Last
Saturday was my yearly basement purge and it was so much easier than last year. What was different were the thoughts
and feelings that popped up.
Instead of the clinging “I’ll use that soon” (or worse “OH THAT’S WHERE
THAT IS!”), I heard myself saying “Yep, that chapter of my life is really
finished. Move on and get that stuff OUT!”. So the boxes of music that were used a lot when I taught
more kids and also led student courses on instrumental teaching are reserved
for the local music school and the document-maker for my daughter’s new
company.
It
doesn’t hurt.
I
have sold about a thousand books, which seem to relieve a bit of the guilty
thought ‘But I paid good money for that!”. Now, I see some books in the shelves that I’ve read but
don’t use anymore and give them to teachers and/or friends – but only if they want them.
Last week, I visited a friend who had long ago asked
me to give her any books about teaching that I don’t want. So, when I visited her last time, I filled up a basket full of them but
she stared at them in dismay when she looked into the basket! Turns out, she was in the midst of
clearing out her recently deceased mother’s apartment and was up to her ears in
STUFF. More books just added to
the stress.
Sometimes,
we tell ourselves big stories about what we are going to do with our STUFF, or
why we need it, or that ‘everybody else has one.’ I really try to put my stories to the test: IF I DON’T USE
IT WITHIN THE NEXT 3-6 MONTHS, IT’S OUT OF HERE.
Perhaps
because I am older, I can see more of my self-lies and phony stories. At this point, I know I’m not going to
have more time or energy than I have now.
That helps me not to give in to the tantalizing song of the consumer
sirens. I just ask myself if I 1)
will really use it, 2) have a place for it or 3) could share it with
someone. In my art class, for
instance, I give people a dab of a certain color and they lend me the palette
knife for a few swipes.
On
the other hand, I want to use my cookbooks more. I generally make myself the same dishes because it’s
expedient. But, since my motto is “Downsize
your stuff – Upsize your life!”, I
want to try new things and expand my experience. I try not to get stuck in a same ol’-same ol’ rut. But, to be honest, if I decide I want to try baking
cornbread with coconut flour, I check out the recipes online. Ahhh, looks like my cookbooks are in for a purge after all.
So,
if you have some things that you walk by all of the time but never use, consider
freeing up that space with a mini-purge and just leave that area open and
free. Go for the Zen.
Remember
Rule Number 1: Don’t even consider renting a storage unit!
Your
home is your sanctuary. Don’t let
it become your stressor.
