Let it go!

Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer. As I write this column for the first weekend of September, enjoying a delightful cucumber/watermelon seltzer, thinking how I’m running out of time to let go.

Downsizing, moving and trying to get it all done is extremely stressful.  Already got rid of many items yet there is so much more to purge. Some things are easy to let go while others, not so much.

Photo credit: Rawpixel
Photo credit: Rawpixel

Purge definition: rid (someone) of an unwanted feeling, memory, or condition, typically giving a sense of cathartic release.

One nice surprise this summer was an impromptu getaway to Cape Cod thanks to a generous client. I jumped at the chance to take a break from the downsizing process. The beach allowed me to finish reading Peter Walsh’s book, “Let it Go: Downsizing your way to a richer, happier life.” The message was received. 

The realty is when it comes to moving, everything you own needs to either move with you or removed from your life. This includes furniture, collectibles, clothing, paperclips, pens and scratch pads. How did I accumulate so many scratch pads? Everything needs to be touched, accessed with a decision of its fate.

My goal is to only move the things I need, want and love. My reality is closer to closing a drawer and procrastination. When I say this in my classes, I truly mean it: start the purging process early.

Being proactive helps and I have sold quite a lot via social media. Then there are groups for selling to the public. It can work out but my experience is people don’t pick up their stuff or want me to deliver it to them (insert eye roll).

When you focus on the items that mean the most, the rest is just stuff that takes up room and when you are downsizing, you realize quickly, you can’t take it all with you. A few items fall into the “maybe I will finally use it” category. If I haven’t used it in 10 years, moving is not going to make it a necessity. If you don’t use it or love it, it is clutter.

With all of the stuff in my house and all of the energy involved in selling and posting and dealing with the transaction, donations are my motivation. The Veteran’s have picked up piles of items on a weekly basis. Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Newburgh has a truck coming to pick up a bulk of stuff.  The beauty of this is, it all goes away. Paying it forward will help me move forward causing a sense of cathartic release.

 

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