It's Been A Big Week (in more ways than one...!)

As you know, I've been sorting and cleaning for days now and honestly, I don't know how I managed to gather so much crap. To be fair, it was a process that took decades to accumulate and only days to eradicate.

decades to accumulate and days to eradicate.

Now, I want you to dwell on that thought for a moment and just let it sit with you for a while.

As I said, it's been a big week. You name it, I've thrown it away > this week...!

There were clothes, (omg so many clothes smh!) cameras, shoes, linen, toys, books, games, craft supplies and kitchen items to name a few.

^{This (still working) steam engine belonged to my late husband, it once belonged to his grandfather and will always have a place in my home.}

Most things were easy to throw but then there are things like... this dirty old tea-towel that was so old, it was stained brown from use; it even had holes in it from a time when the dog decided to chew her bone right on top of it and bit right through the towel as well.

BUT it was one of those tea-towels that the kids made at school which had my child's name and drawing printed on it - Well, today I finally tossed that dirty old tea-towel.

As a parent, there are so many items that you pick up along the way of raising a family. Often, these items hold sentimental value and sometimes they're attached to certain memories that make us want to keep them close.

One idea that has really helped me is knowing that I don't need a 'tea-towel' to remember someone, as long as I have the memory, I can recall them at any time (at least, I can for now anyway...!)

^{Yesterday, these shelves were full of stereo equipment and speakers galore... Today, they're full of books, games and jigsaw puzzles. The artwork was drawn by a friend}

Which brings me to the crux of my post today... Many years ago, I heard an idea that went like this...

Fifty years on and generally, people won't remember the GIFT you brought to their 8th birthday party but they will remember the PARTY or birthday dinner that was held in their honour.

Anyhoo, I guess what I'm trying to say, is most people don't NEED more possessions and now more than ever, we need to connect with other people more than anything, so next time you looking to buy a gift for someone, instead of buying a dust collector, why not consider treating them to a memorable occassion.

It could be something big like skydiving (wouldn't forget that in a hurry) or something simple like spending the day swimming or fishing on the river. Heck, even sharing a coffee or lunch with someone would be better than just buying a silly mug and some colourful gift-wrap.

Depending on how creative you are, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money, there are countless ways to create a memory and most of them will cost you nothing more than some time and thought.

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