I am not my stuff

"You can't depend on your judgement when your imagination is out of focus" - Mark Twain

What do you do when you can't think straight because of all the stuff in your room, your house, your life? You start over. Sell it, give it, donate it if you have to. Get rid of everything you don't absolutely need.

Easily said. Not so easy to do.

I've sorted clothing, and books, and shoes, and boots, and furniture, and bedding, and kitchen stuff, and photos, and letters from old boyfriends, and the cards that come with the flowers they send.... the lists go on and on. I'm sure I could spend days making lists of what I need to get rid of. I'm pretty much to the point where I just want to throw it all away. Why do I have so much stuff? Where did it all come from? How much money have I spent???

I have to say it's daunting to look at everything that I own and realize that it all has to go. If I'm going to do this right, I have to let it go. I have to let it go to move on. I need to move on and get up and get out. I need to go 'be'.

Every now and then, I'll run across a photo, or letter or note from a friend or boyfriend and I'll think, well, I could just keep this one thing. This one keepsake. Knowing myself well enough, somehow, I'll wind up with 3 boxes of 'keepsakes.'

But slowly, ok, very slowly... I'm letting it go. An old friend, C., was kind enough to remind me that 'you are not your stuff.' I'll be sure to repeat that while I clean out my keepsake boxes.