I started back to work yesterday….just a few hours at the Cancer Society. JJ gave me a ride, and Bob, who prices the smalls, gave me a ride home via his new kitchen.
I must honestly say I have condo envy. Their place is light and airy….soft earth tones and greys on walls throughout the condo, a stairwell that is gracious rather than boxed in, granite counters, shutters in every room, and closets everywhere. These guys have storage space…and have little in it. Imagine too, a clean garage.
I came home feeling as if our home was small, crampt, badly decorated, old fashioned, jam filled with unused stuff, and decorated in the previous century by a country bumpkin. Me.
Imagine….I was perfectly happy with all but the messes when I left for work.
Obviously, I am having trouble getting rid of other people’s things….much less our own collections that continue to grow. Stuff crowds us, and I hang my head. We are both over reacting to losing all our things too many times. Projects crowd me out of the living room…the now fully cut out quilt, a jigsaw on the dining room table, and a basket of books left out to trip over by my chair.
This morning, we’ll fix a crack in Myrtle’s windshield, and later while he is at the museum I will sort and discard. Perhaps I will tackle the mountain of Christmas boxes that live above the Geezers closet. We only need enough to grace a small four foot tall tree. We have enough to do twenty.
I'd guess, from my own experience, that losing good friends makes it hard to toss out familiar items at home, even the unwanted ones. Maybe you need to give yourself a little time before starting this task.
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived near you. I wish I had a friend like you. I wish I could come by and sort with you - welcoming both tears and laughter as you shared the memories that keep you attached to each saved and preserved item. I wish I could sit nearby working on the jigsaw as you pieced and stitched your quilt.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am sure that hoarding is more potent when we see how brief life is. I love the pictures of your home. Do not let envy destroy your comfort and acceptance of this lovely space you have created. If you had more space I can guarantee the way you hit 'estate' sales, you would have the spaces filled in no time and would feel just as cramped. We all wish we lived somewhere else. It is a disease that is not fatal.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I think I have too much 'stuff', too. I have been working on it this weekend and I actually have a couple bags of clothes, etc. and am almost done organizing my jewelry thank to some boxes I bout for God-knows-what reason. Pray that the momentum prevails.
ReplyDeleteThis is me, too. We did have to get rid of a LOT when we moved to Hawaii and it was painful. I took photos of a lot of the kids' things before I tossed or donated them. I haven't missed most of those things since.
ReplyDeleteI would guess you may be over(?) reacting to losing your friends so many times. I have tried to keep in mind that it is not the things from the loved one that makes the memory. The memories will always be there, even if I let the things go.....easier said than done, believe me!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about our house every time I watch an episode of "House Hunters".
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, Maggie, there's no need to rush this. Give yourself some time to feel better. The stuff will still be there.