Too Much Stuff

“You have TOO much STUFF!” Nan wails, but she also said she enjoys going through things and getting rid of them. She loves hauling stuff out to the trash or putting free boxes curbside. Her favorite motto is: Less is better.

After all the downsizing and getting rid of things before the move, it was shocking to see that I still had way too much stuff. There were boxes that I never went through in two previous moves; items still packed for the past 20 years. What does that say about what I need? I keep hearing the line that John Fogarty sings, “And someday-ee-ayyy, never comes.” Perhaps holding onto this stuff for “someday” really is foolish.

One thing I am noticing is that I can look at items once and not be willing to get rid of them, but I can look through that same box in another week and agree to get rid of some things. Checking that box later will find me getting rid of even more… maybe even the entire box. Perhaps I just have to have a certain readiness to let go. That first, almost a command of, I HAVE to, has me slightly rebelling. This is my stuff. I’ve had it for a long time.

Okay, that’s a clue right there. “I’ve had it for a long time” and if I still have it and it’s just sitting in a box, it’s not very useful, is it. Still, that initial, “Get rid of it,” has me saying no. Another time has me realizing that I really do not need it; it does not serve a purpose any longer.

Then there’s the fact that I am trying to better utilize the smaller living space and my goal is to be organized with everything having a proper “home.” I can’t do that if there is too much stuff. And why should I be moving the same box over and over? If it’s not being unpacked and the items used, what is the use of that stuff? It has no use. And now I don’t have the space to store unusable items. Things have to go, sometimes good things. But if they are no use to me, hopefully someone else can use them.