This time of year I usually try to sift through my closet and retire things I haven't worn in years. But I know that in the past I just scratched the surface. So, taking my cue from de-clutter experts, I began hauling EVERTHING out of my closet.
I confess that halfway through I was feeling whelmed -- not overwhelmed but teetering on the brink. The bed was piled high with a strange miscellany of stuff and I'd already forgotten what was on the bottom layer. So I decided to deal with just one side of the closet at a time.
After vacuuming the empty space (and annoying many spiders,) the next step was supposed to be holding each item in my hand and asking myself if it sparked joy. And tossing it if it didn't.
Ummm . . . not working for me. Those bleach -spattered stretch pants don't inspire much of anything except embarrassment but they are useful for housecleaning. And so it went, with many of the garments being saved for utility, not joy.
An old jewelry box took a good hour of my time -- what does one do with sorority and fraternity pins? And monogrammed things? Some very odd odds and ends from my family and from John's -- I may talk about them another day.
There were some, but not many, clothes to get rid of. But there were other things that evidently I'd shoved in because I didn't know where else to put them -- a elderly set of sheets, a heavy old denim bedspread, and an inordinate number of freebie type carry-alls.
It took pretty much all day but I've reminded myself of various garments I'd forgotten about and it's all in some sort of order.
And, aside from a industrial size garbage bag of trash, I have a nice little collection of things to go to My Sister's Attic, a local thrift store that benefits battered women, or the annual Madison Has Heart flea market that provides assistance with heating costs to needy local families.
Now that sparks joy!
8 comments:
I, too, sometimes forget about some of my clothes.
Great pursuit, after all, you and your (I mean me and my) things reflect who we are. Stuff piled up in my life certainly must show in my wrinkles as I smile or frown. I'm not exactly inspired to do the same yet...but maybe in a month.
I did storage room and spare bedroom closets and drawers 2 weeks ago. My deck was full of useful items and Community Living picked them up, this brought me great joy! Next is my bedroom........has to be done but ugh!
I'm getting ready to haul a truck load of stuff to the flea market. I have been on a "if you haven't seen it since you moved in(6 years)-you don't need it kick."Quite a relief, actually. The hardest is always my books. I feel like I am giving away my friends. If I liked it well enough to put it on a shelf...well, you understand.
In the past year I've donated tons of stuff, and I still have a lot more to let go of. It's an onerous task.
Oh, well done! It quite satisfying to do all that.
Not an easy thing to deal with: souvenirs are part of the choice to be made. I decided lately that I would take pictures of these items I kind of hesitated donating but at the end donated thinking about the fact that I could look at the pictures as long as I wanted...
Every now and then I do the same thing. My question isn't whether an item in my closet sparks joy. If I haven't worn it for two years, I'm not likely to wear it, and that makes me add it to the thrift store bag. Although . . . rediscovery has made me keep a few items I forgot about but which suddenly look appealing to wear. However, if I still don't wear them in the coming year, on they go to someone who may love them.
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