Last week, I helped my sister and her family move from one state to another. I mentioned this in my #musingsongoodness2021 for January 17. The entire moving experience ignited heavy contemplation, but the most prominent thought would have to be on the issue of decluttering.
Decluttering is simply getting rid of unnecessary things in a space.
Are you good at decluttering? Do you do it regularly, haphazardly or only when forced (like with a move)?
Moving naturally lends itself to decluttering, and becomes even more cutthroat if you are moving to a place with less storage space. This was the case with this move.
While contemplating the move and the space available, we had to be militant about what was kept, what was thrown out and what was given away. It was a difficult experience to say the least, since it had been about four years of accumulation. Even after getting rid of one round of things, we had to declutter again on the things that were originally designated as keepsakes.
This additional stripping away was inevitable, as there was absolutely no room for sentimentality. Things that had not been used in months could not be moved. By the end, even some things that had been used a week ago had to be discarded. Clothes that were well-loved, but were worn, could not be carried. We didn’t want to carry anything that we didn’t need.
It's amazing how quickly you accumulate things. If you aren't mindful of your acquisitions, you end up hoarding things that you would have otherwise discarded, simply because you have the space to tuck them away.
Watching my loved one go through the decluttering process, and being a part of the process, had me wondering if I would do the same thing. If I had the space, would I even notice what I’m accumulating? Do I only engage in forced decluttering? Will I leave things out of sight and out of mind, until faced with the monumental task of moving?
Or maybe I will just hire a moving company and transfer all my trash with me.
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