Getting Rid of Stuff

After nine years in our home, we are getting ready for a move.  I just heard some of you groan because you know all too well what this means. The disruption of life that comes with showing a home. The garage stuffed with boxes.  Millions of decisions about what the keep and what to get rid of.  And of course the question, “What box did I put that thing in?!”

But let’s talk about the positive side.  I’m discovering there are some unexpected benefits that come with getting a house ready to move, benefits that can be applied to anyone, moving or not!

When our house went on the market this month, I learned about staging a home to sell.  Staging a home means getting it to look like nobody in particular lives there.  All photos come down so that buyers can envision their photos up.  Any distinctive art that a buyer with different taste may dislike goes under a bed. Bookshelves have just a few books and knick knacks instead of the usual overflow.  Bedrooms are emptied except for a tastefully placed item such as a toy or stuffed animal in the pink room.

While this process has taken lots of time and energy, not only does our home look better than ever, but life in our home feels better than ever. There is margin everywhere.  Space on the bookshelves.  Space in the closets.  Space in the cabinets.  Space on the counter.  Space next to my computer.  Even space in the pencil jar.  The best way I can summarize it is that I have felt lightness and accompanying joy from having less stuff around.

One of the most stuffed rooms in the house was my daughter’s.  It took 4 hours to pack her collection of animals, Littlest Pet Shops, games, dolls, knick knacks and a pile of other junk.  You could have easily opened a small toy store with our inventory.  The quantity was almost embarrassing.  We kept out a few play things that could fit easily into her empty closet and a drawer.

The stripping of her room has caused no complaints.  She has been content and her level of creative play has increased.  Yesterday she and her brother made hand sewn vests, sleeping bags and pillows for their stuffed animals from scraps of fabric and my button collection.  I sense she feels less overwhelmed by stuff too.

Like many of us, I have been trying to get rid of stuff for years.  But it seems to take the pressure of a move to get it to the top of the priority list and to force the decision making necessary to cull out unnecessary and sentimental keepsakes.  I knew that I wanted more physical and emotional space in my living environment. Now I know how worthy a goal that was.  And I don’t plan to put all that stuff back in our new home either!

If you’ve been longing for more peace and order in your home, pretend you are moving this summer and strip down your stuff.  Kids actually think this is lots of fun. The changed look of a cleaner room or house invigorates everyone, and summer is a great time to make a few bucks from your stuff by having a garage sale!

-posted by Donna Detweiler, whose sister recently reminded her that S.T.U.F.F. equals Something That Undermines Family Fun.