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 :D 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?