I'm preparing for the next chapter in my life and we are getting ready to move from our apartment to a beautiful new house. I'm so excited to think about having our own backyard where the boys can play and no downstairs neighbors to complain about how much noise we make.
As I'm packing and going through closets and drawers, I'm realizing just how much stuff I've accumulated in the last 43 years.
T-Shirts: Why do I need so many t-shirts? I have an entire bucket under my bed with t-shirts in it that I literally haven't opened in about 4 years (maybe longer because I am pretty sure I had some of these back in high school). What is possessing me to keep them?
There's no sentimental value in those old t-shirts. I have plenty in my closet and five or six that I really love and wear regularly. All of the ones under my bed will probably never get worn.
Cups: For a family of 3, we have an awfully large collection of cups. They come in all sizes, and many at one point had matching straws that have long since disappeared. I think I must have just kept them because I had room in the cupboard. Is that even a valid reason???
And don't even get me started on the miscellaneous, completely random stuff in my junk drawer and in the bathroom cabinets.
We've made six trips in the last two weeks to the local thrift stores to donate clothing and household items. And at least that many bags of trash have gone into the dumpster.
People have asked me why I need to get rid of so much stuff before I move when our new home will have more space than the apartment.
I think there's a simple answer.
I'm starting over.
This apartment has been a great home for us as we've adjusted after the divorce. I've done a lot of learning and soul-searching here. And in this place, I've started to finally become the me that I want to be when I "grow up."
But our new home represents a brand new chapter in my life and I want to start it with a clean slate. Or at least an uncluttered one.
I'm taking with me the things that bring me joy, the essentials, and the best of what this apartment represents. I don't need all the extra stuff.
The memories and intangibles are far greater than the material stuff that is being packed into boxes and bags anyway.
The things that I no longer need should stay behind, either to be repurposed by someone who can find joy in them, or to be sent to their final resting place.
There's truth in the fact that a clean, uncluttered space can bring a more settled, joyful life.
And I'm more than ready for that. I'm turning the page.
Can't wait to see what comes next.