Unstoring Storage
Do you think it's peculiar we get so emotionally attached to inanimate objects?
Of course not! These objects have huge significance in our life! Childhood memories, special events, or maybe a gift from a special person.
I was never good at it, but I played softball in little/middle school. Maybe even through Junior high, I don't remember. I know I tried out in High School and my 'never good at it' showed and I didn't make the team.
I always loved stuffed animals and I'd find special meaning in each with a need to keep them all. I donated an entire tub of them to Goodwill; Christmas bears, Easter rabbits, and these, part of my military collection.
A few of my favorites. From my LittleFoot, Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbow Bright, My Little Pony, Puff the Magic Dragon, and best friends Tommy, Sally, and Teddy. It was time to part ways. Okay, some of these actually made the cut and will remain boxed away.
Toto, you're not in Kansas anymore!
A special GOBA jacket. A boy gave this to me when I was 12 or 13 years old. I probably thought I loved him. Ha! But all these years I've kept it and collected my GOBA pins on it. I think I'm missing 2 pins though. As special as it was back in the 90's, it didn't give me any special vibes now and I decided it was time to go! I kept the pins!!
Bachelor of Dancing!? Certificate of Camp Experience!? My first speeding ticket and my first detention. Why!? LOL! I had piles and piles of other similar papers. And cards! So many cards. Birthday, Christmas, and more. But why? Why do I feel compelled to keep these? I actually had every single letter that anyone had ever written me. I felt no need to keep any of it.
Hey girls, remember that one time when I got married and we all felt like death the next day!? What does one do with 5 wedding albums!? Phil and I picked our favorite photos out of each and tossed them together.
This was a tough one!! Those were my very first running/tri shoes. I have tried every single brand of shoe I think out there and Zoot has been the only ones that feel good to run in. It was hard to let them go back then, even harder now. HA!
And all those 5k and 10k trophies and awards? Time to go. I kept all the most important ones. My IM and HIM are all in Italy (a few in AZ). I just didn't see the point in leaving them piled in a box. The chance of them ever going on a shelf, little. Weighing me down! Ciao!! An easy donation.
One book of my life series is 'Housewife'. That included leading the Army FRG for a short time. My efforts didn't go unnoticed. Coupled with this thanks, I also received the Angel Award.
My final goodbye was to a gift from my mother. This too actually made the cut and remains boxed away, but it needs to be recognized here too. No where in this advice does the River say keep all things in a box forever. In fact, it says, Live Simply, Moving, Flowing, Allowing ... Stay Current.
The Beauty is in the Journey.
NOT the stuff.
Of course not! These objects have huge significance in our life! Childhood memories, special events, or maybe a gift from a special person.
But what do you do with all that junk!? If you're like me and everyone else on earth, we pack it in a "memory" or "keepsake" box and shove it in the attic, closet, or basement. Am I right?
Even though I decluttered my life when I moved into an RV and then downsized on top of that to move to Italy, I still had (too many) boxes full of stuff. It was time to eliminate.
I no longer want to hold onto anything that I don't need/want/love on a regular basis.
And, I just don't want my life piled with boxes.
Going through my boxes of stuff was both nostalgic and tough. Pictures with best friends and boyfriends, teenage poetry and ramblings, clothes, shoes, odd collections and old toys, marriage.
I made 4 piles: to Italy w/me, to keep, to dumpster, and to Goodwill. We ended up with a 5th pile too, to mom. LOL. Old letters, cards, unimportant photos and junk hit the dumpsters while clothes, collectibles, toys, and home goods met Goodwill.
Strangely, it was easier to trash things than it was to leave them at Goodwill. I guess because the trash was trash and the Goodwill drop was, I don't know, good stuff. Recyclable. Treasures to be found. New memories to be made. It was hard to swallow. How can I just leave my memories? It kind of felt like I was turning my back on my past. It's just stuff Lisa. My past remains. The memories remain. It's all Just. Stuff.
SO, instead of keeping these simultaneously useless and important things, I had a plan... It didn't turn out as thorough or nice as I wanted it to because I felt very limited on time and once I got moving through things, I wanted them gone. I didn't want to get too hung up on anything and question myself. But, the plan was basically a coffee table book of my memories. I planned on setting up my things, photographing them and then putting them together in a scrapbook type photo album (think Shutterfly photo book) with short descriptions. Isn't that a great idea!? I'm much more likely to pick a book up and thumb through memories than go through a box (aren't you too!?)!
How's that for keeping a memory near!?
Limited on time and on a mission, a blog post will work just as good!!
Ready? Let's GO!
And, I just don't want my life piled with boxes.
Going through my boxes of stuff was both nostalgic and tough. Pictures with best friends and boyfriends, teenage poetry and ramblings, clothes, shoes, odd collections and old toys, marriage.
I made 4 piles: to Italy w/me, to keep, to dumpster, and to Goodwill. We ended up with a 5th pile too, to mom. LOL. Old letters, cards, unimportant photos and junk hit the dumpsters while clothes, collectibles, toys, and home goods met Goodwill.
Strangely, it was easier to trash things than it was to leave them at Goodwill. I guess because the trash was trash and the Goodwill drop was, I don't know, good stuff. Recyclable. Treasures to be found. New memories to be made. It was hard to swallow. How can I just leave my memories? It kind of felt like I was turning my back on my past. It's just stuff Lisa. My past remains. The memories remain. It's all Just. Stuff.
SO, instead of keeping these simultaneously useless and important things, I had a plan... It didn't turn out as thorough or nice as I wanted it to because I felt very limited on time and once I got moving through things, I wanted them gone. I didn't want to get too hung up on anything and question myself. But, the plan was basically a coffee table book of my memories. I planned on setting up my things, photographing them and then putting them together in a scrapbook type photo album (think Shutterfly photo book) with short descriptions. Isn't that a great idea!? I'm much more likely to pick a book up and thumb through memories than go through a box (aren't you too!?)!
How's that for keeping a memory near!?
Limited on time and on a mission, a blog post will work just as good!!
Ready? Let's GO!
I was never good at it, but I played softball in little/middle school. Maybe even through Junior high, I don't remember. I know I tried out in High School and my 'never good at it' showed and I didn't make the team.
I always loved stuffed animals and I'd find special meaning in each with a need to keep them all. I donated an entire tub of them to Goodwill; Christmas bears, Easter rabbits, and these, part of my military collection.
A few of my favorites. From my LittleFoot, Cabbage Patch Kids, Rainbow Bright, My Little Pony, Puff the Magic Dragon, and best friends Tommy, Sally, and Teddy. It was time to part ways. Okay, some of these actually made the cut and will remain boxed away.
Toto, you're not in Kansas anymore!
A special GOBA jacket. A boy gave this to me when I was 12 or 13 years old. I probably thought I loved him. Ha! But all these years I've kept it and collected my GOBA pins on it. I think I'm missing 2 pins though. As special as it was back in the 90's, it didn't give me any special vibes now and I decided it was time to go! I kept the pins!!
Bachelor of Dancing!? Certificate of Camp Experience!? My first speeding ticket and my first detention. Why!? LOL! I had piles and piles of other similar papers. And cards! So many cards. Birthday, Christmas, and more. But why? Why do I feel compelled to keep these? I actually had every single letter that anyone had ever written me. I felt no need to keep any of it.
Hey girls, remember that one time when I got married and we all felt like death the next day!? What does one do with 5 wedding albums!? Phil and I picked our favorite photos out of each and tossed them together.
This was a tough one!! Those were my very first running/tri shoes. I have tried every single brand of shoe I think out there and Zoot has been the only ones that feel good to run in. It was hard to let them go back then, even harder now. HA!
And all those 5k and 10k trophies and awards? Time to go. I kept all the most important ones. My IM and HIM are all in Italy (a few in AZ). I just didn't see the point in leaving them piled in a box. The chance of them ever going on a shelf, little. Weighing me down! Ciao!! An easy donation.
One book of my life series is 'Housewife'. That included leading the Army FRG for a short time. My efforts didn't go unnoticed. Coupled with this thanks, I also received the Angel Award.
My final goodbye was to a gift from my mother. This too actually made the cut and remains boxed away, but it needs to be recognized here too. No where in this advice does the River say keep all things in a box forever. In fact, it says, Live Simply, Moving, Flowing, Allowing ... Stay Current.
The Beauty is in the Journey.
NOT the stuff.