Well another day spent going through everything I (we) own. First of all 14 years ago after a divorce I didn’t have much as I chose to leave on the light side and I will leave on the light side again. We bought this house 12 years ago and it’s amazing how much stuff there is. You know the stuff that is supposed to Make you Happy, stuff you just can’t live without. So big house equals lots of storage to hang onto the stuff you may need someday and guess what someday rarely comes. I used the meat slicer twice, the wok 3 times, well you get the picture.

The funny thing about this is that I spent all last fall thinking that I needed to spring clean the closets, be careful what you wish for!

The plan is to go from Oklahoma to New York City. Guess what New York City isn’t noted for closet space. I filled 6 big black lawn and leaf bags with clothes for goodwill. That’s a positive since somebody will be able to buy good quality clothes for less.I filled 2 of those bags with stuff to discard, worn out, stained, etc. I now have all my clothes in one closet and it still looks like too many clothes, so I guess I’ll go for round two. How many black t-shirts does one person need? Really! How did I let that happen?

I spent the last 3 days filling boxes with my cherished books, DVD’s and CD’s.  Since I am studying to be a Naturopathic Doctor, the books that I am passionate about are all related to natural health, herbs, wellness.  I can’t leave these behind but will they ever leave their new home, the box. As I looked at all the titles, I wondered how many times the best way to deal with stress is noted. OK breathe! That’s better! I am leaving behind dozens of candles that I forgot I have and never light. Cha-Ching! I am leaving behind lots of stuff and If I hadn’t bought any of this stuff, I may be a millionaire.

So I believe that I have shopped way too much for someone that doesn’t even like shopping and guess what I have lived like the Joneses. Now that I am having to downsize I realize, that there is not a person alive that really needs all this stuff. What drives us to buy too many things? Why did we have to have that? Will it fit in the hall closet? How much can I get for it at a garage sale?

What’s the point? There was a part of me that at times saw the closets flowing over and I was grateful that I could afford all this stuff. Was that misplace gratitude? I now believe that I would have served myself better by donating that money (that went to buy all that stuff) to a good charity to help others in need. Or pay off lay-a-ways at Christmas for people who struggled to buy just a few things. I am positively grateful for this lesson about stuff. I will be thinking hard in my future about what I purchase.