Nope, Chile has not gone any crazier than normal. Granted, I have to agree that's not saying much in her case, but there is some logic behind this need to downsize now. She's had a week of rest and relaxation - if you consider going to the dentist and physical therapist and dealing with chronic aches and pains from teeth to feet relaxing - and realized that her dreams of a mobile life aren't going to happen if she keeps living in a home filled with stuff.
A few weeks ago, we went by an RV show and wandered through the fifth wheel trailers (ones hauled behind a big truck). They were amazingly spacious inside with all of the bump-outs (sections that move out to expand the walls when the trailer is parked). However, when we started looking at the actual amount of storage space in one of these, we got a bit of a reality check.
The fridge, for instance, is quite small. The freezer is about the size of a bread box. If I got rid of two-thirds of my kitchenware (dishes, cookware, utensils, gadgets, etc.), I might be able to fit the rest in the available cabinets but then there would be no room left for any food. Obviously, I have to get rid of more. This means making choices, deciding what is really important in my life.
It seems like it should be relatively easy, when one sits down and thinks about it, to decide what is really important in one's life. Surprisingly, it's not. Along with one's own opinions, there are many other voices clamoring for a say: advertisers that one's heard all their life, the cooking shows, the favorite cookbook authors, years of personal experience in the kitchen, and so on.
How can I possibly live without all my carefully-selected pots and pans? Utensils? Cookbooks? Spices?
Yeah, I'm freaking out a little. Can you tell?
And then there's my office, where I sit typing right now surrounded by a four-drawer filing cabinet, student-sized desk with drawers filled to the brim, and a bookcase five feet high and three feet wide packed full of office and craft supplies. How do I cull all that down to, at most, what would fit in the student desk? I don't know yet, but I'm going to tackle the file cabinet today.
In the filing cabinet are my school records going all the way back to 4th grade. Why, I ask you, do I have these? Sure, it's interesting to look through them but do I really need the reminders that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was? Do I need to remember that I sucked at geography and history in grade school, or that one teacher was mean enough to give me Cs in penmanship when I broke my wrist and had a cast on it?
Do I need to get worked up again about the teacher with poor math skills who averaged my grades for the two semesters - an A and a B plus extra credit - and came up with a B, the only one I received in high school? And that this one grade made the difference when a new student transferred into the school in his senior year with all As so that I would no longer be the valedictorian of the graduating class?
No. I don't need to keep reminders of these things. They are meaningless in my life now. The only time I even think about this stuff is when I sort through the files wondering what to keep and what to ditch. Well, I'm ditching these records now! The documents (diplomas) showing that I gots me sum edjimication, that I is a learn-ed purson, and I knows stuf is good enuf fer me.
Where was I? Oh yes, cleaning out the unnecessary clutter from my life. Anybody want to buy a Mickey Mouse desk telephone? I'm not six and I really don't need to make calls with Disney...
11 comments:
I hear you! I have sold/donated/tossed/burned so much stuff over the past few years and yet . . .
It's the family history stuff that confounds me. Never mind MY school reports - I even have my father's school reports (Granny was a packrat) - and my father was born in 1911 !! Large, framed photos of long dead relatives, photos of my parents with the Queen and Prince Philip (my father was an Honourary Aide-de-Camp to some of our Governors General back in the day) and other dignitaries, gifts that were given to him by Heads of State, letters, etc. SO MUCH STUFF. And it all landed on my beach. And it makes me crazy. If only one of my kids or a niece or nephew would take it!
Oh, can't help you on that. We had it easy: since we have no children, we've passed all the family heirloom stuff on to siblings.
I remember when I had all my grade shcool pics and my brothers pics and all of our report cards and other things from our grade school!
I shredded duplicate pics but kept one copy of our classes for him and for me but the report cards went into the shredder.
Most of the family photos I did want and still have them but I should find someone of my cousins on one side to take the photos from that side of the family.
peace, Chile
Ha! What a phone! So great!
Reminds me, I really need to clean out my closet ... to make room for the produce that should be stored there (as the coldest room in the house :).
I don't envy you having to downsize. It's so much easier to build-up than it is to take down. Too often the stuff that has accumulated ends up as just garbage, and I wonder why I've been storing all of this garbage for so long ;).
So lemme get this straight - that Mickey Mouse phone made it through all the previous cuts?! :-D
(just teasing!)
Elli :-)
I like old stuff and I still have reports from about three or four generations but all of that fits in one small shoe box. Along with most of the class photos. There are four bigger boxes of family stuff at my mothers place and I will need to see to them sometime. Most of it is on cd/dvd/computer thingies and spread far and wide so I will look through it all and probably offer it to the nearest archive (where applicable) and store whatever is left.
Downsizing is never easy!
Love that phone :) Don't want it though :).
viv in nz
Shamba - I'm not getting rid of pictures, but do need to consolidate them a bit more, I think.
Wendy - it is cute. Unfortunately, the handset is light and the dogs occasionally knock it off while playing.
Hubby was just telling me about reading that 90% of what is stored in storage units is often just garbage: old, old receipts and papers nobody needs, old moldy clothes, trashed furniture, etc. Lotta money could be saved by just cleaning out in the first place!
Elli - sigh. Yes. But, it was free and we've needed the second phone (for calls to family).
Viv - I'm thinking that hanging file folders may be taking up more space than I need to store some of this stuff. They are convenient but I only look at 75% of what's in them when I'm cleaning out before a move. I need to just ditch all but the 25% I use more frequently!
It's never easy. I've been doing this for the past six years and still haven't reached the goal I've made for myself... But, I have been putting old pix and slides onto disks and my paperwork is almost finished going on computer... Now, to tackle the diamonds and pearls...
Sharlene - haha! Don't send 'em to me. I don't like diamonds and am neutral about pearls.
I can tell you about living in a 5th wheel, we do! Write me anytime! Or pm me on the McDougall board! Been thru the getting rid of everything mode. What you make a mistake with you can always rebuy! There are lots of ways to eek extra storage in these things....but the main thing is to find a good size pantry in whatever you get...and make sure you can get to the bathroom and open the refrigerator and kitchen drawers with the slide in! Something many rv designers forget about!
Nancy - emailing you is definitely on my list of things to do! (Along with another McDougaller that sold everything to do the RV life.) Just need to get together all the questions I have for you and send it.
Thanks!
Post a Comment