Evening lovely Steemians,
Let’s Talk About De-cluttering!
Yup. I’ve gone into clear-out mode. Now, for many of you, I’m sure this isn’t a big deal – getting rid of some things, making a bit of space. So- you need to know a little bit more about me to realise why today has been such a turning point.
I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder- I’m not that extreme- but I do collect things. I keep all sorts of random cr… rubbish in case it comes in handy. Anyone else recognise this trait? I think it has quite a lot to do with the way I was brought up. We lived on a ramshackle smallholding in the middle of nowhere. It was the kind of place where random bits of string, packaging, wood, egg boxes, containers – well, they all came in useful. And the more you saved, the less you had to buy. And the less we had to buy, the better, because we survived on a shoe-string.
Yes, I’ve brought this tendency of never throwing anything away with me.
But today, I have rid the house of several bags of old clothes that didn’t fit, books, unused DVD stands, and other random assorted rubbish.
What brought on this change?
As I talked about in this post, I lost my mum back in March. And we had to go through all her stuff. Now- the day to day stuff and precious things were a joy to sort and look through. But there was so much stuff she just had stashed. The accumulation of… things… that weren’t important to her or useful to her… she’d just held on to them for years…! Today I realised that I didn’t want to live my life encumbered by things that don't make my life better or more useful in some way.
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." William Morris
This William Morris quote (I hope it’s accurate, but I hope the historians amongst you will forgive me if I’ve paraphrased) felt like a great rule to guide my de-cluttering efforts.
Clothes that are too small – useful? Nope. Beautiful? Definitely not
Cycling helmet – useful? (Erm, as I don’t have a bike, I have to say no!) Beautiful? Urgh – do I even have to answer that?!
I’m far from finished, but as I sit here this evening, I can feel a certain lightness in my soul. I have more space – and that has translated into space in my mind… perhaps for more beautiful and more useful things to fill.
Night night my friends, see you tomorrow.
Eveningart x