We recently finished building a new home.  In designing our home we went from years and years of our “eclectic style” to Rustic Contemporary in one move.  We had carried with us pieces of each stage of our home life; newly married hodgepodge, Farmhouse Country, New England Primitive, Cape Cod, Mountain Rustic,  and a smattering of this and that’s.  Use your imagination people! 

During this same period I lost both of my beloved parents and the responsibility of going through their 60+ years of stuff landed on my siblings and my shoulders… and there was a lot of stuff.  Going through their things became very overwhelming to me and in fact at times I had the sensation of drowning.  I had many moments when I just wanted to turn my back and walk away from it all, but I knew that wouldn’t make for very happy siblings.   Reminded (again) of how unimportant “stuff” is, this I learned while schlepping our belongings through 9 moves, I realized that my stuff was sitting in storage and I hardly missed any of it.   I began to purge, and I began to feel free.  I started to surface.  Thinking of this new uncluttered life was exciting,  and I was tossing like a dog digging for a bone!

I love nostalgia.  I also believe that having mementos of your life adds meaning, a sense of belonging, and even brings JOY!   I recognize I might have a hard time letting go of things in the past (ignore the nodding husband), but I am growing!  You don’t have to toss all of your stuff by any means.  I didn’t, but if you think of not being able to take any of it with you when your time’s up, you begin to look at your things differently.  I did.  My parents left an incredible legacy, and most if not all of it has nothing to do with their “stuff”.

What do you hope your legacy will be?  What treasures do you want those behind you to find?  What speak to you, as opposed to taking up space?  You will be surprised at the burden that is lifted, the brain-space that is cleared, and the lightness that you feel when you begin to unload.  Best of all, maybe there is someone else out there that can put them to good use.  Purging is addicting!  I love “less is more” in our new home!  I love empty counter tops and even a few empty drawers (say what?).  Give it a try!  You don’t have to be changing your address to do this.  Just tackle it with the attitude of  growing through it.  I wish you JOY in your purging if you so desire, and a future of keeping it simple.  You just might fly free!