“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
Henry Ellis
Why is it so hard to let go of STUFF? Over the last 2 months, I have had quite a difficult time grappling with that question, much less coming up with a viable answer.
My husband and I have moved – yet again. This is the 14th time! You would think that this process gets easier, but actually, as we are downsizing and trimming down our lifestyle, it is actually harder and more complicated.
Somehow, despite all of these moves, we managed to collect more STUFF. What is that – a cycle of repetition? Is there some comfort in having things around us? Eventually, they have to be dealt with.. Then there are the “sentimental” items, the “just-in-case” things, and the “pretty” (but useless) items…
What about my daughters’ baby blanket? Or that 1st drawing fromKindergarten? How about that souvenir from Italy 20 years ago? What about all those photos that never got put into albums? And then, there are my mothers’ paintings…
This move impacted me in a multitude of ways, and is one of the reasons that I have not written a blog or newsletter for quite a while. I had to shift my entire focus to what was directly in front of me, and that presented me with some pretty difficult decisions. We had been “holding on” to so many things for a very long time,. I didn’t think we were “pack-rats”, but you don’t know what you got until it is all out . This was ridiculous -it was time to stop adding and start subtracting! Where we were going, there was no room for extras! Not like before, where we had always had ample storage space, and could put things away, never to be looked at again until the next time we were moving…
We sent furniture, artwork and other collectibles to an estate sale. We sold things on Ebay, Craig’s List and at a garage sale that we held just before we actually moved. A lot of stuff went to the dump or the recycling center. We donated a lot of items that we thought someone could use and treasure. As I watched things being carried out of our garage, I tried not to pay attention. My mother was an artist, and each time one of her paintings disappeared, I asked for her forgiveness. (Actually, she was probably looking down and wondering what I was so concerned about!) My family and friends reminded me of what was really important, and it wasn’t STUFF…
OK, so now we are at the other end of this painful process. We have moved. And you know what? I feel much better – lighter, happier, more free and resolved. I have arrived at a place of gratitude – for having had the opportunity to have had these things in my possession for a time. I have good memories. They served me well; I appreciated having them, I held on to them for a time, and now I can let go with no regrets – well, almost!
The other day, one of my kids told me that she was very grateful that we had gone through so much of our stuff, so that they would not have to do it when we were no longer around! Another silver lining?
I realized that I was not just letting go of STUFF. I was also removing myself from the chains of captivity to the past. Freedom from that has emerged to remind me that I can hold on to the memories, but not be forever bound by them. And having that realization has helped me to acknowledge the power of the past, embrace the present and move on to the possibilities of tomorrow
I wish the same for you…