The argument in my head between abundance and simplicity

 

Apparently I'm fuzzy, foggy and unclear about a lot of things. 

Wanting to write a week day blog everyday got in the way of going to sleep last Friday.  (I doubt that anyone noticed except me and my guilty conscience.

Taking a morning walk got postponed because I had a class meeting to go to and I didn't get up early enough to do the (short) walk.

Sounds like my sleep habits could still use tweaking!

 

I think I'd like to declutter.  I'm willing to start small.  My clothes closet, perhaps.  Or the linen closet which has platters, table cloths and bed linens I haven't used in years. Or one of the three "junk" drawers that have taken up resident in the kitchen. The basement which has unopened boxes from our move more than 5 years ago.

But when it comes to decluttering, I almost always get stuck.  There are   sentimental attachments to my stuff... birthday cards from my grown children, craft supplies that I might be able to use, jewelry that just needs a little repair.  My children's toys that their children might like.

What am I to do with my unframed, unsold, not ready for the Art Museum paintings?

  

Or I can't stand to just put something in the trash.  But what to do with it?  We have a "Savers" nearby and I think they take most anything.  I really should bag or box my unwanted things and let THEM sort it out.  Really.  Same with the dozens of books that I've read but no longer have room for. I could take a couple of cartons every time I go to the library and in 6 months, I might have some room in the book case.

I grew up in a mid-century modern house.  One of the things my mother was good at was keeping the zen-atmosphere of our post and beam house.  VERY little clutter.  I'd like my living space to look that way.

Regrettably, living in my mother's house often left me feeling deprived.  Mostly of permission to be my own self. And I think my old emotions around being told "Don't" all the time has led me to the erroneous conclusion that having "stuff" would make me feel happier.  (There's a brief article on 12 prohibitions that we could all afford to forget here.)

I'm going to take a side trip and make a list of what I really want.

Clutter or cleared tables? Zen like calm or circus-like chaos.

What do you really want? Do your habits reinforce getting it?