January 16, 2017
Could I do it? What would it be like to get rid of things that still have some sentimental attachment for me--"things" that were given to me by friends, grandchildren, other family members? How could I just place them in the box marked "donations"? What about all those hundreds of pictures of my Grand Baby Birds in various stages of their lives? I still smile when I look at them, how can I just place all but the best in the trash? From time to time I thin out recipes that I have collected, but what would it be like to just take the whole pile and get rid of it? Would I feel better, lighter, more free, less unencumbered? What about all those items I have collected because they made me smile, warmed my heart or reminded me of someone or some place?
I have a wall of bookcases filled naturally with books, but also with those collected items. From time to time, season to season, I rotate those collections. Some are always there and some go away in a box for a while but I know that they are still mine. I tell myself that I am going to read all those books although I am beginning to wonder if at my age it is possible. I bought them because "they sounded interesting" and I hope that most of them are, but so far I haven't read many of them.
A friend wrote a blog about two Minimalists (see spongefullofthoughts.blogspot.com) who quit their jobs, sold most of their possessions and started living a "minimalist" life in a Montana cabin. In reading more about these two I discovered that they were at first motivated by certain events in their lives to make these changes. They write in their books about how much these actions improved their lives.
I have no such events to motivate me to take these actions, just a sometimes a vague sense of too much clutter surrounding me. Can I apply some of their actions to my life to declutter? The big question for me is: Do I Want To? Do I want to look at bookshelves with some books on them and only one or two carefully placed items? I think as long as those items make me smile or give me a comfortable feeling, I won't be able to get rid of much!
TIPS FOR DECLUTTERING SHOULD YOU CHOOSE IT
- Give yourself 5 solid minutes. ...
- Give away one item each day. ...
- Fill one trash bag. ...
- Make a list. ...
- Take the 12-12-12 Challenge. ...
- Change your perspective. ...
- Experiment with numbers. ...
- Use your imagination.
10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home - Becoming Minimalist
www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/
Even the Bible tells us to get rid of material things! A difficult thing to do, but do we really need all the stuff that we accumulate?
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