THINGS WEIGHING ME DOWN
As I sat in silence one day, looking around the room, I began to notice how many “things” I had. It was quite over whelming, thinking about the things inside of things and how, now, all the things have multiplied. It was at this moment, I wondered if all these things were weighing me down. I have felt a heaviness the past few years. At first, thinking it was the stress of my job, then I believed it was the stress of knowing I was going to lose my mom to a terminal illness. But after quitting my job and saying goodbye to my mom, I still feel the weight. It seems like the older I get, the less I need or want. So I am going to declutter my house, take it room by room, day by day, week by week and see if by having less, weighs me down less. I wonder though, am I alone in feeling this way or questioning? Has anyone else ever felt weighed down by “things”? Has anyone else ever decluttered their home?
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Hi susan, I can totally relate to you ……….every Christmas, birthday and mothers day my instructions to my daughter are please do not buy me anything for the house……..I have no need of it…….. I feel that possessions become less and less important in our lives, I now take more pleasure from the simple things in life……..as for DE cluttering its on going for me, my vice is clothing, I cannot resist a bargain…….do I need it, will I wear it…..will I heck…….but I justify it by telling myself that the local charity shop will benefit………that’s my reasoning and excuse and I am sticking to it……..but yes I think you will feel easier in your mind by DE cluttering……..are we subconsciously emptying our nest to save others the bother when we depart this mortal coil…..errmm……….. could be
I think my father got it right when he was asked why his home was so “minimalist” by which they meant there was very little beyond the absolute essentials in it.
His reply? “It means there’s less for you lot to cart down to the dump when i snuff it”.
Now that’s thinking ahead, lol
I decluttered when I moved from a large house to a smaller one. Actually my daughter did most of the decluttering..”mum you dont need 10 of this, or 5 of them etc” and out they went into the bin or on the trailer for the refuse station. She was lethal! She also now has the nickname of “Pitbull” cause if I complained she growled at me with teeth showing…LOL In reality, she was right. Im not going to have a dinner party with 30 guests so why did I need all those dinner sets Id amassed, and one person doesnt need 20 bowls and so it went on. Once moved I found some furnishings that wouldnt fit in even with a huge squeeze so also got rid of them. Now down to the basics and it is quite cosy. I even decluttered my own wardrobe. And you know what…it feels good to be able to move freely around my home and takes less time to dust, polish and clean. Lots of time to enjoy my life now.
Hello Suzan you hit on a good subject Things Weighing Me Down – I have spent many years in the recording industry and seemed to start a new life after retiring – I found I needed to be involved again, so invested In a Roland Keyboard, two Digital Tape recorders. a wonderful Mixer various microphones and a master CD Recorder – that was 15 years ago and I had a great time getting back into recording work – now as I approach my 88th birthday, most of the well used gear is fairly clapped out (like me) the trouble though is, that nobody wants it – its out of date and it is all in My Bedroom! Any ideas?
Drummer
Oh my, you are not alone! So many of my friends along with myself feel the same way. I don’t want STUFF! Simplicity is my motto. I am divorcing and taking very little. When I get my own place I will only have what I love and what is useful and functional. No repeats of anything. I hate clutter, always have.
I have 2 sets of sheets. Spring and summer cotton sheets and flannel fall and winter sheets. I wash the and they go back on the bed. Don’t have to fold and store.
I am going to buy a simple set of Corelle dishes that are lightweight, durable and stack nicely. A place setting of 4. Being single that’s all I need.
I don’t like gizmos that are only used for one item; ie: pop corn popper; iced tea maker; egg poacher, etc. I have a friend that has every gadget used for a single thing. Takes up too much space and used infrequently.
I will probably be buying a mobile home which has limited space so will look for furniture doing dual function. For example a side table that is also a filing cabinet with drawers, etc.
I have eliminated so many different cleaning products over the years. I use a glass cleaner for counter tops, glass, windows, general clean up (other than wood). I use vinegar water to wash floors, wipe down walls, etc. Baking soda to scrub tubs and sinks.
One thing I have to pair down is my clothes. I have too many tops. I will go through and donate those that seldom get worn and keep the few that I always end up wearing.
I love hearing ideas on this topic!
Great blog, thanks for writing it
I want to thank everyone who left comments/replies to my blog. This was my first attempt at blogging and I would really like to continue to blog on my decluttering challenge as I progress. Surely the more I blog, the better I will get. Well we can always hope. LOL. Again thank you for your comments. I appreciated every one and I took away some helpful hints and insight that I will use.
Suzan, great blog and how is your we cluttering going?. I read a book by a Japanese woman on we cluttering and it is supposed to change your life. I believe it, but I have not made a lot of progress.
Hello dear young lady.
I can only say that I have some understanding of your blog, for it would be wrong of a stranger to say… O yes I totally understand, we cant.
I am in the middle of moving house, it first went on the market back in late summer. So it started with the loft, the bedroom’s working our way down.
O my word I have lost count of how many trips I have made to the local dump not far away, and to the charity shops with better things. First thing was we had so many pictures on the walls, blimey like an art gallery. They were not family just thing we liked so many years ago.
We are now on sweep number two…. it was hard to throw things the first time round however the de clutter does make us feel a tag more relaxed can you believe.. I would say don’t do it all at once, slowly slowly, have a few rounds so as not to overwhelm yourself to much. Also so you don’t have any regrets afterwards, however even if you do I can only say that will pass.
Well done you…. x
The de-cluttering becomes tough if there are memorabilia to be taken care of.
Well- expressed.