Capt left behind a LOT of stuff. LOTS. For the last couple of months, I've sort of shoved it all into one room and closed the door. Stacks of papers, books, boxes of ammunition, hats, you name it. All the useful-ish detritus of a life lived, but mostly no longer serves a very real purpose. I fumed over it, became overwhelmed, ignored it, made lists of what to do, then ignored the lists. What's the rush? I would ask myself.
Well, I finally decided to take a stab at doing something about it. Like really doing something. More than hiding it behind a closed door and pretending it didn't exist.
First, I made a list. I love lists. They're so ORGANIZED. Even when I am having a terrible day and don't (or can't) do anything really productive, I'll make a list. It may have on it things like "brush my teeth" and "get dressed", but being able to check off even the most trivial item can take a terrible day and make it feel like something real was accomplished. My lists now look like line item budgets, only with time instead of money. To keep from having my head explode when I look at the giant amount of stuff to get done, I will budget one hour to a room. One hour in Capt's office, working on one specific spot. Yesterday, it was the bookshelves, picking out the stuff I wanted to keep and boxing up the rest. Today it was the file cabinet, keeping the relevant stuff and discarding the owner's manuals for things like freezers that no longer exist, and articles explaining how to build a solar-powered thing. I have a book. I don't need articles. Another hour spent on Spanish lessons, and another on menus for next week. (per Dad's request..."I'll buy the groceries if you'll cook the meals"...seems fair to me.) Breaks here and there for tea and light reading, or an episode of ER.
And you know what? It's working! I am getting a bit done where it desperately needs doing, without frustrating myself to the point of quitting!
Another task I've set to is to identify 3 things a day that I don't want, but someone else might, and list them for sale online- Marketplace, or Poshmark, that sort of thing. It has been...very gratifying. A couple have things have sold on the same day, others have been listed a while but that's ok too. The funds from the sales are going into a saving account, to be used for spending money when I'm traveling. Sensible, no? I get rid of clutter and get to eat tapas and drink wine with it! And...another person gets something they have been wanting or needing for a great price and we're all happy.
Now, I'm not going all minimalist and having nothing but a chair and a spoon. Books are my friends but I've been able to box up and give away the ones I'll never read again. I've sold (gasp!) FABRIC. Those of you who quilt and sew know how difficult that can be. Fabric Hoarder, I am. But I will likely never use that 6 yards of satin or 4 yards of lace left from a wedding dress project, and someone else might be happy to get it for a great price. (Smoke-free home! Stored on a roll thus no creases! Stored in a box so no yellowing!) I'm picky about how fabric is stored.
Dad helped me get a long (15 feet!) shelf put up over the windows in my sewing room, and that inspired me to get the messy place cleaned up. So much easier to work in a tidy room. Well...and I have a client coming over on Sunday and didn't want to be embarrassed...motives are motives, and now the sewing room is clean and ready for business.
I'm telling you, finding new homes for a bunch of stuff is really, really gratifying. A great feeling. At first I was worried it would feel like I was getting rid of Capt, and Himself, but that's not where it's headed. There's clarity now and I can see the bits of them I want to...the beautiful oil lamp Capt and I found at an antique store. The cast iron skillets Himself and I gathered up...photo albums...
There was no sense in hanging onto a lot of this stuff. It was cluttering my mind. But some of it, the really special things with precious memories attached, those I'm keeping mY kids or grandkids can figure out what to do with them when I'm gone.
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