This move has provided a golden opportunity to purge and begin
the process of simplifying. When you
come across a box while packing that hasn’t been UNpacked in three
cross-country moves containing, among other things, a GLASS (not plastic) jar of mayonnaise
that expired in 1989,
you know it’s time to get rid of a few things. Side note - the mayonnaise seemed to be well preserved and appeared to look quite normal, but we didn't open it to find out. Seriously, some of the boxes we had in our basement had stickers on them from multiple moving companies. Obviously we didn't really need whatever was in them.
There’s an ugly word that sometimes gets thrown around our house,
usually when someone is frantically searching through the ever-present paper pile on the kitchen counter….or more recently, when a box of VHS
movies made their way into the basement (we don’t even own a VCR anymore).
HOARDER.
I knew before we started packing that there were a lot of things that
needed to go. Knowing and DOING,
however, are two entirely different things.
It’s not easy to find the time needed to sort through a lifetime’s worth
of accumulated stuff. Moving has forced me to MAKE the time and
start the process of purging.
Just to be clear, I am not one of those
last-week’s-lunch-under-the-coffee-table kind of hoarders. We don’t have 27 cats and I don’t need to
walk through a sea of garbage to get to the kitchen sink. I am the other kind of hoarder, the I-can’t-throw-it-away-if-it-has-sentimental-value
kind of hoarder. The thought of throwing
away handmade Mother’s Day cards, kindergarten report cards, maps from our last
family vacation, twenty year old programs from The Phantom and Les Mis, prom
tickets, kids’ artwork, or any other kind of memorabilia just stresses me
out. Interestingly, being surrounded by
clutter also stresses me out. You see my
dilemna.
I am digging deep and finding my way through the process of
purging while preserving. It’s tricky
and complicated and I wish I had started this a helluva long time ago.
If I was at the beginning of this journey with children, I
would take photos of artwork and memorabilia to store electronically, keeping
selected pieces to frame and/or scrapbook.
But twenty years ago we hadn’t yet entered this digital age, and
developing film was expensive, so photography was much more selective. You would have never caught me taking a
picture of a plate of nachos or a cup of coffee. I won’t part with all of the treasures my
children have created over the years, but I do plan to digitally catalogue them
so it will be easier to let most of them go.
When the kids were small, I kept every scrap of clothes to
hand down to the next in line. If it
didn’t fit anyone right then, it
would surely fit someone eventually.
Perfectly reasonable, yes? Now
they’re older, more fashion conscious, with different body types and
personalities. They aren’t wearing a
whole lot of big brother’s clothing anymore…. so why are there 31 pairs of
jeans waiting to be sorted into closets?
17 hoodies? And this is AFTER
having made multiple runs to Goodwill before we moved.
Pokemon cards.
POGS.
Crazy Bones.
Beanie Babies.
Rocks.
Shells.
Kids love to collect, and these kids were champion
collectors when they were small.
Books. Lotsa books.
We have a lot of stuff.
There are, after all, eight people living in this house. I know some of this stuff can go, but it
would be unrealistic to expect to see it all gone. I can’t bring myself to be a complete
minimalist because there is an emotional attachment to many of the things we
own. But I can find a way to trim it
back and better manage what we do choose to keep.
This is going to be an interesting journey.
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