1. i am doing it completely by myself and we all know how distracted i can get...
2. i have "lived" in this room for over 10 years
3. i like to save things
i took some pics of the room before i started any work and will post them when the process is complete. however i thought i'd share a few things i found today while i was cleaning out my bookshelf and the drawers and cupboards of my desk.
each of these envelopes contains notes from my "secret encourager" on a mission trip to alaska 3 summers ago. for a guy, he was a really good secret encourager. one of the gifts he gave me is also pictured here. yes. that is moose poop jewelry. i don't know that they are real turds, but they definitely look like it. in the note that went with the gift he said that if i was ever feeling "poopy" that i should just look at my jewelry and remember that it could be worse. don't think i could ever throw this stuff away!
this is the folder containing all the information for my career as a dietary aide (kitchen help) at resthaven care community (an assisted living home in holland). not really sure why i kept this considering i hated that job. this folder ended up in the trash.
when i was in high school i had a lot of keychains. i guess i thought the more keychains you had the cooler you were. so as i accumulated them over time, they just kept adding to the key ring - not rotating through. my minimalist father cringed every time he saw me carry my keys. can you find the moose poop keychain that matches the jewelry? i bought that since i knew i would never actually w.e.a.r that moose poop jewelry.
this is my packing progress so far. three and a half boxes...all stuff i'm putting into storage...in my parent's basement. i have found some things to throw away, but not much. not sure how my minimalist father will feel about this...
near empty bookshelf in need of a good dusting. you can see the full trash can with the Resthaven folder on top. the big stack of books next to the trash can are books i'm getting rid of. not throwing them away, but either giving them away or donating them to a library or something. i thought about trying to sell them online since they're in near-perfect condition, but i figured that would be more work than i have time for.
near-empty desk cupboards. the left side was full of books, journals, junk, etc. i rarely opened it. the books that are left are old textbooks i need to do something with. the right side was also crammed full of dvds and the last 3 seasons of american idol on vhs. the green dvds are for my liberty online classes - not sure what to do with those yet. everything else goes with me.
i don't think i'll be bringing the 2004 clay aiken calendar with me to liberty...you're welcome all you people i haven't met yet :)
8 comments:
Now Emma a good purger starts with a big black garbage bag not some wimpy little trash can that doesn't hold poop. Get you a big one girl and stop living in the past...toss those things you are on a new adventure in your life...growing up and living on your own...these thing will be catching dust in the basement for your parents to toss when they tire of looking at them...especially your minimalist dad.
On the flip side...I imagine that this is a hard thing to do..ten years is a long time to be in one place with all your stuff...keep your chin up girl
this purging is a good thing. in more ways than one.
i will hang out with you tomorrow morning to keep things moving ;o)
i cleaned out my room a while back and packed a ton of things away for 'storage.' i threw a lot out, but there are just so many things that i hold a sentimental value to...most people don't understand. even though you are going through all your stuff, don't feel the need to throw EVERYTHING away. :) i would love to help you clean if i had some time. love you.
as someone who "helped" this morning, the breakdown seems to be in follow-thru.
emma doesn't really find closure for anything. she just moves it to a new location.
repeat after me: hold it in your hand, look at it, make a decision, stick with the decision, release it!
love you bean.
I had a keychain collection like that in high school too. Sadly, I just threw it away...14 years later.
My best advice to you is to get a trunk and fill it with whatever you want to keep. But you can only keep what fits in the trunk. If you want to add something then you have to throw something away. Amazingly, when I go to add something to my trunk, I don't have such a hard time throwing away something that 14 years ago meant the world to me. Crushed pop cans (with notes attached to them) that were precious to me then, now seem ridiculous.
From one sentimentalist to another (or pack rats), I feel your pain and good luck!
TS I am doing the chest thing with Spencer on a smaller scale...the child would keep every blade of grass in the yard if he could...I gave him a box a little bigger then a shoe box with a good top. I told him he could keep anything he wanted in the box but once it was full if he wanted to save something else he would have to find something to take out of the box so the new thing would fit. (run on sentence) He is doing well with it. Things that are truly important I obviously keep this if or the other 'stuff' he has. Emma will have to do this for her kids someday...maybe grandma can come supervise...
that is actually a really good idea. i already have s.e.v.e.r.a.l boxes of items-in-storage in the basement. if time allows i should go through them as well and condense/get rid of some of it. we shall see...
ok. I LOVE TO purge and pack. If you need help, let me know. Seriously, my dream job would be to organize all day long. Sick, yes. One step at a time.
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