Out with the old...

Have you ever wondered why you hang on to stuff? I mean really old stuff...

For me, the trigger is emotional. I tend to keep things that hold a strong emotional reminder. Sentimental attachments can be paralyzing and over time they can take over your home. Watching a cool series on HGTV called "Neat"http://www.neattv.com/aboutHellen.html, I've learned that I am not the only one who has boxes and boxes of mementos, keepsakes, worn out things,etc....simply because they remind me of someone or something in my past.

Letting go of these things can be emotionally taxing and difficult; however, the release and freedom that one experiences shortly after it's accomplished.....well---it's very fullfilling and quite liberating.

Yesterday, I packed up about 50+ magazines that were gathering dust up on a shelf in my closet. I had Martha Stewart issues, Cooking magazines and Marie Engelbreit magazines dating back to 1998! Ouch! It didn't take long to do the math....10 years!

The problem with magazines is that if I don't make time to look at them right away, they tend to pile up. With all good intentions, I make it a point to "someday" read them...get caught up. I even reorganize them and put them in date order....oldest to newest so I don't miss a thing. HA! That's yet to work.

Helen Buttigieg, professional organizer from the show "Neat"http://www.neattv.com/aboutHellen.html addresses this very issue and advises people to just let go and move on...start fresh.

My attic is full of keepsakes and mementos from all my kids' school projects, toys, clothing....even my mom's suitcase filled with some of her prized clothing outfits. She died almost 10 years ago....and I've yet been able to give those clothes away.
This will be the toughest and most difficult thing to do so the suitcase remains next to the Christmas boxes...

Helen claims that having these things around cause undue stress and rob us of our energy. I sure can see that...because they are always there waiting to be dealt with.

2008 will be the year that I face some of these issues....God willing. After all, why would I want to pass all this stuff on to my kids to deal with?