Letting Go of Stuff

Spring is in the air and many begin to think about cleaning our homes.  For some of us this might be a more difficult task especially if we like to cling onto items that hold sentimental meaning for us.  I am one such person, but five years ago when my mother-in-law died and I was tasked with cleaning out her home. I had an epiphany.  I realized that at death what remains behind are these physical bits and pieces of our lives that might hold significant meaning for us, but might not hold a lot of meaning for those who are clearing out our things.  My mother-in-law was neat and tidy.  She did not hang on to things and the things she had were lovely.  I miss her dearly.   Choosing what to keep, what to share with those she loved, and what needed to be donated or sold was exhausting and at times overwhelming.
 
Not long after her house sold, I had to pack up our home in Canada for a move to the US.  I was ready to let go of so much, but did not know how.  I got professional help from a professional organizer.  I am so glad I did.  Things were donated, recycled, thrown away in a dumpster or kept.  How I loved that dumpster!  On the heels of having cleaned out my mother-in-law’s home, I had a new perspective and was able to see the material things in a new light. I loved the feeling of letting go to things.  It felt light and freeing.
 
It has been five years and I know it is time for another purge.  Many things in our house need a new home, a place where those things can be loved and appreciated.  I am looking towards this spring with a renewed feeling of letting go.  We talk of carbon footprints, but we also need to talk about our stuff.  If we do not need something, maybe someone else does.  If something no longer functions for us, we need to let it go.  Someday, someone will be going through our things and wondering what to do with it.  Maybe we need to be kind to them and let go of some stuff before they have to.  In the end it really is a kind thing to do.