Decluttering
Items prepped for donation.
It seems that decluttering is one of those tasks that coincides with the new year and all those resolutions. Maybe it’s because of all the clutter that comes with decorating for the holidays, or the receipt of new things through the ritual of gift giving, either way there just seems to be a lot of stuff hanging around.
It’s also the time of the year when you need to gather all your paperwork for doing the taxes. If you own a business like me, you also need to do inventory. That’s when you truly realize how big and costly your yarn or art supplies stash really is. I can justify it to myself because I know I will use it up, and I am vowing to work from the stash and not buy new supplies if I can help it. But what about all the other stuff that I have?
What to do with old family photos?
Where did it all come from? The answer: I received it, I collected it, I bought it, I brought it home after clearing out the home of a loved one who had passed away, it’s things I am holding onto for my adult children, or from a session of retail therapy. At this point it doesn’t matter where it came from, the problem is it is filling my rooms, basement, garage, and attic. I am not alone in this battle of the stuff, the decluttering gurus have written books and made videos to help you and me to deal with all of this excess stuff. For those of us reaching a certain age, the introduction of “Swedish Death Cleaning”, challenges us to embrace the reality of our mortality by taking on the task of decluttering so our surviving loved ones won’t be burdened with cleaning up after us.
One of the best comedic takes on the stuff you own by George Carlin.
Marie Kondo would tell me to pick up each object and ask myself “does this bring me joy?” (Yes I did buy the book, read it and watched her on Netflix.) If yes - keep, if no - let it go. Easier said than done. It’s taken me a long time to realize that the question I had to ask myself is, “why did I even want or feel the need to have this thing?” The answer deep down is the truth that I have feelings of not being enough. I started buying and acquiring stuff to ward off that feeling of emptiness. If I have enough then I must be enough. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
What I will call external decluttering helped to stimulate the internal decluttering. Sorting through the old thought patterns, societal messaging that possessions are important (capitalism at work), and feelings led to the hard work of connecting with my authentic self. Identifying and coming to understand my core values and what it is I want from life. To me this has been the real work of decluttering, and I think most importantly will help me from re-cluttering (I think I might have created a new word there.) It’s just like the dieter who regains the weight or the addict that has a slip, it’s never been about the food or the substance, but when we finally heal the emptiness inside we won’t need to fill it with something else.
Part of Inktober 2024 series of pen and ink drawings. This one is of my husband’s grandfather’s camera.
For me, art has helped me fill that inner empty spot. Creativity as a whole whether it be producing art, knitting, writing, cooking, gardening, or rearranging the furniture is a way to express and reveal my true nature. Writing this all down has been healing. I hope reading this piece will bring you a small bit of comfort. Internal decluttering isn’t an easy task, but one that is well worth doing. Let’s face it we all know that we procrastinate on the tough stuff, but when we finally give in and do it it may not be as bad as we feared. Our fears developed over time to help protect us, but it can over do it managing to prevent us from growing, from achieving, from exploring all that is possible. Be prepared to encounter some push back from your internal fear. Be gentle on yourself, but get in there and start the work of clearing out the stuff that you don’t need to hold onto anymore. You’ll thank yourself when you are done.
This week start small with just the junk drawer see how you feel when it’s done. Good luck and remember tiny steps!
Maryanne
