My house has recently gone under offer so I’ve begun the process of going through everything in readiness for the packing. This has included reviewing a number of boxes that have been in my garage since I moved in five years ago. The boxes mainly contain books and china/ glassware.
It would be very easy to either just leave them ready to be moved or get rid of the contents on the basis that if they have been untouched for five years then the contents can’t be that important. However, although I do want to reduce the volume of belongings to be moved, I didn’t want to just get rid, so I have been ploughing through the contents. The books were quite straight forward – I was able to take a lot to charity shops whilst retaining a core of ones that I felt I genuinely want to re-read.
Reviewing the china and glassware was more difficult and I found it quite hard to decide about certain items. Given that I discovered that it was even longer than five years since I last looked through the contents of theses boxes (the newspaper the objects had been wrapped in was dated 2005 signifying the move before last) this was quite surprising. Why was this?
Basically, I feel that when we struggle with decluttering it’s less to do with the actual item but rather the story behind it. Everything we acquire has a story, whether it’s the reason we chose it, the occasion or the person who has given it to us if it was a gift. For example, with some of the pieces they had been given as 21st birthday presents, with others the person who had given it to me has sadly passed away. It can be hard to part with something in those circumstances, either because of the associations or we may simply feel that we ought to keep it. So what was the outcome of this process?
Certain items I will be passing to charity shops, some I will aim to sell on one of the online selling platforms and others I have re-wrapped and they will be coming with me. Yes memories are in our heads and our hearts but it is also nice to have some small physical reminder such as a mug that reminds you of the giver every time you drink from it. As with all things in the life there is a balance but don’t be afraid to let go – sometimes it is good to do so.
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