The Shedding

shed:  verb
cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers, get rid of
Synonyms
exuviate, molt, moult, slough, purge

In an ongoing effort to lead a SIMPLER life, the shedding has begun. The shedding of possessions. The shedding of dependence. The shedding of uncertainty! The shedding of negativity and inconsistency. As I walk through and see all of the things I have accumulated over a lifetime, I am overwhelmed. The trinkets and the doo dads, and the Knick knacks and the novelties all the things that make up a life. How much of this do I really need? how much do I actually want? It is overwhelming, and exciting at the same time. As I slowly go from room to room taking a mental inventory of the things that make up my life. Much of it just a painting of the old soul that I am, not worth all that much in terms of actual value but at a time they were to me, novel. Now they seem to bring anxiety, as everything is a clutter to me. Restricting, and choking away the clarity.

 The Kitchen was bad, I had more plates and coffee cups than I know people. The Junk Drawer contained a plethora of nonsense. Things that might be needed someday, yet somehow someday never came. I should have known this to be the case as John Fogarty had warned me of such many years prior. Bottles of liquor that had not been touched in 10 years, and boxes of teabags that I am really unsure of.  A collection of cleaning supplies that could rival that of any commercial janitorial service, and enough chip clips to seal all the chip bags currently residing in the local supermarket. Why do I have all these things? How did they accumulate? Where did they come from? Perhaps that sock fairy that always steals 1 of a pair of socks is leaving them in trade?  I spent several days assessing my actual needs prior to starting the process. I quickly realized how small my actual needs are as far as place settings and such.

When it came to my cooking utensils, pots pans and other food preparation items, I had a much harder time. I love to cook! so having to decide which 4-5 pans were the ones I would keep, I had to dig deep. I managed to cut the pots pans and cast-iron footprint in half. Storage containers are always an ongoing battle, as they come and go based on relative needs. I have been able to reduce my kitchen clutter by a solid 50%, and there is still a bit more which has to go, just waiting for Yard sale day. I can honestly say I am content and feeling good with the downsizing of the kitchen, it feels more functional now, and I want to be in there cooking. It truly is funny how unimportant some things become when you actually take time to think about them, things that go to make up a life. The things we wanted, and we thought we needed that when we are gone no one else is going to want or need because its time has passed, and they hold no value to a new generation.

Seeing how as I was mostly single for the last 9 years; my home is quite the mancave! I have a very eclectic taste in older things from days gone by and I have acquired a very sizeable collection of things that no one else who is not of similar mind would have any interest in. Aside from the many spiritual items which I have planted about the house, most of it is nothing more than clutter now and a gathering spot for dust which I must constantly do battle with. I am finding that each space I declutter, seems to make my mind a bit more at ease, and I can feel the energy around me changing. If I am not currently using it, it has to go. If its only function is decorative for the most part, it has to go. Even things like photographs, which the younger generations really have no interest in, making them feel cumbersome and outdated. I cannot myself come to dispose of family photos for sure, but the endless photo books of things and places no longer feel relevant.

Getting older in a quickly changing Orwellian world is weird. This new generation cannot appreciate the wonder of a truly good book, the smell of that new book when you first open its pages. The places it could take us long before the interwebs and CGI arrived in this world. So yes, even the books which were gathered and accumulated over the years shall go by the wayside, as they themselves become our clutter. Just to clarify, nothing I declutter will move from my possession to a dump, it will become flea market fodder or donated to a worthy recipient. Books shall all be deposited in free sharing boxes that individuals have set about for book sharing. Clear the cobwebs, and free the mind and the soul. Purge yourself of the things which clutter your clarity. Less is more when it comes to function and friction. Free yourself of the things that bind you, and you will find peace.

Much like Feng Shui opening the flow and removing the obstructions in your home and your mind will create a more peaceful rhythm in your life.

Thank you for reading.

#theadventure