More on Stuff

My sisters and a few of my nieces met on a Zoom call yesterday morning to talk about our goals for 2023.  We’ve ceased to use the often maligned term ‘New Years resolutions’ and prefer to call them goals, or even more simply put ‘things on my 2023 To Do list.’  Several of us have put together 23 in 2023 lists which I discussed in my year end blog last week.

We talked about vacations we want to take, books we want to read, and hobbies we want to pursue.  But the talk turned, as it inevitably seems to do, to material things that we want to clean out of our closets, basements, cupboards, and storage units.  Where does all this stuff come from?  Years of buying it, years of collecting it, years of getting it as gifts, turns into years of finding new ways to organize and store it.

I’ve blathered on about this problem before, but it seems to be a topic to which many people relate.  I feel like we shared some good ideas that we’ve heard others suggest or that we’ve tried personally, so I’ll share a few of them here.

Regarding gifts:  Its so hard to get rid of something that someone you love has given to you, especially if that person is gone.  But if it isn’t anything that you need, want, use, or brings you joy, its time to let it go.  Think about that person that gave it to you.  If it’s a close relationship, do you think they want you keeping something around for no good reason?  On the flip side, if someone you are not close to gave you something, why do you think you need to keep it.  In either case, thank it for its service and let it go.

Regarding things that are broken:  Why do so many of us keep things that are broken?  I’m not talking about people and relationships.  I’m talking about favorite blue jeans with a broken zipper, a pair of scissors that couldn’t cut through a piece of dental floss, a retractable measuring tape that takes 10 minutes to feed back into the reel, or underwear that has lost its elasticity.  Are we going to fix these things?  Are we making do, but frustrated?  It’s time to throw it away.

Regarding sentimental items or things I “might need” someday:  It can be hard to let go of items that meant something to us at one time, but are no longer necessary or useful.  Many of us have stuff in boxes that we store in closets or basements.  We attack these boxes with determination to reduce our material belongings, but when we open the box and revisit these ‘treasures’, our resolve disappears. 

I have two techniques that have worked for me when trying to whittle down items.  One of these is setting limits.  I have a Sterlite tote and I allow myself to fill it full of what I call nostalgia pieces: a ceramic cheerleader from my high school days, a silk screen of Jim Morrison that hung in my college door room, etc.  If it doesn’t fit in the tub, it has to go, or something else has to go to make room.

The other trick is to mark boxes with a date.  “Throw out on 6/15/2023” or “Donate on 1/1/2024”  If I haven’t needed it, or opened the box by the date indicated, I must not need it.  Don’t look inside and start second guessing!  The message on the box tells me what I need to do.

In our family chat, we also agreed that we hang on to things because of the memories they hold and how it makes us feel when we see them again.  If that is the only reason I’m holding on to something, I try to remember to take a picture, thank it for its service, and send it on its way.

I saw a profound quote the other day and I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit.  I think it’s a fitting way to wrap up my thoughts on this topic.