Decluttering is an interesting journey. Parts have been joyful. Parts have been tearful. Most of it has been mundane.
I’ve learned a lot about myself and the things I believed were true. I’m not only decluttering my physical space I am also decluttering my mental space. I have abandoned many long held beliefs.
So far, two things have been the most difficult. The first is ridding myself of things I’ve owned a long time. I have some kind of emotional attachment to these items that I don’t understand. Just because I’ve owned it for 40 years doesn’t mean I need it. I am talking things like car jacks, sledge hammers, steel chisels, boxes of unleaded stained glass, boxes of old bottles, boxes of things I haven’t looked inside of in 10 years, and a myriad of other such things.
The second and more difficult category includes the items with understandable emotional attachments. These are items I think of as emotional time bombs. Occasionally I come across gifts given to me by my children when they were small. These always elicit tears. I cry because I miss the adults they are now. I cry because I miss the children they were then. I cry because I miss living in a family.
I cry. Then I move on. Eventually I discover another little emotional time capsule stashed among my things.
Peace Love Light
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Jul 31, 2014 @ 11:55:29
Such deep emotions and sentiments expressed. I think most parents-of-adult-children will understand!
Jul 31, 2014 @ 12:46:34
Thank you. hugs
Jul 31, 2014 @ 12:00:21
Decluttering is just not easy, specially when you have to decide on putting away stuff that are emotional. Hugs JR. 🐻 ⭐
Jul 31, 2014 @ 12:50:28
Thank you. I am down to very few things and the things that remain are either hard to part with, have a home to go to, or are necessities.
Jul 31, 2014 @ 21:29:39
Of course, I am most curious about the mental decluttering, but I give you kudos for the material kind. I ought to get to some of that myself.
Aug 03, 2014 @ 08:13:56
One bit of mental clutter it dropped was the belief that I needed to keep something because I might need it again one day. My grandfather taught me that when I was a child. He was in the Great Depression. There are other bits of mental clutter. I’ll try to blog about them.
Aug 04, 2014 @ 12:49:29
We inherited that same attitude from our grandmother, who was also alive at that time. I look forward to whatever else you may have to say.
Aug 01, 2014 @ 00:29:02
I’m doing some decluttering too — it’s not easy, until you decide that it has to be done. I hate to weed out books, but have reduced my collection by about half in the last few weeks. So much we collect, and most of it so unnecessary!
Aug 03, 2014 @ 08:14:48
The books were very hard. I’ve gone from hundreds to 10 or less.
Aug 01, 2014 @ 10:40:10
Emotional time bomb. That’s a good term. Made me cry too.
Aug 03, 2014 @ 08:15:04
I love you.
Aug 02, 2014 @ 03:51:42
Hugs
Aug 03, 2014 @ 08:15:24
Thank you.