Why is it so hard to get rid of stuff?
Even when I know that we'll have to move out of our SMALL house if we don't get rid of a ton of stuff, I look at the blankets we haven't used in years and think, "I might want or need this someday." It's not like we're going to freeze to death here. It makes little sense for this stuff to clutter my closets when there are people who really do NEED blankets.
I do the same thing in my classroom. I moved boxes and boxes of files, books, bulletin board decorations, and other educational supplies from one school to my house (where it added to the mass of extra blankets) and then on to my new classroom in another school on the other side of town. I even moved a microwave that I didn't use, not once, all school year.
So, I decided near the end of the school year that the time had come to clean out my life. I started with my classroom, but I only got so far. I managed to get rid of many of the books I wasn't attached to. I even threw out a lot of old clay that I didn't have time to recondition. (Don't cringe, it was only 100 pounds!) It was so easy to part with these things that I tried to go through my teacher examples. Big mistake. My confidence in my ability to throw things out came crashing down and went straight in the trash. I opened the cabinet, decided there was plenty of room for all the items I currently have and determined that I could make the hard decisions next year when I run out of room. The cabinet was then closed and I left for the summer.
Now, I'm facing the fact that we ARE out of room at home. And this cleaning out project seems to be getting easier. I have successfully thrown out my old retainer, several bottles of almost empty bath products, and the shed-free shampoo that actually made the dog lose more hair. I feel better. We even have room for all the items that SHOULD go in the linen closet. A sense of accomplishment came over me when I looked at the pile of sheets and blankets, yes, BLANKETS, that I will gladly donate somewhere in the near future.
I started with my classroom, moved on to the linen closet, and am headed for my closet. If you think I've had a hard time with this, wait until I get to my studio; I can think of a million reasons to keep anything I might want to use in an artwork someday.
While I'm "shedding" stuff, I also decided to get rid of all the extra weight once and for all. My "old friends" will tell you I've been trying to do this for years. Too bad I can't throw out my extra pounds as easily as I did the 100 pounds of clay. Even as active as I am I struggle to maintain a healthy body weight; I really love to both cook and eat. Maybe I'll decided to keep those extra pounds and call them old friends. Now, if I could only figure out how to get them in the linen closet.
Anyone want a microwave?