"It's the time to discard what's worn out, give away what's unnecessary, and tend what you love." - Eudora Seyfer
I used to be interested in holding onto things as long as I could. Whether they were actual objects, current addresses or phone numbers or love letters. All these things in the past or object half-done, half-used still taking RAM space in my brain. Clothes I loved but could not dare to get rid of for fear that "I might want to wear that someday."
Then something changed. I was invited to a clothing swap by a good friend of mine in Berkeley. I loved the idea and went through my closet picking out things to bring. The first time was hard. I still was not sure that I wanted to remove these things from my life. I had enjoyed them and might enjoy them again. But I wanted room for new things, so I brought a bunch of stuff.
This was the beginning of the end of my need for keeping things.
Now I'm not quite obsessed, but I get much pleasure from finishing things. From the bottle of honey on the counter to the custom altered orange "couture" pants I put in the swap bag last night. There is pleasure in having things I actively enjoy, and when the active enjoyment is finished, pass them on to the next person. That opens up space in my life for something new.
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