Purging

In my last post, I had planned to discuss my success with the 52 Missions. Well, I did succeed in the first mission which was to take 30 minutes and fill as many trash bags as you could with the clutter that you no longer need in your life. Things that are broken, and worn out, and just sitting there because you never got rid of them. And of course, throw out those bags.

People who engage in decluttering often find a sense of openness and freedom that comes from no longer having the junk cluttering up their lives. I've had that experience in the past, several times when I've decluttered. This time was different.

Part of it has to do with being in very tight financial circumstances. The 52 Missions letter suggested that you get rid of things that are worn out that should be replaced. But at this juncture, as I can't afford to replace things, I'm not about to toss things that I'm still using. That's fine and good. But them comes the bigger question about those things that I'm not actively using right now, but could conceivably use "someday". Conventional decluttering wisdom says to toss. But that also presumes you could replace them when "someday" finally comes. Right now I'm not so sure that's such a good presumption in my circumstances.

But I did manage to fill a few garbage bags, and in the process also put a few items up on freecycle. I also did clear out enough of an area, that we finally could move an old computer desk that we wanted to get rid of. (That desk went out in last week's trash.) (I had been wanting to get rid of that desk for a while, and in it's place I have a small area where I can do my exercise DVD's. I haven't done those for the longest time for lack of a space, and so that's another dividend of decluttering.)

However, I am also starting to think about how I want to fill that space (leaving room for exercise, of course.) I'm trying to rearrange my crafts supplies & get them more organized, and I may use some of that space for that.

Which brings me to my second thought as to why that sense of openness is eluding me. Decluttering may get rid of all the old and bad, but it also leaves an empty void which must then be filled with the good. And so at this point I'm working on filling up my life, my challenge is to make sure what fills my life is good. Perhaps decluttering is part of that, but only as a process on the path towards something above & beyond decluttering itself.