The Magic of Tidying –
I too have been going through this.
I encourage you to have a go.
About a week after COVID-19 hit I lost my job of 10 years.
It sent me into a bit of a spin, but I also found it quite liberating.
After the initial shock was over, I started to question just what it was that I wanted the job for.
Sure, it allows you to buy ‘things’ – but do ‘things’ – note the inverted commas – really make us happy.
I went around the house and started to question what it was about these ‘things’ that made me want to have them and keep them.
Did a new lounge get me out of bed?
Did all those movies on DVD – that I just couldn’t part with last time we moved – really make me happy?
Did I jump out of bed every morning because of them?
Did they give me a reason for joy? Really?
So, I started to sort.
Sort through all the papers I had been hoarding ,.. All the lost business ideas I had either not followed through on, or failed at.
Did keeping the mounds of paperwork involved with them complete me?
Did keeping lots of mementos really make me happy – or were they weighing me down even more? Were they just - Keeping me stuck in the past and failing to move on with today and tomorrow?
I started boxing up DVD’s, books and other items and initially just placed them under the stairs.
My wife thought I was nuts, but I asked her if she wanted to watch these movies with me?
‘No’, she wasn’t interested in investing the time into them. So ‘Why did we need them’ then?
I was quite ruthless.
If I hadn’t utilised something in the last 6 to 9 months, it was on the hit list.
My wife often concerns herself with all the boxes of photos that we carry around unorganized – from house to house. ‘Don’t lose any’ – she says.
BUT – do we ever get those boxes out and reminisce. ‘NO’ - we don’t need to because the memories are in our head and our hearts. We recall the photos and the events in our minds - and the memories come streaming back.
Therefore - did we really need to possess so many photos of the same things?
After about a year of tossing these ideas around, we went through the boxes of photos. We looked at every one. Had a laugh, and some tears, and then cut them down to about a third of what we had.
We made piles and some albums for our kids, and tossed out 100’s of items that were cluttering our minds
And – do you know what? We haven’t missed them at all.
In fact, we feel liberated and have more space in our minds. Which helps us to cope with everyday life under COVID-19
We’ve let go of some bad memories and dealt with many more.
It’s fantastic – I can highly recommend it.
As for the DVDs and books that often stayed in boxes – due to a lack of shelving for them. The local charities have welcomed them.
At least some other families can benefit from them, and our much-loved piles of clothes and shoes that went to charity helped families overseas as well.
So, I Say - ‘GO FOR IT’.
Have a really big declutter. You mind will thank you for it.
Put them in a box, and if you forget where you’ve put them, or in the process discover things you really didn’t know you had anyway – then you don’t need it after all do you??
Happy tidying
Pablo
