Category: Decluttering

  • It’s Just Stuff

    Jamie Perkins

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    It’s Just Stuff

    I began downsizing seven years ago with the sale of our home. This was the home in which we raised our family and it was an emotional process. We realized that we were truly “Empty Nesters.” I felt that downsizing was more of an ongoing process than an event and because we were building a much smaller home to move into, it was fairly easy to get rid of much of the excess furniture and items which simply would not fit in the new house. Yet, I avoided removal of all those cherished possessions that were taking up my emotional time and space. So, we moved these boxloads of items we just couldn’t part with to the next house and placed them in the attic, where they remained untouched, for the next three years, until the next move.

    This time, I began thinking about why it was hard for me to remove items from my life that I know I didn’t really want or need. Gifts from family, purchases that I really didn’t like or need, clothes I didn’t wear, items I thought were too sentimental to part with, etc. It was all just stuff. Very little of it enhanced my life or well-being. Most of these things were items I deemed important at the time. They served a purpose but they were no longer needed and just caused me stress. At the same time there can be an anxiety about letting go of certain things and it feels like a loss. That is when I started thinking about what that meant in my life today. Was I really emotionally attached to objects? No, I knew it wasn’t that. But why was it so difficult to get rid of some “stuff” that clearly didn’t add joy to my life?

    This is when I started reading more about minimalism and how it is much more of a mindset than a physical activity. Decluttering and organizing are ways to manage your belongings and assist you in living more simply. For me, simplicity is the key. I’m in my 60’s and my husband is in his 70’s. Life is more precious than ever, and I want to make the most out of this amazing phase of life.

    Every day I am on the lookout for another area to simplify. Is it a basket of books in need of a new home or a shelf that has gotten too cluttered? Whatever it is, I just take care of it.

    All the little things add up to the big things in your life. Are you ready to make room in your life for what really matters?

    Let’s talk more about this next time.