24 February 2010

For Sale

For Sale: One old life, slightly used. Includes outfits that were barely worn and a degree that was never used. Slightly damaged but in good condition.

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AndreAnna was talking yesterday on her blog about living simpler. She's preparing to move halfway across the country, so downsizing her stuff makes sense. I don't have the excuse of a move, but I do have a need to do the same.

I look around my house and I see so many things that I just don't need anymore. I have business suits and blazers, dress pants and nice tops from my brief stint as a shift supervisor. If it hadn't been for a craptacular shift of doom and me being blamed entirely for it and then, without being told, no longer scheduled for those shifts, I might still be at that job. I might still have a use for all those nice clothes. But where would I use them now? Part of me wants to hang onto them in the hope that maybe one day I will figure out what it is I want to do and return to work. Deep down, however, I know that I won't. I never want to work a soul crushing job ever again; be it shift supervisor at a restaurant or lowly office drone.

Then there is everything else. A random collection of stuff that I don't really need. Books and movies I will never read or watch again no matter how much I liked them. Crappy fleece blankets, old pillows, boxes of mystery items that have been unopened since our move four years ago.

I wish someone would come into my house and do the purging for me. I won't be able to do it myself because I will always come up with some lame excuse for keeping things. But I don't need them.

I don't need all this stuff.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll help you get rid of stuff, if you'll help me! I feel the same way about a lot of my old stuff...

Cass. Just Curious said...

I have this problem too - I come up with a reason to keep stuff. For example: 10+ fleece blankets, it seems that the moment it gets cold I can not resist the urge to buy a new fleece blanket. But I tell myself: they can be for tents for Lexi when she wants to play in tents! But really, 10.

I started a corner in the guest room that has an expiration date of March 1. If I don't go back to any of that stuff before March 1st it's all going.

AndreAnna said...

This is how I've been looking at things: Have I used this in the last 3-6 months? Will i use it in the next 3-6 months? If the answer is no, it goes.

Someone else needs it more.

I focus on that and all the wonderful things I DO have and how much the stuff I don't need could help someone else.

Makes it easier to part with.

Hell, makes it great.

My "stuff" will no longer define me.

Meredith said...

I'll help you too, I have to do that once a year (at least) and I hate doing it by myself, because Frank won't help. Give me a time, and I'll try to be there!

Desiree Troy said...

*raises hand* I would love to help you out! And, I might even be willing to give a good home to anything you want to get rid of. I seem to recall you asking about some old kitchen stuff? We could do this on Saturday! Knitty Knerds, y'know...