Elections are over, the political spot requests which were in complete frenzy mode with multiple ISDN sessions daily a month ago are things of the past. Wow. No doubt yesterday was a huge day, but in reality, they’re all huge. As I’ve shared before, I’m going through a huge move from California to Wisconsin, and I’m inspired by the book, “Unstuff Your Life” by Andrew J. Mellen.
My Beanie Babies
I’m going to reveal something that I’ve never discussed in public. No, not politics, but thank God , now Facebook people can get a life! In the past several weeks we’ve had garage sales trying to unload 28 years’ accumulation of STUFF. Yesterday was a biggie for me. I had five large tote bins full of Beanie Babies I used to collect with my daughter. I stopped buying them in 1998. Since then, they’d been living in the rafters of the garage, never being looked at, played with, and adored for their cuteness.
I am not my Stuff!
I pulled the Beanies our of the totes and quickly put them into large trash bags, filling my car with them along with my old 45 rpm records, and dropped them off at Goodwill, with some more STUFF that had to go. It’s all kind of bittersweet, but necessary. Moving is expensive, and how much stuff does one really need, especially when it no longer serves anything purposeful. Moving is priced by cubic footage and weight. Not that I’m trying to distill my life into cartons, but I’ve realized I am not my stuff! So I’ve lost a lot of weight lately.
Coming and Going
Next, we will be donating several large pieces of furniture to area charities, further lightening the load. A box of my own children’s books ( remember the little “golden books”?) I dropped them off at a women’s shelter. My mom saved them. I loved them, my kids loved them. I cried when I let them go. The experience of loss, but knowing that those books will be shared with little children living in desperate situations makes me happy.
The Big Resolve
By releasing many of my possessions into the universe so others can enjoy them just feels better, and lighter, literally.
The countdown’s on now. Two weeks until the moving van pulls away, and there’s still more stuff to part with and pack. Wish me luck. This is a huge journey. And at times it seems like an overwhelming task. When this is over, I will be a slave to my “stuff” no more. Lighter, leaner, better organized in all aspects of my life, and loving every moment of the additional time I will gain not having to keep track of all that stuff I no longer have and to enjoy what really matters: the memories of a life well lived.
I did the same thing during my last move. I couldn’t believe how much stuff I had accumulated. Much of it had remained untouched for years. So off it went to Goodwill or Habitat For Humanity. It felt great to unload it all, and even better knowing someone else could put it to good use.
Next time though, I’ve decided I’m not moving a thing. I’m sick of packing and moving. I keep saying if it happens again I’ll just leave everything here for the next person and replace whatever I need when I get to my new place. 😛