It's a big project to slowly erode a life-time of clutter so I've been taking it in stages, working through my cupboards slowly.
I spent a sizeable chunk of my weekend sorting through boxes of old paperwork and notebooks. I threw out credit card statements. I tossed out paperwork from university. I trashed superannuation newsletters and salary receipts. I binned it all.
Almost everything that seemed important at the time turned out to be insignificant or replaceable. I can always call my bank and get my statements re-issued. A lot of the time I can look up those things online. Just because some corporation sends me a piece of paper does not mean it is so important that I need to keep it for years.
This, I have learned.
The next step is to work through my old sketchbooks.
I've been painting on and off for most of my adult life and have a box full of old ideas and sketches. Some are just doodles and others are ideas for paintings that I never got around to starting.
They’re still important to me for now so I'll be scanning them into my computer and throwing out the originals. I don’t need the paper version, it’s the record of my ideas that I want to keep. Digital will do just fine.
If I find anything interesting I'll share it with you.
Question for the readers:
What couldn’t you throw away? What is precious to you?
Answer in the comments.
I do so hope to see some of your art work in the coming days. It sounds to me that you are making excellent progress with clearing out your life and reinventing yourself.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I couldn't throw away, well that remains for me to discover as I too am weeding out all that I do not need in my day to day life ;-)
Once thing I could never throw away would have to be my Alf doll from when I was a kid. I used to take him everywhere and in many ways he was my friend. I have alot of memories with it, including crying for a week when I cut his hair and it didn't grow back. Things that bring back memories from your childhood will never be replaceable.
ReplyDeleteThat's great news Suicide Barbie! I hope you throw it all out like I plan to. Every day I feel a little more free.
ReplyDeleteCaity, you're lucky you still have that doll. I lost all my childhood possesions a long time ago. I still remember an old Skeletor that I wish I had kept.
Awesome I used to be a total fan of He-Man back in the day ;-) Skeletor rocks!
ReplyDelete:-D
i could not throw out
ReplyDelete1) my cat Elvises ashes thats in an urn
2) my laptop
3A) my camera
everything else i could live without
a couple of years ago i decided to start my life fresh, i sold everything i owned,threw the rest out in the garbag and packed 2 bags and put my cat in a carrier and quit my job and had $700 in my pocket and moved across the country from toronto to vancouver. Started brand new with just a few clothes and a cat. Lived in van for 2 years lets just say it didnt work out, went through the whole procedure again sold everything i had gotten, packed one bag and put my cat in a carrier and went back to toronto with now $20 in my pocket.
sometimes it feels so good to purge.