybe handed down through many generations. For me, it is my rocking chair, a much coveted rocking chair. A chair that I thought I’d never own. One that symbolizes home, comfort and stability. You see, at the time I got this chair, in my early 20’s, married young at age 19, there was no way we had the cash flow to buy such an expensive item. Money was tight, and every penny went towards food, clothing and shelter. There was no wiggle room for extras, especially not high-end furnishings. So, what…