Saying good-bye to the stuff

I've been on a decluttering journey since 2021. It's a long, windy, sometimes easy, often difficult road. Today, I said good-bye to an item. It was both easy and hard.

Early in my marriage (I was married in 1996), I decided to decorate my kitchen and dining room with English ivy. This was inspired by dishes I found at the Skipton market (in England). Through the years, most of the plates and bowls broke - only 1 remains, still going strong 30 years later - knock on wood). All the other pieces I had, with the exception of my English Bone China tea set, have been shipped off to the thrift store to bring someone else joy.

Well, all except one.

Last month, my tenant's stove died. I took the opportunity to get the stove of my dreams and put my old one in the apartment. This replacement was larger than the mini stove that had died, so she needed to make room. That meant removing the glass cabinet filled with memories. Everything was brought up to my kitchen, including the glass cabinet. I cleaned the cabinet and put it on the Marketplace. It took a few weeks, but yesterday, it finally sold, giving me back space in my kitchen. But I'm still dealing with some of the memories that came off those shelves.

I've been quite proud of myself, actually, being thoughtful about all of the items. The first thing I dealt with was my wedding boots. These had been plain, ankle high boots popular in the mid-90's that my friend Paula took great labors to cover in the same lace I used to make my dress. My daughter and I looked at them, talked about them, and then I tossed them in the garbage. I did have to talk myself through it, telling myself there was no point in keeping them. I haven't seen them in over two years, had forgotten they were down there. It was time to let them go.

That has been a repeat exercise with each item. I'll be honest, I have found a new spot inside my home for most of the items from that cabinet. Today, now that the glass cabinet is no longer crowding my kitchen, I set out to get my dining table under control. That meant dealing with this English ivy canister.

It is pretty, but it no longer serves me. It doesn't bring me joy. It is a reminder of a different life, a life filled with happiness and adventure, but also a reminder that I have moved on from that life. I decided to donate it to the thrift store and let it bring joy to someone else.

This was one of those easy decisions. My kitchen decor is no longer English ivy. The canister was holding crystals (total score), which I have a spot for until I acquire the perfect display cabinet for my crystals (that is an ongoing search). So, into the donation box went the canister.

One item may not seem like a big deal, but when you are seeking joy while simultaneously working to declutter your life, every item you let go IS a big deal. I love the "does it bring me joy?" method. I also love the,"I haven't seen this in 2 years, do I really need it in my life?" I have days when nothing is safe, and I love those days because I really clear out the clutter.

Then I have days when something does bring me joy even though I haven't seen it in 2 years and I find a way to integrate it back into my life. I did this with some tea items, which found a home in "Tea Corner" in my office. All but 2 of the items pictured on this shelf came from that cabinet.

Decluttering is a journey. It can become easy to get bogged down by stuff...especially stuff that holds memories. But it is ok to let that stuff go and honor those memories in other ways.