Yes, readers, I did it! I went into The Attic.
That sounds dramatic, I know, but I had been putting it off, and I am just a teensy bit proud to be writing about it now. It's hard to navigate our little attic: slanted on one side, filled on the other side with way too many frames and art pieces, and you have to gingerly step through things while hunching over and trying to avoid touching the occasional spurts of fiberglass insulation. Plus, you have to use a flashlight.
So, don't lose your balance and fall over.
Also, once you're in the back of the attic, you have to throw things to the front of it because it's too hard to walk back and carry things. There was a lot of crashing and banging and exclamations of 'oof!' during this purge.
This was a glorious purge, everyone. Glorious. Big haul.
Let's start with the whopper of the haul:
My first set of suitcases purchased lovingly by my mother. I haven't used these since I went to England via BUNAC (see below). Boy, did I cram that suitcase full of stuff. It was so heavy coming home. That trip was over fifteen years ago.
It is hard letting go of the Mary Poppins satchel-style bag. It also reminds me of Anne Shirley's carpet bag.
But I have to let go of it. We have other suitcases that actually get used.
How about a big box of candles?
I have another box of just cream-colored cylindrical candles, but I am holding onto those.
I culled some books from a couple of boxes. Pretty good stack! (Do I donate or try to get the used bookstore to give me credit for them? Hmmm....)
Oh, I see a book of my husband's. I need to make sure he is okay with donating it. Or selling it.
I also have a small box of decorative stuff, some odds and ends, and a couple of other items to donate.
Why haven't I let go of this stuff sooner? I've gone through this attic multiple times looking for stuff to declutter!
I guess I just thought that I would find a surface to put all these things later, especially the decorative stuff. But the truth is that I've learned I like a spare room. I don't like tchotkes and figurines. I don't like lots of stuff to dust around.
I've thought a lot about what three words I would want my home to encapsulate. They would be warm, meaningful, and spare.
I'm not as attached to books anymore. I love books, but I don't want to keep each and every book I've ever been given or owned. I'd rather the ones I keep be useful or meaningful to me.
Nowadays, I ask myself: could I get this at the library if I really wanted to read it again? That's been working very well for me. I still keep special books, but you know what? Not all books are special to me! I feel like that is some sort of violation of the book lover's code, but it's the truth. I'd rather the books I love stand out in my home versus getting lost in a crowd.
I'm so excited to get rid of this stuff. This was a great dent in the attic. I probably should've broken all that I decluttered into more than one post, but I'll just post about it now and force myself to declutter more.
Here's a sneak peek for tomorrow.
What gets easier to let go of as time passes? Tell me in the comments.
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