This painting has a story attached to it, as so many of our possessions do. My daughter bought it in a community house at an auction that was raising funds for refugees and asylum seekers. She was 15 and spent $320 to be the winning bidder.
It hung over her bed through her school and uni years, and went with her when she moved out of home.
I know she loved it, but what I loved most about it was that as a schoolgirl she spent her savings on a piece of art. She was buying what she loved, regardless of what anyone else might think of it.
The room that was her bedroom – a long time ago – is being painted, so we’ve pulled out the furniture. And all of the books I’ve been accumulating, and….. other assorted stuff!
I have gathered and hung on to way too much stuff, but now I want calmer, lighter spaces in our home. It’s time to make some decisions.
So much has been tucked away in bookshelves and under the bed, and I’ve decided it’s weighing me down even if I don’t see it every day.
I’ve kept things that aren’t quite what I want, and I know now that they are taking up the space where the things I’d love could go.
Some of it is the artwork and drawings the kids did when they were little – I might choose a few pieces each to keep, but keeping it all is like holding on to a time that’s passed. They’re fine for me to let it all go. And since “Eastern Suburbs” doesn’t fit in my daughter’s new home, it might need to go out too.
I only need to catch up with her to enjoy how committed she is to creating beauty around her. So if she decides it can go out for good, I can bless it and let it go.
Every item we keep in our space has a story to tell, whether we’re aware of it or not.
The story might be
I can’t afford what I love so I’ll settle for this….
Or This was given to me by someone I care about and I don’t want to offend them by saying it doesn’t suit me, or by giving it away”…
This is the fashion and I don’t want to be seen as unfashionable……
This used to fit me and keeping it might motivate me to get back to that size one day….
These books will make me a better partner/business owner/well-informed human…if I read them one day…!
Many of our possessions are just practical and don’t mean anything particular to us. But the meaning we attach to our possessions can have a positive or a negative effect on our lives.
Keeping items to please others can create resentment. As can settling for things that are affordable but unattractive. Hanging on to items that tell us we were smarter or better in some way at a previous time, creates negative self-talk and robs us of the present moment.
It doesn’t matter what you buy or keep in your home. It doesn’t matter if what you find appealing causes others to worry that you missed out on the aesthetic gene.
It’s fine if you’re aligned with today’s fashion or the style of decades ago, or if you have your own style.
The thing to know is that it is what you decide about those things that can bring you joy or misery on a daily basis.
Choose joy! Choose to be surrounded by things that please you or at the least don’t annoy or frustrate you.
Of course, if you’re not single, there will be things that bring your partner or your kids joy that don’t please you.
That’s a whole other kettle of fish! But valuing your relationship with them will help you to value their ‘stuff’.
Now, what to do with the jigsaw of 200 little rainbows that the family did decades ago that just has two tiny pieces missing…..