Do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you?

For the past few months since we decided we wanted to downsize, we have been working hard at sorting through and getting rid of possessions (stuff, junk and crap.)

Some of these things have been part of our lives for years (just carrying it around and sometimes even looking at it.) As we get further through the sorting process, I am finding that a great deal of this stuff will not be missed when it is gone.

After packing and moving these things for many years, we gave a lot of them to our grown kids. As I watched art, jewelry, books, and antiques leaving, I was amazed to find that we still had lots more stuff (way too much.)

The criteria now for keeping the stuff is whether it is important because we need it, love it, or it is a piece of the who we have become. This was vividly illustrated by the day we put a guitar and a banjo in the trunk of our car to take to sell. Suddenly I burst into tears. Having not played either of these about ten years, that was an unexpected response to the moment! I determined that my inner self is not ready to part with that part of my life.

So far it appears that we can live comfortably in about half the space we now have.

The process is still underway but it is going to be a much simpler move than the one five years ago. We also will be much more in touch with who we are and what we consider important.