What I Found While Decluttering:
Old Photos and Negatives
I held on to these because of one belief: You can't throw out photos. That was it. So, after all these years of hanging onto photos because they were photos, I gently questioned it: why can't you throw out photos especially if they are old and there are several copies of them?
Conclusion: pictures and photos, unless really really unique and sentimental, are just clutter. The highest point of value they have is when they are most recent. So I looked, travelled in my mind to the memories that the photos evoked, then tossed them. And at the same time, I embraced the emotions, smiled, was grateful for the experiences then let them go, returning to the present moment.
I had never thrown out so many photos and negatives... I no longer have to keep the physical reminder of a time and space that is no longer here and now.
Two large shoe boxes less of the pass.
Old Postcards
I used to collect postcards from friends and family or when I would travel of different places. It was a hobby, a hobby that ceased to continue after I had settled down and had children. I held onto them thinking I would make a large scrapbook and tell stories with them to my children. Alas, when I looked at these postcards (even the ones with writing on them), I no longer had the passion or the desire to do such a thing. The postcards dated back more than a decade. Time to move on.
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| Holding onto memories of places I lived |
Besides, with the widespread use of the Internet, it would very easy to pull up any photos of any place (and a recent picture at that) for my children any time.
Bye-bye postcards to the recycling bin. Hello to new travels!
Old letters
"Dear Kim..." Letters from friends and family are so dear to me. I had a dream when I was a young girl to have a penfriend. I wanted it and acted upon it by submitting my ad to receive mail through 16 Magazine. And my dream came true... not only did I get one great pen friend, I actually received countless letters from all over, mostly from the USA.
Later, I made friends and then kept in touch through paper correspondence. I met more and more people in my travels and through my post-secondary studies, and the more paper letters I wrote and received. They started to pile up. I would package and store letters for safe keeping along with photos or whatever presents were sent along.
My youngest sister told me that I had even neglected some chocolate that was sent to me over 10 years ago! That's a lesson for storing things away for "safe" keeping!
It was delightful going through the letters from my friends encouraging me, confiding in me, sharing with me their thoughts and feelings... ahhhh, what an awesome feeling to have such an entourage of friendship through letters.
I smiled as I read and reminisced about old times, old issues, past events... Even ten years ago I started receiving letters that started like this: "Dear Kimita, can't believe it's been so long since I wrote you last...". Wow, even with one letter per month, then one letter every two months, every 6 months, the letters accumulated space. What a privilege to be able to go through them again fondly.
Letter-writing continues today, but just paperless. In fact, with the use of hand-held devices and wifi, it's been super easy to keep in touch, but I do treasure the pleasures of a nicely hand-crafted piece of correspondence.
What I've learned is that the correspondence is at highest value and relevancy in the present. The letters meant most to me and to the writer at the present.
Old Poetry
This, like money, I found in journals, notebooks and calendars. I ripped, I read and I kept... and will start a poetry blog... so you and others may indulge as well. Poetry is like photos: they are most appreciated when shared.
Old school work (exams, assignments, etc.)
Can you believe I still held on to high school exams? What was I holding onto them for? I was holding on to them to prove that I had done it. Now: who cares? Assignments, exams, rough drafts... they are DONE. I realise now that it was a process. It was a process of my learning to bring me to where I am today. And I realise that when I take notes, it's for learning. It's not that I'll go back and read those valuable notes. Again, going through and purging my old work was a reminder that the most current project is a continuation from the last, and the present is what's important.
Feeling lighter as more papers purged...
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| Used stamps I had collected |
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| Floppy disks are obsolete now! |
Money
Imagine my delight in finding $60 in cash that I had stashed away in a keepsakes box along with pictures, greeting cards and recuerdos of my kids births... so glad to find the money that I could use NOW to pay for bills, buy food or put toward a worthy cause.
I am so grateful... it's like finding abundance all around me! I am rich! Later going through my clutter at my parents house, I found even more cash in foreign currency in past places that I had visited or lived in, most of these currencies have since been replaced by the Euro. LOL - how much worth are those coins now?
Awards (Gift Certificates - in the past decluttering, not this time)
Not this decluttering time, but years ago during an episode of past purging, I found a gift certificate of $50 or $100 dollars for a bookstore that no longer was in business! I had won it as a part of an award in high school. I held onto the certificate as a reminder that I had won it... of course, if I had used the certificate, I could have had books or other things of more value than the card.
Lessons I've Learned From my Recent Space Clearing:
- Photos, postcards, letters are most enjoyable as soon as you receive them. There is no rule that says you MUST keep them. Enjoy them, let them go, and continue with life.
- Once something had been enjoyed or used, it has been enjoyed and has served its purpose.
- Many people love me.
- Holding onto physical things is holding onto to emotional baggage as well. Space clearing creates space around you and within you for new things.
- It's a lot easier to clean when you have more space, and less dangerous to get around
- you really DON'T NEED a lot of stuff to have a great life
- You set the example for your children to let go of things so that they don't carry baggage around with them.
- It is the process and experience that count.
- Wow, what lessons I've learn, and they are all about living in the present moment.
What have you decluttered from your past? Share your space clearing experiences in the comment box!
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