The other elimination.
My quest to get our possessions down to a minimum continues. Sometimes the process is sheer joy; other times work; occasionally, a frustrating obsession. I’ve been a bit out of it the last few days, not wanting to socialize or go anywhere as I pawed through boxes and cupboards to find things to chuck. I felt I was neglecting Alya, though she was still with me all the time, just occasionally sitting and watching while I sorted. The ultimate goal is to simplify life by reducing possessions and thus have more time to be, less clutter to take our energy, time and attention. This may be a justification – see an upcoming post on “The end of lists.”
Regardless, we have about 4 more boxes of things ready to go, plus 2 bags of baby clothes. I’ve added books, sheets, clothes, accessories to the pile. I’m finally digging into layers of possessions that I’ve been unable to part with for 10+ years. It feels as if the purging we’ve done to date has got me down to a smaller core of possessions – and now that the fluff is gone, i can see that core more clearly and know that some of it isn’t core – it’s just as unnecessary as other things I”ve given up. A scarf I’ve never worn, decorative plates I don’t have room to display – why keep them?! So I”m digging deeper.
One challenging tug on my purging, particularly of nick-nacks, is imagining my daughter growing up. Some of these are things i imagine her playing with or treasuring. Decorative boxes for holding her treasures. Little felt dolls from other countries to play with. Funny hats to play with. But at some point, too much is too much. And I don’t want to shackle my daughter with things either. So I keep a few – but let go of many.
We got rid of a few more video tapes today. And a pink scarf. And put a few more of the diapers etc. into a bag to pass on to a friend. We’re getting there! And it feels good.