Thoughts on Clutter

I heard the birds singing again this morning. It's been a while. But then, it's been rather chilly here.

I've been pondering on my last post, about the decluttering going to the wayside. I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff. My basement has a pile ready for the good will, a bunch of old computers I need to figure out how to recyle, and for the most part, it's really quite organized.

I would like to go through my books, and get rid of those that I know I won't read, or don't want to read, and those that I've read but know I won't read again. Books are particularly hard for me to go through. I have more pages marked with those little sticky things, and yet how many times do I go back to them? Oi!

There are times when I feel I have too many clothes. (I actually wear almost all of them though! Save for the dressier ones, as I don't get to go out much.) In reality, I think I actually have just what I need. Though, I bet I could do without a few. Matters not, as come fall, I clean through them, and I do stick to the rule, that when I buy one of something, one thing is gotten rid of.

And then there's the furniture, where we actually use all that we have, save for my grandmother's rocking chair and a papsan chair in the basement; but they have sentimental value that we've not been able to part with yet. Our shelves, cabinets, desks, tables, chest and the like are all put to good use. Although, they do take up a bit of room in our home.

We go through our stuff on a regular basis, purging where and when we can. And now, we are down to the point where we use almost every thing. The knickknacks we have, we really like and aren't ready to part with just yet. Sometimes, I get frustrated when we get more stuff, as then I need to figure out where to put it, or what I'm willing to get rid of. My MIL tells me that she doesn't have an attachment to stuff or people. Ironically, my FIL is the opposite. :)

Mentally, I get better as it goes. I'm learning what nurtures me, what drains me, and what I really enjoy. I do my best to let go of worries, or bad thoughts about people. I am in the process of creating an absolute Yes list, so, if something comes up that's not on that list, I'll need to really think about it before agreeing.

Dealing with clutter is definitely a day-by-day process. It's good to look at things, see that I'm in a good space. I realize, I'm probably burned out, because I'm getting into the territory of having a lot of stuff, but it's used stuff or stuff I really like. So, that makes it a bit of a challenge. Thus, I think a break (until fall when I seem to get bit by the declutter bug again) is a very good thing.

Though, I really should make it a point to empty out that Good will pile, eh? :)