We are now fully engaged in the decluttering, junking and packing phase of the move. And it is horrible. And salutary. We have too much stuff. Stuff in cupboards that's not been looked at for years. Stuff on kitchen shelves that is never used but looks pretty and makes me think I'm a varied cook and adventurous. Books that have been read and will not be again, and books that were bought and will never be read. The complete works of two overactive artists aged under 7, which if thrown out in their sight is seen as an indication that we don't really love them. Balls of wool never knitted up. Bolts of cloth never sewn. Toys not played with for months if not years. Old computers, old cameras.
Too much bloody stuff.
It is both emotional and strangely liberating to get rid of things. You face up to life, look it in the eye and say "I was lousy at dressmaking and I hated it so why the hell do I have all this cloth". Or "realistically now we've gone digital will I ever use a film camera again?". Or "I know Grandpa read the complete Decline and Fall by Gibbon but am I going to? No I am not".
2 comments:
Oh, I am sooooo with you on the decluttering. We had to do it a couple of years ago (is it THAT long ago?) in preparation for our move to New Zealand.
And you know what? Even though we cleared out SO much stuff, when we unpacked here, we realised we still had too much stuff!
Our society/lifestyle is CRAZY!
So be ruthless. Cull everything you haven't used in a year that isn't of true sentimental value. You won't miss it. You really won't.
Sound familiar, we did this - also a couple of years ago - when moving up to Cumbria. Went to the local charity shop and rubbish dump so often they threatened to invite me to their Christmas parties and yet I still have boxes at Bag End that have not yet been unpacked . . . but attending to them IS on the list of things to do.
Don't get me started on OH who wants to keep everything because "it might be useful one day" and therefore has a workshop and garage that he can hardly get into ...
William Morris: Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
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