As I began going through everything I own (again), attempting to cull possessions even further in a quest to remove those "invisible barriers" as well as "stuff," something occurred to me. All of the books on organization and making changes in your life relate to tossing things out or giving them away. What we keep, we never hear about. Because I've been a "practicing" organizer for years now, I really don't have much hanging around that is not used, or otherwise gets in the way of the life I want to live.
Looking at what I have in drawers, closets and various rooms around the house, I thought about answering "why I keep what I keep" in lieu of just listing stuff I throw out. Peter Walsh and Gail Blanke write about keeping only what feeds our vision of our ideal life, but we never hear about what they keep and what it means to them. I'm not talking about justifying keeping things like a broken radio that you think you might fix one day or that you think would be good for parts. And, I'm not talking about keeping the broken radio because your best friend gave it to you as a graduation present fifteen years ago and when you happen to come across it on the shelf in the basement you think of your old friend. I'm talking about real reasons. I'm talking about stories.
There is an online video entitled "The Story of Stuff" that traces the origin of the things we own from the ore that is possibly mined to create them and the fuel that is transported to vehicles for shipping to the factory to the store to our homes and then the landfill, ultimately. While I am not worried so much about the story behind my stuff, I think the story (or stories) of the stuff we own is a great theme to explore.
What do you keep? Why? Does it serve a purpose in your life? Is it kept dust-free and protected in an honored place? Share the story of some "stuff" you own if you'd like. I'll be sharing a few stories in upcoming posts myself.
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