Clean-up efforts began yesterday. See, I need to order curriculum for my kids' schooling next year. Which means I need to get my homeschool room in order to receive said curriculum. But I have kids who can take a book OFF of an organized bookshelf, yet they can't seem to get said book returned TO that bookshelf. So, by the end of the school year, one particular shelf is mostly empty, and all those books must be rounded up from the far corners of the house, so that I know what I have, so that I can know what I need to order.
But unearthing those books, especially from the bedroom of one of my kids in particular? Oh, well, that's quite a challenge. So, just like BP...the cleanup efforts continue, and unfortunately for my little "Gulf", at this point, there is no end in sight.....
The stuff goes into our homes. We acquire the stuff, because the old stuff wears out, or becomes obsolete, or out of style, or we outgrow it, or it breaks down. But the getting rid of the stuff: ah, how I hate that part. De-stuffing is kind of like breaking up: it's so very hard to do. When we moved to the Boonies, our friend Steve volunteered to loan us his trailer, that we could fill with our stuff, and he also volunteered to drive it to the dump for us, because he is a prince among men. And do you know how much stuff he hauled away from our old home, that we had inhabited for 16 years? The people at the dump, who weighed our stuff, told him he had brought to them over 2000 lbs. of stuff!!! That's a literal ton of stuff! I lost 2000 lbs. and not one of my friends noticed. People can be so oblivious, can't they? But, it's because they are involved in their own stuff. How they can acquire more of it, new stuff, better stuff. But, one day, SOMEBODY is going to have to figure out what to do with all YOUR stuff when you leave this planet, so why not do that person a favor, and go ahead and lose a ton or two of your stuff while you can? And then you can feel miserable and overwhelmed, just like I do, as you face your own mountain of stuff.
Tell me I'm going to be really glad I did this.
8 comments:
I feel your pain with the stuff. My stuff lived in West Virginia for 20 years then moved to Virginia for another 20 years. When I started cleaning out the barn, my father refused to talk to me because he knew I was throwing out the stuff. He was right. Two weeks after he passed, I started putting the farm equipment up for sale.
I am now down to three small outbuildings with some spillover in the basement and front porch. It's just me, mom and the dogs. I can't imagine the stuff that comes with a husband and children. Condolences.
When my mother goes (many years from now) my sister and I have agreed that she's bringing the lighter fluid and I'm bringing the matches.
I think moving periodically or entertaining are the two best incentives for getting rid of stuff.
Couldn't agree more, Anne. Moving and entertaining have both been huge motivators for us.
So, it comes to laziness, because I don't want to pay to move all that stuff, and shame, because I don't want my friends to think I'm a total pig. Yup, I think you nailed it.
You are going to be really glad you did this.
I have a nice young man coming tomorrow to take away a lot of stuff for his Eagle Scout yardsale. Yippee!
I am already pretty encouraged by the results so far, Sarah. Still have miles to go before we sleep, but I'm catching a vision of order, and it's encouraging!
Half the stuff my wife and I keep tucked away in boxes, crates, and wherever else we never see. We always feel like we might use this thing or that thing one day...to be honest, though, I don't know what we even have. :)
Occassionally a garage sale is just what the doctor ordered, and we had one recently where we made a whole $140.
Remember that when you go your kids aren't going to know WHY you've kept stuff so are either going to pay someone to haul it all away including those 'oh-so-precious' bits you kept or keep everything :(
I remind my Mom of this regularly... I've done several elderly relative houses and each time remind her of the need to sort, label and purge.
About to start that again here... SO yes you will be glad you've done it.
Speaking as one who is currently knee-deep in STUFF and is using her time off to conduct a 20-yr clean up of her office/bedroom/STUFF holder....I completely sympathize. Due to an unbreakable genetic link, I also understand how hard it will be for said child to get rid of it. Need I remind you of a certain child's room - long vacated - in a certain home in WV which contained boxes of STUFF; and a certain parent refused to throw out that STUFF until it had been duely inspected and deemed fit for removal by said child/children? Nuff said....you WILL be glad you've done it - I know I will.
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