There's a luggage limit to every passenger on a flight. The
same rules apply to your life. You must eliminate some baggage before you can
fly. - Rosalind Johnson
When I returned from Ireland last October, I looked around
my 2 bedroom duplex with full basement and said to myself, “You have way too
much stuff!” So, I began to clean!
I’ve discovered clothes in the back of my closet that I’ve
owned for over twenty years. Yes, I know
– but seriously, they were in excellent condition. Oh, come on - how many of you still have that
favorite dress in your closet that you just can’t part with because you just
know that a) you will fit into it as soon as you lose a few pounds, b) it’s a
classic, it will come back into style or c) you wore it for that special
occasion you will never forget. I really
got serious and got rid of tons of clothes.
Let’s face it, by the time I lose those 20 pounds, the pants from 2009
will be the last thing I want to put on!!
And the books! I
swear I could open my own library. It was hard to part with many of them but it
had to be done. Really, how many cookbooks does one person need? I haven’t entertained on a large scale basis
in almost ten years; I think I can get rids of those appetizer books! Besides, they weigh a ton to move!! Fortunately, my local library collects books
for their annual book sale so I was able to donate books, old VHS tapes (Disney
variety) and CD’s. I’m sure I have
another box or two for them.
My neighbor and I rented a dumpster and cleaned out our
basements and the shed we share. I left
a spare tire and an old gas grill on the street with a “free” sign. They were both gone within a day.
In the past three months, I have donated bags to Goodwill,
dropped of clothes at local consignment shops, dropped off household items at
another consignment shop and sold things on Ebay. You know the stuff – the prom
dresses from five years ago, the Rachel Ray cookware never used, the Christmas
chatskis that have been boxed since 2001, and those shoes that made your legs
look taller but hurt like hell to walk in for more than five minutes. I’ve made almost $700. It was worth it.
The interesting thing is that as I have divested myself of “stuff”,
I actually feel lighter. As I throw or
give away things from my past, I am letting go of that past. The weight of who I was is going away and the
freedom of who I am now is becoming more apparent. I’m starting this new phase in my life and I’m
only taking the “things” that really matter to me “now”!
The way I see it – I’m moving to a new town, in a new state
and I’m leaving ALL my baggage
behind! It truly is very liberating!
Yes!
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