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Simply..bin it....

15/1/2020

18 Comments

 

(Recycling bins of course.)

I did appreciate all your suggestions, but after reading a story about someone who hoarded old shoes, I went through the house binning all the things which once sparked joy but were now sparking regret/anxiety/guilt/sadness/nostaliiia/uncertainty and indecision.

Out went the shoes the boots the sandshoes and the slippers. The dying plant. the old breadboard which goes black when I cut fruit on it, the dusty wreath, an old bag with an inkstain on it, the packaging from the new juicer (the old one blew up!), another pair of shoes which I never really liked, some old tired underwear (is there anything sadder than old tired underwear?) and everything in the fridge past its sell by date!!

No regrets.

Feels good.

Something else which feels really good is spending some fun time with Mary from Washinton DC - long time commentator on this blog. Mary blew into uk on storm Brendan and if the next storm allows and the ferries are still running we meet tomorrow for a Scottish cities trip!


Picture

Meantime here is my own little bit of cherry blossom. Prunus subhirtella 'autumnalis'. Photographed mid-December and hanging on through the recent gale force winds.
18 Comments
julia
15/1/2020 03:30:46 pm

I am guessing you are feeling inner calm, from creating outer order! It is satisfying, isn’t it?
I still can’t figure out where all this stuff of yours comes from, though..it seems like you’ve done such a great job already of clearing...the stuff grows in the shadows!!

Reply
Freda
15/1/2020 05:41:04 pm

There is Christmas and birthdays and Mother’s Day etc and things do wear out and need replaced. I also tend to keep making things! Finding ethical ways of disposing of things holds me back too, but yes they do seem to multiply when I am not looking.

Reply
julia
16/1/2020 01:27:28 pm

I just finished a wonderful book that was so encouraging, about the good things going on in our world for reuse and recycling. The main thing is to keep it out of the landfill the book is called: secondhand, the global garage sale, by adam minter. It’s a great read.

Reply
Freda
21/1/2020 10:20:33 am

It's the thought of stuff ending up in landfill that makes it difficult to let some things go so thanks for that Julia.

Laura Lamb
15/1/2020 11:22:21 pm

I love a good clear out, its obviously in my genes. I believe that all the energy you once spent on the things you've cleared out (regret, guilt, anxiety etc) is free for something new and positive x

Reply
Freda
16/1/2020 02:53:12 am

I do agree! x

Reply
Viv link
16/1/2020 02:25:56 am

Have a lovely time with Mary - give her my regards - I would love to meet her too and we are in Scotland at the moment but the Mull of Galloway is probably a bit too much of a detour!!
Having a good sort out is incredibly uplifting.

Reply
Freda
16/1/2020 02:56:01 am

On a choppy ferry crossing! I wish you could join us Viv. The weather is forecast to improve so I hope you have a lovely stay.

Reply
Susan
16/1/2020 04:02:34 am

Although a fan or repairing, I do concur that sometimes the energy invested in doing so, could be better spent elsewhere, with greater benefit.
I find the list of your emotions that were tied up with the fate of the shoes, very helpful in identifying when to let go of my things.

Reply
Freda
16/1/2020 04:20:44 am

They were quite faint these feelings, but once I had identified them. I realised they added up to quite a big negative effect!

Reply
cath
16/1/2020 08:56:46 am

Wishing you a lovely visit and I will keep my fingers crossed for dry, crisp, winter weather for your cities trip.

Reply
Freda
21/1/2020 10:22:10 am

Thank you Cath. It worked!

Reply
Judy
18/1/2020 11:38:00 am

I thrive in an uncluttered environment, but I also feel the wrench when I try to purge something I have become attached to. A decade ago I finished writing a novel, and I was told by a disinterested agent that it was way too long. The subsequent act of discarding sentences and paragraphs I had labored over was excruciating at times. I learned a lot in the process about what I could live without. The result is that the final copy is better than the original and gets me closer to my goal of getting it published.
Every January I edit my belongings. It is still a wrench, but the outcome feels good because it gets me closer to my goal of living a rich but simpler life. And it gets easier with practice.
Lest you think I have it all figured out, I must confess that I have been dithering over a set of 16 white cotton table serviettes for weeks. To keep or not to keep?

Reply
julia
18/1/2020 01:08:08 pm

Seems to me you ought to keep them awhile longer, judy. Use them and enjoy them...and if you have not done so by june, then you have your answer...:-)

Reply
Freda
21/1/2020 10:28:05 am

I am about to embark on some book editing and will take inspiration from your experience Judy. Januuary is a good time for editing things too. As for the serviiettes, you might ask if it is a life changing decision (this tends to put it into a different perspective foe me).

Reply
Susan
21/1/2020 12:25:58 am

Hoping all well with you, Freda. Love, Susan

Reply
Freda
21/1/2020 10:29:11 am

All well Susan! Back soon...

Reply
Susan
21/1/2020 12:21:19 pm

Oh good.




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    Categories

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    Live Simply
    Live Simply
    Simple
    Simply Beautiful
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    Simply Chill
    Simply Christmas
    Simply Christmas
    Simply Do A Good Deed
    Simply Draw
    Simply Draw
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    Simply Fitter
    Simply Fun
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    An artist seeking a simpler life - (but not too simple!)

    All words and images copyright Freda Waldapfel 2010 - 2020

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