I have a friend who does not bring something new into her house until she gives away, or discards of an item first. That's a rule that she lives by and at times I have thought its crazy because I loved all of my 'stuff' but more recently damn smart! Decluttering is such a simple concept, and sometimes hard to do but offers so much release and power, its surprising more people dont do it periodically. Generations past had it right when they would 'Spring clean' every year to 'get rid of the cobwebs'. I guess in the days of my mother and grandmothers who mostly stayed at home, this was a ritual they performed with pride. As our lives have become busier, some of those sensible tasks have gone by the wayside.
Decluttering your life isnt just about getting rid of 'stuff', it might symbolise a time to release certain things in your life you may have outgrown. It could be items which are just hanging around in drawers not being used. If your living space is filled with things you no longer have use for, it may be time to get rid of them. Or it could be simply destressing your life, getting out of that job which is becoming hard to front up to, or culling all your extra activities which may be causing more stress than necessary...
When we first started this journey, I thought, it was a great opportunity to start fresh. We had lived with the same dark wood furniture for 24 years and it was time to lighten up so to speak. So, as a symbol of starting anew, moving on, and letting go of 'stuff' both emotional and physical, I have literally walked out of my first home with not much of that original furniture and will be redecorating in a much lighter shade, of whites, charcoals and blues to compliment the sea change we are making.
My decluttering strategy was simple really, if I had not used or worn the item for over a year it was time to get rid of it. I came to Altona with far less than I lived with in my old house, and I have not missed a thing that I left behind (except for my beautiful daughter and our dear Tammy dog). I have about 5 boxes I will be going through over the next few weeks before we leave here, some of my books are in them, and I need to decide if they are coming along with me - now this is something I really find hard to part with, my books, however along the journey my husband bought me a kindle where I can carry a few hundred books on one little amazing book. Seeing that I have spent the best part of 20 years working in libraries they are in my blood and I do still like to loose an afternoon in them. Seeing as you can always take library books back I dont see them as clutter as they are not a permanent fixture, always changing. Today, as I started to think about what I will be taking with me, I returned a pile of books I had borrowed from Altona library for the last time, thankyou Hobsons Bay library service, you served me well while I have been here and I cannot wait to explore the Geelong library service once we move to our beach retreat, I am sure it will become a big part of my new relaxation strategy.
Tomorrow, we're heading back to our old place, where a skip will be awaiting us to fill up on whatever we left back in the shed plus some bits and pieces we could not decide what to do with. In this shed are boxes which have been there for 11 years. Before we purchased our first home, we were an army family moving around every few years so boxes became a big part of our lives, lugging them from one Army house to the next. I dont even know what's in them but I know I dont need whatever is except for any beautiful, handmade gifts my children came home with over the years, these I will lovingly keep, but aside from these precious items, If I havent seen it for 11 years then I certainly dont need it now. I expect that tomorrow, going through the shed and all its contents will be like a trip down memory lane but as long as those boxes dont come home with me it will be our last throwing out of the 'old' which we are leaving behind.
Some people believe that decluttering will help you become 'unstuck' and I can attest that living lighter has made me feel free and less cluttered. I believe you need to get rid of the old to make way for new things to come into your life. I know that now I have learnt to live 'with less' I will never go back and my beach retreat will be a sanctuary only of all things beautiful and/or useful...
Holding on is believing that there’s only a past;
letting go is knowing that there’s a future.
– Daphne Rose Kingma
