Stuff

Stuff is nice. We have furniture, clothing, photo's, knick knacks, linens, luxury items, necessities, and so on. We all like our stuff, but our things can begin to take over! As I contemplated a move six or so months ago, the idea of going through all of my stuff seemed daunting and overwhelming. I learned a good lesson many years ago however. When I moved to the east coast, I put the contents of my entire life and apartment into a storage unit. I thought I would only stay in NYC for a year, so I had planned to be back in CA. One year later and one year of paying storage fees, I had decided to stay on the east coast and I flew back to CA to clean out that storage unit. Since time had gone by any connection I had to my stuff had been cut, so when I went through everything, I realized that I no longer needed 95% of it and I donated almost all of it to the Goodwill. It was a good lesson for me that we really need very little. We make connections with all of our things because we attach our energy, thus our memories with everything we own. That is why people have such a hard time letting go of the items they accumulate. They are just things. It is so much easier to help a friend clean out a closet or a garage because we have no attachment or connection to their items. We can laugh when they pull out a dress from the 80's or their favorite boots from the 70's and see how silly it is to keep so much stuff. When it is our own however, that energy connection blurs our thinking and we feel we have to hold onto everything. Absolutely not...it's time to clean those cabinets, get rid of the clutter and let things go. How? The memories are within us, therefore we do not have to keep everything that we have ever had, used, loved or even handed down to us. Some people in my clutter clearing class tell me that their biggest problem is letting go of things passed down to them from loved ones who have passed on. Okay, once you handle your emotions about the loss, you keep several of your favorite items from that person, not trunk loads or sometimes a house full of stuff passed down from them. Another issue with things is when people keep items they really don't like, but they were gifts they received. Your home should reflect you and all of the occupants living there so if you do not like something, it should not be there. There is no reason to feel guilty about that, otherwise you are living your life for pleasing others, rather than for yourself. I'm not saying to be rude about it though. You can thank the person for the gift and quietly donate it. One woman from one of my classes joked that she wished her house would burn down, because her clutter was so out of hand! Wow, that is quite a statement. Much better to take responsibility for your stuff and start getting rid of things on your terms. When a neighbor of ours died, her grown kids had to build a shoot form the top floor to a dumpster to get rid of all the stuff she had accumulated. It took four of the largest dumpsters to empty the house out. It was sad because there may have been a few precious items, but because she kept everything, it all seemed like junk at that point and much too overwhelming for the kids to really sort through. How much clutter do you have in your home or spaces? Take accountability for your things and shift the energy in your life. The magic words to live by are based on this acronym....(LIE), if you don't love it, have the intention of using it, and the energy of the item does not lift you up, then what are you doing with it. Don't lie to yourself about items you are no longer using, needing or even care about. Be very clear with your emotions and honest with yourself when clutter clearing. Also use those magic words when you are shopping, to begin reducing the amount of clutter you bring into the home. No more mindless shopping! Hey, I teach the class and I am a work in progress. It takes time and energy to go through your stuff but definitely worth the effort. As for my move, I plan to donate a lot of items and make my kids really reduce the amounts of stuff they bring to CA with them. Be mindful that your junk can be someone else's treasure, so get things back into the universe by donating things to charities or sell it at garage or tag sales. Don't just toss usable items in the trash, when those things can be recycled by giving them to a worthy cause. Also, our homes should reflect the balance of nature and way too much stuff creates stagnated or blocked energy. No clutter however can feel sterile and controlled, so having a little clutter can help a home feel lived in. Overall, have fun clearing your clutter. Always remember that you can't take it with you, so living life is much more rewarding than holding onto so much stuff. Live simply, live freely and let go of things holding you back.