It feels weird to be home amongst my things. Like any relationship in which there's been some physical distance, everything feels a little strange and awkward. I'm learning my home's quirks all over again, finding favorite dishes, wearing a favorite pair of brightly colored heels.
Every drawer, every closet, every shelf is a new discovery. Certainly, after being away from my own things for so long and making do with only a suitcase's worth of my stuff to rely on, the first thing that ran through my head was, "Wow, I have a lot of stuff!" A lot of clothes, a lot of shoes! A lot of vases! A lot of everything. Living with so few of my own things, I learned to be creative and resourceful. And it felt good to be unemcumbered.
Therein the dilemma.
It's tempting to toss everything, to clean sweep my home, bring my closets down to their most minimal level. But, while my home needs a good decluttering, complete minimalism only happens in the movies.
In real life, there is the tablecloth my grandmother embroidered that get used only at Thanksgiving; ski stuff for those yearly -- or every other yearly -- trips; that fur shrug of my mother's that I've worn once; my high school yearbooks.
So, while I've taken travel's lessons to heart -- there will be tossing, there will be donating, there will be clothing giveaways and regifting, furniture will go, pillows begone -- I'm glad I've got an extra closet.
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I think it's nice to find a good balance. My mom is a bit of a hoarder, so I was surrounded by too much stuff as a child. Now that I have a husband, a house, and two children, I'm surrounded by other people's stuff, and it can get a bit overwhelming at times. I like to stay organized and do regular cleaning out of drawers and closets. And whenever a charity calls to ask for a donation of goods, I always say yes, which forces me to find things to get rid of.
Whenever I'd come back from a long trip to Iraq or Afghanistan (I was a reporter) I'd go a little crazy at home being around so much stuff -- i'd been living from one small bag for 2 months. Once I returned home and almost immediately ripped out what I consderd to be a too-busy stair railing and hauled it down my back steps to throw it in my yard. It was raining, I slipped, and I narrowly missed being eviscerated by a metal shank that had been attached to the railing to keep it in place. Lying on my back, looking up at the rain, feeling the blood on my back... I thought: I might be a little crazy from the war.
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com
Ive always marveled at houses that are completely free of STUFF. I can only ever assume they must have lost everything in a fire. Its nearly impossible to get through life without needing an extra closet to hold it all.
I think it is just important to be realistic about what you need and what is worth keeping. Consider what is important to you. Its easy to justify family heirlooms and important memorabilia etc. But I think you should allow yourself a few guilty pleasures too; old movies that cheer you up, an ice cream maker, too many shoes - whatever your vice make a spot for it, and get rid of the true junk.
What I learned by living in small spaces was to use the "good stuff" every day, and ditch all the "everyday" stuff. Heirlooms in the closet aren't the problem -- the problem is all the cheap plates, linens, etc., that we buy because we're saving the good stuff for special occasions.
I can't give much advice about heirlooms but as for clothes, my motto is if I haven't worn it for a year (or didn't wear that sweater last season) it's out the door. For too long I was saving items of clothing for those "but what if I need it?" situations that never really came up.
For the past few years I have trained myself to be more ruthless about getting rid of things I don't need or use, yet I think I still have too much stuff -- especially books. I try to get rid of something I don't need, everyday... sometimes that's a whole box, sometimes just a pair of socks. We are in the process of trying to empty out a work area / storage area that we rent for $300 a month (ack), and that has meant even being even stricter about getting rid of stuff -- and I'm enjoying it.
I find all that rope hanging casually with coats and hats a bit alarming. Like, why does a family need so much rope on an average day?
Haha, JasmineIsDomestic...maybe they're cowboys. Or hangmen.
I do the same thing almost everyday of my life. I struggle to try and find that balance between the love for material things and my love for peace and calm (aka lack of distractions and EASIER TO CLEAN LOL) I've come to the conclusion that it's actually pretty easy to do with clothing and knick knacks and toys... all the small things. However it is absolutely impossible for me to get rid of a good portion of furniture. The microfiber sectional that I scored for free in absolutely pristine condition after a good cleaning. The PURPLE chair I got for free because I actually scoured craigslist for MONTHS looking for it. The antique dresser my grandmother gave me. The bookshelf that was mine and my husband's 1st furniture purchase after getting married that we stained and sanded and stained and sanded and STILL has a hair print from our first cat on it. I have a much longer list... but I don't think they'll all fit on here LOL. I've found that the things I have a story to tell about and can remember how I got them and worked at getting them and making them nice and MINE (as in not something everyone else has because it came off a showroom floor) is when I really need to hold on to them and never let them go willingly. I became that way because we are a military family and have moved a lot, and every place has a different layout, different neighbors, different memories, but our stuff has always been the same and has made all of those places a home for us.