If my east coast friends are reading this the day it's published, I hope that means you still have power!
Over the weekend, I purged over 4 boxes of books, several large bags full of clothes (mine, kids, and hubby), and random knick knacks and toys. Plus I cleaned off part of my desk. We even rearranged the furniture in our small living room.
We didn't rearrange our furniture because we were bored. Both my husband and I like stuff. In the earlier days of our marriage, we went shopping because it was fun. Most probably it was because we were bored. The thrill of finding a cool kitchen gadget, an interesting beer stein or a neat board game was more fun than the actually using the object.
Now with two young kids, we have stuff everywhere. It's true what they say about clutter. Eventually you don't notice it anymore. We see it everyday and just walk around it. Until the stack of books falls over or we have to dig through a stack of papers to find the right one.
So hubby and I went through stacks and stacks of books. We have a lot of books from our college days. Most of them are theatre books: scripts, Shakespeare, costume design books, etc. Many of them are out of print. A handful are even autograph, like my script of Steel Magnolias autographed by playwright Robert Harling. We kept many of our theatre books, but culling our most favorites was tough.
Purging is tough but necessary. I ask my kids to purge their toys a few times a year. It's painful for all parties involved. It's easy to become attached to things. Though the attachment is really the memory that we associate with that specific thing. It's ok to keep a few things. I still have my beloved stuffed bear from my elementary school days.
We still have a lot more purging to do. My living room feels a bit more open. Definitely less cluttered.
My brain feels less cluttered too. I'm not stressing out over the mess in the living room. Even though the kids left a bunch of toys all over the floor today, it just didn't feel so crowded.
Funny how that works right?
Maybe during Hurricane Sandy, I can purge more stuff!
Photo via puuikibeach
