In a few months, I will be celebrating another birthday. As I get older and reflect on my life, I recognize how much we, as adults, evolve and change.
Our ideas about how we want to live our lives, our priorities and other decisions we are confronted with as we get older naturally change.
One of the ways we change, and might not recognize, is our priorities. Think about it. It is not only about who we socialize with, live with, spend time with, things we want to do or achieve, but the items we feel we want to hold on to.
Our priorities change as to what we want to keep.
When working with my clients who have gathered items for a long period of time, I find it interesting how we go through those items and they find that some of what they felt was so important to hold on to, is no longer that important.
Sometimes, it's not the item itself, but the number of items we keep. For example, do we need to hold onto such a large number of a particular item, or is it possible to pare it down to a smaller number which can be appreciated and perhaps still evoke a fond memory of the person it once belonged to?
Interestingly enough, my son created a Memory Box when his father died. He was six years old at the time. We make a habit of reviewing that Memory Box once a year. Not only does he get to go down memory lane, but he sometimes finds that there is an item or two that no longer hold the same significance as they once did, and he can part with them.
I once had a client who had held onto a box of handkerchiefs that belonged to her deceased husband's deceased parent. When we found the box on a shelf in her coat closet, we opened it up and she looked at the handkerchiefs she had not seen in years. When I asked her why she had held on to so many, she said because they belonged to her late husband. I explained that now they belonged to her. What connection did she have to them? Did she need to hold on to almost 100 handkerchiefs? She realized she did not and reduced the box down to ten of her favorite, instead.
Is it possible that you have items in your home that you have been holding on to for years and have not looked at for a long time that do not carry as much significance as they once did? Have your tastes evolved?
The next time you are decluttering and organizing your home, take this into consideration. Are you ready to participate in an "evolution revolution"? If so, you will find that those items you are saving will take up a lot less room if they are pared down to what means the most to you.
If you need assistance in determining what to keep and what to donate or trash, don't hesitate to contact me. I am here to help.
