Letting go of our stuff can be hard. Sometimes we hold on to it for sentimental reasons, and sometimes because we are being financially responsible and don’t want to have to buy it again down the road. Or maybe because there’s the slightest chance that we will have use for that thing that’s sat in the corner of the garage for 5 years, and then we’ll wish we hadn’t gotten rid of it. We form attachments to our stuff and it costs us an emotional tax to let it go, not to mention the time and energy to make the decisions of what to keep and what to let go.
I’m reminded of the time that I held on to my 2 oldest children’s baby clothes for 7 and 10 years respectively, because maybe I would have another child and need them. Well I did have another child, but by the time I did those baby clothes had nearly all disintegrated in the shed. I sadly had to throw most of them away. Then there was the time that I had 4 or 5 large containers full of memory items, about 50% of which was every card I had ever been given in 33 years of life! I have a card writing family so it was a LOT of cards. Needless to say, our shed didn’t have room for all those memories plus everything else that lives in there. It was a long night when I pulled them all out and looked through every one of those 1,000ish cards and had to decide which ones to keep.
What’s helped me over the years to let go is a shift in perspective. Holding on to our things can be a good thing, but when doing so causes us to be overwhelmed by our things, then we are no longer doing ourselves a favor. When our things dominate our home and we lose the sense of peace and beauty in our own spaces, then our stuff isn’t serving its purpose anymore. When we struggle to find things in our home because there’s no longer room for everything to have its own place, then our things are now costing us more than they are worth.
What if having less is more? More peace of mind, more beauty and serenity, more ability to enjoy the things we truly treasure. What if letting go means giving our things a new life? A new life in a new home, a new life where they can bless and benefit another, a new life where they can be used and enjoyed.
I’m not recommending tearing through your house with an “everything must go!” mentality. Or just willy-nilly throwing things out. What I do suggest is considering whether or not the things you own are serving a good purpose in your home, if they are adding to your peace and well being, if they are doing more good than harm. If you find that some paring down is in order then consider what items can have a new life. Letting go invites a sense of sanctuary into your home. Because at the end of the day we all long for a home that offers us sanctuary from the chaos of life.