I commit to shedding some load today.
Chances are, either one or both your closet and your home are overweight. There is no way I can possible make really good use of everything I own. Therefore I must admit that a lot of what I possess are really serving the purpose of dust accumulator and nothing else.
It was a similar Lenten exercise such as this, that saw me making the commitment to shed some of the load I was carrying in the amount of ‘nix-nax’ I had accumulated over the years. These ranged from clothing and accessories to household items. Just how many things can one person use?
Use The 1 Year Marker
Years ago, I attended an event where the speaker invited the congregation to start giving away those things that were not used over the course of a year. I started making a mental list, which materialized into a real list and I was appalled at the many things I owned that I had forgotten about.
If you have lived without it for a year you don’t need it.
Shake Your "Pack-Rat" Habit
Getting closet and home to lose weight is difficult when I am a ‘pack-rat’. I find it almost painful to get rid of paper and anything I am convinced will come in useful later on. You know that thing that you were looking for and couldn’t find, and now that you have found it the occasion never arise again for you to use it? Well I had (have) many of those useful things that never gets used. I have convinced myself that the minute I throw them out, I’ll need them.
Tell yourself, stop stashing things. You will never have enough.
Don’t Make Excuses To Go Shopping
Gosh, now the place feels so empty! Never use load shedding of clothing and furniture as an excuse to go shopping to fill the empty space created. Instead, enjoy the air of lightness you now feel. You would be surprised at just how much anxiety is associated with keeping track of, and caring for all the stuff you own.
An empty closet or un-cluttered house is not an excuse to go loading it up again. Resist the temptation
Never Delay Clearing Out
The longer you take to start clearing out, the more reasons you will find to keep something. You will fall in love with your treasures all over again. You will even make up lists of uses for them. Don’t allow that to happen. Start unloading piece by piece if you cannot find time to do it in one go.
Start today.
Join me in clearing out your closet, your whole house, your church. Yes, even churches get cluttered too. Sometimes we have some things that we could donate to smaller poorer churches in our country or overseas – like Hymnals and furnishings that you are changing out.
Infuse Giving Away With Respect For Others
I beg of you – do not take this exercise as an opportunity to dump your junk on other people. Be honest. If it looks like it belongs in the trash – sure enough it belongs in the trash. Some of us believe that when we are giving away stuff we are to give away the worst things we own that we would never wear or use again. How terribly disrespectful of those with whom we share.
In fact, we do not even have to think only of the poor and needy. Why not give to your relatives some of the things you were waiting to leave on the will? Give them now while you are still able to see their pleasure (or not).
Help your closet and home shed load and lose weight. Open your hands and your heart and give away some of the stuff you have.
Enjoy a more clutter-free life,
Marvia
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