Saying goodbye to dream #2

[TxZen]

I always wanted to be a fancy baker- I bought all the cute this and that's for making everything from apple turnovers to zesty muffins and everything in between. The thing is, I am not that good, even after trying for 9 years now. I get frustrated and I hate cleaning up the big mess. I keep 1 muffin pan (mostly for my stuffin' muffins for Thanksgiving/Christmas), 1 small brownie pan because I do like the Ghirardelli mix and 1 glass pan that I use for everything I bake, including small simple cakes. That's it.

Out goes 1 big box...WOOT WOOT!!! And now I can organize my pet food more easily, with easier access.

[ejchase]

Great job, TxZen!

You are making a great point that a certain stage, decluttering is really about letting go of the "might have beens."

One of my first epiphanies about decluttering came when I was looking through a home design magazine and there was a quote from a designer saying basically, that so much of good design, and a good life, is about distillation. That really made a light bulb go on for me.

I definitely feel like when I can let go of the "might have beens" I have much more energy to more fully embrace the things I have actually manifested in my life: good friends, family, a job I love, my spritiual practice, and the hobbies I really pursue. Getting rid of all the excess really makes those things shine more brightly.

Additionally, I know on some level hoarding stuff is a way I sometimes try to avoid the intimacy of being present with all the good things in my life.

[sweetana3]

I was thinking the same thing about the tool caddy on my kitchen counter. I use only 4 things in it all the time. The rest is "just in case" and fills the crock. Time to declutter.

[herbgeek]

I always wanted to be one of those people who have grand cocktail parties, and for years I collected platters, dishware and the like. The real me? A social introvert. I like people but not in large groups. I get overwhelmed with large groups. So in one of my big decluttering binges, I got rid of most of that stuff and it was really hard, even for someone who routinely gets rid of things. You hit it right on the head TxZen- its not the things, its the dream they represent. That's never going to be me, or my life.

[TxZen]

It's taken me YEARS to finally really let go!!!!

Yes yes yes!! The "dream" me is leaving.

Hubby didn't even know we had half the stuff in my Jeep and is not upset at all and I feel, in some way, I was not being honest. I was not hiding it from him but it was packed away neatly- guilty anyone?