Tuesday, June 10, 2014

A Certain Sweetness


The past week has been fraught with change, some good, some bad.  With change comes a certain realization that things never remain constant, and for the most part that is a good thing, it is a way to make us grow even when we don't know that we need to.




Mr. Tide has taken a few days off from work and we've been busy cleaning out our garage, a task that was 7 years overdue.  Ever since we moved in to our "not so" new house, the garage has been a dumping ground for all things to be dealt with later.

It became the place we put the stuff from the attic at our old house as this house doesn't really have an attic.  It also became the place where the spare items from our renovation went to die...you never know when you will need that 3 inch piece of crown moulding, right? or how about that marble sink you got for a steal?!  It had to house our tools, including the riding mower, rototiller, etc.  It became our sports center, though truth be told some of those balls, sticks, and racquets haven't seen the light of day in a very long time!  And holiday stuff...forgetaboutit!




Of course there is the furniture that never quite fit in this house, but will work just great when your son gets his first apartment, so you better hang on to that.  The lawn furniture that you use for half the year.  The memorabilia from kids growing up...you can't part with that!  And don't even get me started on the number of pots I have...I could seriously open a nursery if I had the gumption to plant and water a million potted plants!

I did finally wise up this year and planted far fewer things that will require watering during our sometimes scorching summers...but that doesn't really account for the number of pots I have acquired over the years, perhaps I should add this to my shoe and flower obsessions.  On second thought, lets just blame it on the fact that I did inherit a lot of those pots and leave it at that.




I will say that over the past 3 days we have been taking stock of all of this "stuff" that was SO important to us that we schlepped it from one house after another, and haven't looked at much of it for 7 years now!

And along the way as we've cleared, cleaned, and contemplated, I figured out something very important.  My tastes have changed...a lot!  I don't mean in the last 7 years, but in the last 6 months.  I crave simplicity the way a person in the desert craves water.

I no longer want a bunch of "stuff" that I have to lug from place to place, and so I'm letting go.  I have never really been one to hoard things, I can't even really wrap my head around the concept of hoarding to be honest, and I feel for those who do suffer from that particular compulsion.

But in a way, we are all hoarders of sorts, no matter how small.  We tell ourselves that this or that will be important to us one day, we can't part with things people have given us, even if we never loved that thing to begin with.  Or as in my case, I often think "oh you should save that for the kids or maybe put it on Craig's List or sell it at a yard sale," all the while knowing that my kids probably won't want it, and the idea of having a yard sale gives me hives!  I mean really, getting up at 5 am after spending hours putting price tags on stuff that's only worth a quarter and then haggling with people who want to pay 5 cents for something really isn't my thing.  Though I am sometimes secretly jealous of those of you who do make the effort to go to yard sales and find amazing stuff...you know who you are Linda and Terri!!! :)




For me, and much more so as I grow older, the letting go is the simplest part.  There is a certain sweetness in filling up the back of your truck with bits and bobs that you know people will love discovering at the local thrift store.

Each trip we make to the dump, to the recycling center or thrift store is like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders.  And with each square inch of real estate I gain back in my garage I feel a sense of joy come over me.

Maybe it's the little things in life we are truly craving while we're busy accumulating or pinning things we hope to accumulate!  Like watching the muskrats swim back and forth all day long, perhaps accumulating their own clutter as they move from den to den?  Or the sweet smell of honeysuckle that wafts through the house from along our fenceline.  Or a very tuckered pup who thinks that all that crap you have is just something wonderful to cover in dog fur. 

Whatever has taken hold of me and turned me into a conscientious objector in the war on "buy more, it will make you happy," I'm liking it and I plan to keep ridding myself of things I no longer want or need.  By the time I reach 100, I should pretty much have a computer desk, a chair, and a bed...and that should be just about perfect, I think. :)

9 comments:

  1. Oh- I read every word and loved it all! SO very true. I have been trying to purge and simplify here, too. Sometimes hard to do--but I started with clothes and have a whole car full to take to the YWCA Women's Back -To- Work program. It feels so good.
    BUT you are ahead of me- I am thinking I will be 110 when I get to that spot because I started later. GREAT post, Kat! xo Diana

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  2. You have been busy! We have been determined that the garage continue to allow us to park our cars there, so we really need to do some clearing out of the house - straight to the thrift store! You are an inspiration!

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  3. Oh how I can relate. Yes, your described my own garage perfectly. I'm lucky I can at least park my car in there. I've thought of renting a dumpster and just start filling it. May be in the fall! Loved reading this! Bonnie

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  4. We are living parallel lives, Kat dear. I'm right there with you, planning my own simplification.

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  5. It really is interesting to see how we change over the years...or even months. I've lost my joy of shopping and would rather sew and create something at home. We've even put up a shelf just for my creations. I like a lot of things around me but not clutter. I like everything to have a place and I love to organize. I even like to declutter. It's good we have shops that appreciate the things we want to get rid of as out tastes change. I need to do more....that's for sure! Enjoy your week! Hugs!

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  6. Even with my thrifting and garage sales, I have become very particular...and we have been cleaning out and donating, too. I totally understand the need to clean out...it is freeing.

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  7. So very true. It is amazing how fast stuff can pile up even when I often declutter our storage spaces. I certainly don't wish away my boy's teen years but I do know the day will come when we downsize and three 'living rooms' definitely will not be on my list of wants. Wishing you continued success in your endeavour to rid yourselves of the unnecessary.

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  8. Kat, your words here could have been extracted right from my own thoughts. I cleared out an entire storage unit last month and made seven car trips to the thrift store to rid of clothes and bits and bobs. It is very liberating indeed. I've taken on a less is more attitude. Just glad that I have two antique stores that I can sell things at. I do believe your family will appreciate your gleaning of things over time.

    Beautiful photos! The spider web made be think at how minimal - yet with such exquisite sculpture - their home is.

    much love,
    Becky

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  9. Oh I totally understand !!! I'd love to just have a big clean out at our house too! It must feel great to have moved a lot of that "stuff" on to new homes-- makes you wonder why you saved it all to begin with!!

    Vicki

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