I’m halfway through with my November pact to purge! Yipeeee!!! It’s been tough. Mostly, it’s tough in the moment of the purge, rewarding upon reflection and blissful in the now.
I feel
- Lighter (thank you Coco)
- Cleaner
- Less stressed
- More responsible (I’m able to manage my possessions. My laundry piles are waaay smaller. I’m perceiving my things as my responsibility to care for. Having too much goes hand in hand with disposable-culture/lifestyle. I’m just seeing this)
- More aware of what is an essential item for me
Why do I keep going (even if I sound annoyed at times?)
- I made a personal commitment.
- I have a clear and positive reference point (my garage). I want more areas of my life to feel as deliberate as this space turned out to be.
- Because I committed to one lifestyle change (removing 5 items/day), I feel my goal is obtainable. The rest of my life and my habits are the same. Except for daily blogging. This just kind of happened naturally. Interesting.
Concerns
- Whether I shop or purge, I feel like the focus of my life is still on “stuff”.
- Can I come up with a successful December plan to shift this focus towards things I truly love doing (more painting, more reading, more guitar practicing)?
The experiment continues …
It can be challenging to decide which items to get rid of. It can also be challenging to stop at five! Last night I went for it. Not only did I choose my normal five things, I also kept going and added four more and bagged up 40+ additional articles of clothing. I’m gonna shove that bag in the back of my closet for a while. Sometimes it’s tough to get perspective on what is needed and what is in the way. Restricting (temporarily) my clothing options, might help me to see better.
Five of the things I got rid of today (Nov 14)
- Belt (hadn’t worn in forever. somewhat cheap, looks a little damaged in spots)
- Scarf (bought for all the wrong reasons, bad splurge habits I’m trying to break free from)
- T shirts (I have too many. These were all either very worn, unflattering or just not being used)
- Corduroys (Suddenly I feel frumpy in corduroys. Maybe they just don’t fit right)
- Towel (for a household of two people—with an average of two overnight guests at a time—how many towels do I need? The number six just came to mind. Six bath towels! Plus hand towels, plus washcloths. Does that sound good? It sure sounds good when I think about how small my laundry piles will be!)
Thanks for joining me on this journey! See you tomorrow.
ShizIBoughtToday 