I haven’t written for my blog for a very long while; a year
to be precise. Yikes! I really didn’t think it had been that
long. Talk about being M.I.A. But I have returned and hopefully back with
some regularity.
A lot has happened during the past year which should be a
helpful source of blog posts. One of these
was a job I tackled for the first time in my 59 years; organizing a garage
sale. Yes indeedy, I and my family (much
to their alarm) took on this overwhelming task. There are several things I learned though this
experience but, before I tell you about them; I shall digress and tell you how
it all came into existence.
Early 2015 I became consumed with an overwhelming desire to
purge my entire house. At first I felt
it was just the crying need to divest myself of 28 years of accumulation and
clutter but, as I tackled this task I actually, learned plenty about me. Not the least was I just may have all the
earmarks of a potential hoarder!
I started in the basement (it isn’t finished) which had
become a great, grey dumping ground and catch-all throughout the years for
anything and everything that couldn’t seem to find a home elsewhere. Now let me be clear about what I mean... There were belongings of my mother’s, who
passed away in 2002. Stuff of both my
daughters who have left home over 15 years ago and have long ago married, had
kids and created their own piles of “stuff”!
There were things I’d forgotten I had or hadn’t used in 20 years. I t was frightening! In fact, I didn’t even know where to start
and gained a whole new empathy for those folks who hoard much worse than I.
Nevertheless, I set about tackling this job and was absolutely
ruthless. By that I mean if I hadn’t
used it within the past 2 years, out it went.
It was a big job. There was a lot
of stuff. It took me all winter but,
finally I was ready for the Garage Sale!
These are the lessons I learned through my Garage Sale
experience:
·
It covered 2 weekends, eating up my time and the
time of my family’s.
·
It was a lot of work hauling things in and out
on to the driveway each day.
·
It didn’t earn nearly enough considering the
time and work invested.
·
The wise thing to do would have been to donate
it all in the first place.
I realize there are folks who feel garage sales are
profitable and well worth it. I am NOT one of them. Never again will I attempt such a folly or
get my family mixed up in the same.
However, God bless them for rallying round me and my asinine idea.
I did, however learn (as I mentioned earlier) some very
insightful things about myself through this whole experience.
·
The clutter around me that was driving me loony
was really guiding me to examine the mess of internal clutter I’d allowed to
build up in my spirit. More about this
is another blog.
·
Despite my disability and the pain I was able to
tackle this difficult task little by little if I accepted that it couldn’t be
accomplished overnight and it was entirely okay if it took several months.
·
It isn’t the timeline that counts; it’s the
finished outcome that matters.
·
What an AWESOME, WONDERFUL, EMPOWERING and
HUMBLING feeling accomplishing this job gave me!
·
I now feel ready to tackle the rest of my home
and while I clear away the years of physical clutter surrounding me, I can
also, clear away any spiritual or emotional clutter within.
So, my advice is don’t let your clutter overwhelm or own you. Pick a spot, a room, a drawer, or whatever
and get started uncluttering. Give yourself permission to take your time but,
be consistent. Little by little, bit by
bit you will see the end. Be ruthless
and don’t add anymore stuff to the pile.
Ask yourself before filing anything into a cupboard, the basement or the
garage; “Do I really want or need this?
Will I use it in the next year or two?”
Be honest and you’ll be surprised what you’re willing to let go of and
give away.
Last but, not least I DO NOT recommend doing a garage
sale. It is lots of work, doesn’t earn
that much profit and often involves others.
Throw out what is garbage and give the rest away. Unless you enjoy such things or do it as a
job, I believe the garage sale is a colossal waste of time. And time is something we never can
accumulate!
Until next time...tootle-loo!
