Time to Declutter

Imagine my surprise when a book that piqued my interest showed up on my Kindle today. I was catching up on some reading, reviewing a book excerpt on decluttering. Who doesn’t need to declutter somewhere? My piles of junk mail, tax mail, statements, receipts were calling my name and right beside them are countless “I might need this…someday” items. I’ll bet you have something like that…somewhere. Guess that book caught my interest earlier and I had pre-ordered it. What can I say …great minds! So now, I not only have the interest, but maybe the time? And I’ll know just how to do it…if I can get this book read. I’ll let you know how that works out. But it also brings to mind some of my “failings.” Keeping stuff for the sake of keeping stuff! I now know I grew up in the shadow of the depression. No, I’m not that old, but my parents were and they didn’t like throwing things away, IF you (or anyone) might be able to use it someday. They’re the ones who kept piles of extra lumber or building materials, nails, screws, pipes, old towels or sheets and shirts for rags, mismatched dishes, empty boxes, even old magazines and out-dated books. Do you have a box of pieces of wire you “might” use for repairs? Scraps of fabric you might need for a quilt or a craft? Or a bag of bags, you might use? I’ve often lamented we live in a throw-away society. Toss it, if you’re not using it. You’ll buy another, IF you need it again or a newer version will work better. Or if, like a lot of us, you can’t find it when you do need it! In the meantime, we are living in stacks of boxes and bags of clutter with “things” that we’ve accumulated as we’ve needed them, wanted them or were gifted them…and you shouldn’t throw away a gift! Even if it doesn’t work or fit. It brings to mind a recent Facebook post, where an older family member was trying to downsize and having difficulty getting rid of “things”. The daughter couldn’t understand why it took so long, until she started listening…every “thing” has a story or a memory. It’s not the things we’re keeping, but the memories. And it fits my mantra…”write it down!” If you have gifts that no longer have a purpose, write down why you kept it in the first place. If you keep old dishes or special pots or pans, who used them and why? If you have a dull saw or burnt-out tool that might be fixed, why is it there and what was it used for? If you have pictures of forgotten family or friends, does anyone know or remember them? Tell their story, file a few pictures with them and can the duplicates or out of focus ones! Maybe it’s as simple as making a list of things or stories from or for the family. Maybe you can create a notebook, a scrapbook, a quilt, a renewed piece of furniture…you could even write a book. But you don’t need bags and boxes of stuff for another generation to plow through and wonder why is this here? This book starts out right. Don’t dive in with plans to finish today or this weekend or even this month. Understand it took time to accumulate “stuff” and the memories with them. It’s bound to take time to declutter.