It is amazing.
It is breathtaking.
It is also overwhelming.And pretty much worthless to me today.
Do you have stuff like this?
Extra sets of lovely dishes. So
you could feed an intimate dinner for 36? Hmmm. I’m not doing that
anymore. And if I HAD to, I’d use the
absolute best paper plates, probably.
I saved them, of course, for my kids. Then I tried to give them away. They were rejected like a case of poison
ivy.
“No thanks,” they said.
“They take up too much room.” How did they get so smart so young?
Then there’s grandmothers hutch (which held the dishes).
“Not our style, thanks but no thanks.” Polite, and definite.
Downsizing is a challenge when you have a lot of “stuff”. We sold some, but not much.
It’s emotionally hard
to declutter. There are memories
galore. I solve this by taking pictures of my
precious, memorable, loved, (and pretty much worthless) stuff, and store it in
the “cloud” (which is like having unlimited closet space, PLUS, you don’t have
to dust it!)
And once I got started, it got easier. I found out there are
lots of people who NEED a lot of the extras that I have been storing. It’s
given me a lot of joy to donate furniture, nick –knacks, and LOTS of books,
I've donated LOTS clothing for folks
who appreciate these things, or to make money for a worthwhile cause.
I’m not done, but I’m on my way. And it’s actually starting to feel good. How
about you? What about your “stuff?” I’d love to hear!
Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance, romantic
mystery, and suspense. She can be found
living in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats,
and spending time with her 13 grandchildren.
When she’s not writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college,
and working with clients in her private practice as a Marriage and Family
Therapist. She loves to hear from readers and writers!
Check out her story of romantic suspense, "Almost Anonymous". When life takes a treacherous turn, Cassandra has to do the impossible to begin again. And it takes some very unusual friends to find her way to a newer, safer life!
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteSuch a good point about decluttering, and what to do with the extra "stuff." I hope to start spring cleaning soon.
I need to downsize and get rid of "stuff." Do you need to?
ReplyDeleteChristine, every time we moved we got rid of stuff, but we still have more stuff than we need.
ReplyDeleteWe worked on decluttering this past fall because we thought we were going to sell our house and downsize. We changed our minds, but it's nice to be rid of stuff.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd never asked for china when we were married 28 years ago, but that was the thing to do then. Now I have beautiful china I NEVER use. I might have used it once in 28 years. It's super pretty, but it's to nice to use lol and it's hand wash only.
Best of luck as you declutter and downsize.
We decluttered and cleared out the last time we moved... but somehow new stuff is finding its way in. I need help! lol
ReplyDeleteUgh, I've began tacking this same thing...getting rid of the STUFF. I feel for you. =)
ReplyDeleteHere we go!
DeleteChristine, you're playing my song! Even though I did a massive downsize from big house to studio apartment in 2012, stuff is always trying to creep in. We must remain vigilant. ;)
ReplyDeleteOn our guards!
Delete